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Mae West
Mad·ame But·ter·fly /ˌmædəm ˈbʌtəflaɪ|tər-/ 1 (1904)
an OPERA by PUCCINI in which a Japanese woman marries an
officer in the US navy called Lieutenant Pinkerton, who
later leaves her in Japan and marries another woman in the
US. When he returns to Japan with his American wife, his
Japanese wife kills herself because she is so unhappy. 2 the
main female character of Madame Butterfly
Madame Tus·saud's /ˌmædəm tuˈsoʊdzliˌmædəm
tuˈsəʊz, məˌdem-/ a MUSEUM in London that contains
MODELS of famous people, both living and dead, made of
WAX. It was started by a French woman called Madame
TUSSAUD in 1802. New models are added as new people
become famous. The museum is also famous for its 'Chamber
of Horrors', a special area with models of famous
criminals and murderers.
mad·cap /ˈmædkæp/ adj [A] infml wild and thoughtless; RECK-
LESS: a madcap scheme to go mountain climbing in the middle
of winter
ˌmad cow disˌease n [U] a non-technical name for BSE, a
serious disease that affects cows
MADD /mæd/ Mothers Against Drunk Driving; a US organi-
zation, started by a woman whose daughter was killed by a
driver who was drunk. It has been successful in bringing the
problem of drunk driving to people's attention in the US,
and in encouraging the government to make stronger laws
against it.
mad·den /ˈmædn/ v [T often pass.] to make extremely angry or
annoyed; drive mad
Mad·den, John /ˈmædn/ (1936–) a successful football COACH
in the US who later became a football COMMENTATOR on
television. In 2002 he joined ABC's regular programme
called Monday Night Football. He is known for being afraid to
fly in planes and travelling in a special bus instead.
mad·den·ing /ˈmædənɪŋ/ adj 1 causing much pain or
worry: maddening pain 2 infml extremely annoying: madden-
ing delays —ly adv
mad·der /ˈmædə/ n [U] 1 a plant from whose roots a red
colouring matter (DYE) is obtained 2 the red colouring
matter obtained from this plant
made¹ /meɪd/ past tense & participle of MAKE: Paper is made from
wood. | made in England
made² adj [F] 1 [+(from, of, up of)] formed: Clouds are made of
water/made up of little drops of water. 2 [+(for)] completely
suited to: Nick and Alison are made for each other. 3 infml sure
of success: If you get that job you'll be made for life. | Now
he's married a rich wife he's really got it made.
Made of and made from have very similar
meanings, but often we use made from when the original
material has been completely changed: Paper is made
from wood. | some jam made from the fruit in our
garden | Bread is made from flour and water. We use
made of when the original materials can still be
recognized: The table is made of wood. | a bag made of
leather.
Ma·dei·ra¹ /məˈdɪərə/ the main island in the Madeira
Islands, a group of Portuguese islands in the north Atlantic.
The island is popular with tourists and its main city is
Funchal.
Madeira² n [U] a strong sweet wine
Maˈdeira cake n [U] a kind of plain yellow cake
Mad·e·moi·selle /ˌmædəmwɑˈzel/ n pl. Mesdemoiselles
/ˌmeɪdəmwɑˈzel/ a title used to address a young unmarried
Frenchspeaking woman; MISS²: Mademoiselle Dubois
made-to-ˈmeasure adj (especially of clothes) specially
made to someone's measurements
made-up adj 1 wearing MAKE-UP on the face: She was heav-
ily made-up. 2 not true; invented: a made-up story -> see
also MAKE UP 3 BrE (of a road) covered with TARMAC
Mad 'Hatter, the a character in the book Alice's Adventures
in Wonderland (1865) by Lewis CARROLL. Alice goes to the
Mad Hatter's TEA PARTY where no one eats or drinks any-
thing, the Mad Hatter and the MARCH HARE talk nonsense,
and the DORMOUSE keeps falling asleep. -> see also ALICE IN
WONDERLAND
mad·house /ˈmædhaus/ n pl. -houses /ˌhausɪz/ 1 [C usually
sing.] infml a place where there is a noisy and/or disorderly
crowd of people: The store is an absolute madhouse during
the pre-Christmas period. 2 old use a MENTAL HOSPITAL
Mad·i·son, James /ˈmædʃən/ (1751-1836) the President of
the US from 1809 to 1817. He is sometimes called the
'father of the Constitution' because of his work at the
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION in 1787. He also helped to
write the BILL OF RIGHTS. He started the WAR OF 1812 against
Great Britain, and it was called 'Mr Madison's War'. He was
married to Dolly Madison.
ˌMadison 'Avenue a street in New York City that is famous
as the centre of the advertising business. Its name is some-
times used to mean the US advertising business in general.
ˌMadison Square 'Garden a place in New York City where
concerts or sports events, especially BOXING matches, are
held, which very large crowds of people attend
ˌMadison Square 'Park a small park in New York City
between MADISON AVENUE, BROADWAY, and 23rd Street
mad·ly /ˈmædli/ adv 1 in a wild way as if mad: People were
rushing madly in all directions. 2 infml very (much): He's
madly in love with her.
'Mad Magaˌzine /'l', .../ trademark a humorous US monthly
magazine read especially by TEENAGERS, which is known for
its parodies (PARODY) of recent events, films, famous people
etc
mad·man /ˈmædmən/, mad·wom·an /-ˌwʊmən/ fem. — n
pl. -men /mən/ a person who is mad: He drives like a
madman: I'm sure he'll have an accident one day.
'mad ˌmoney n [U] AmE infml money kept aside for something
unexpected or special: I keep a little mad money in the
zippered pocket of my purse.
mad·ness /ˈmædnəs/ n [U] 1 the state of being mad 2 very
foolish behaviour: It would be sheer madness to attempt to
cross the desert on your own. 3 that way madness lies quote
a phrase from Shakespeare's play King Lear used when saying
that a course of action would lead to a lot of difficulties or
problems -> see also method in one's madness (METHOD)
Ma·don·na¹ /məˈdɒnə||məˈdɑː-/ n 1 the Madonna Mary,
the mother of Jesus, in the Christian religion 2 [C] a picture
or figure of Mary
Madonna² (1958–) a US singer and actress who was one of the
most successful pop stars of the 1980s and 1990s, and is still
popular now. She is known for dressing and performing in
her concerts and VIDEOS in a way that is sexually exciting
and sometimes shocking. Her songs include Like a Virgin
and Material Girl, and her films include Desperately Seeking
Susan and Evita. -> see colour photo on page A31
Ma·dras /məˈdrɑːs, -ˈdræs/ a city and port in southeast
India, the capital of Tamil Nadu state
Ma·drid /məˈdrɪd/ the capital city of Spain, in the centre of
the country
mad·ri·gal /ˈmædrɪgəl/ n a song for several singers without
instruments
Mae, Van·es·sa /meɪ, vəˈnesə/ (1978–) a British VIOLIN
player, who was born in Singapore, and whose records have
helped to make CLASSICAL music more popular, especially
with young people
mael·strom /ˈmeɪlstrɑːm/ n especially lit 1 a stretch of water
moving with a strong circular movement, which can suck
objects down; violent WHIRLPOOL 2 [C usually sing.] a situation
in which the course of events seems uncontrollable and may
lead to destruction: She got sucked into the maelstrom of
political controversy.
mae·nad /ˈmiːnæd/ n 1 a female follower or priestess of the
god of wine in ancient Greece or Rome 2 lit an unnaturally
excited or upset woman
maes·tro /ˈmaɪstrəʊ/ n pl. -tros or -tri /tri:/ (often cap.) a great
or famous musician, especially a CONDUCTOR (=one who
directs the playing of music)
Maestro trademark a service provided by the Mastercard
company which allows you to use a special plastic card to
get money from your bank account at ATMs all over the
world
ˌMae 'West n a humorous name for a type of LIFE JACKET (=an
air-filled garment that you wear to stop yourself sinking in
water) that was worn in World War II by people in the air
M