megaphone
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have a right to be told if someone living in their area has ever
been found guilty in a court of sexually attacking children.
The law was introduced after a seven year old girl, Megan
Kanka, was RAPED (=forced to have sex) and murdered by a
man who had sexually attacked young girls before. He had
moved into a house nearby and her parents did not know
about his previous behaviour.
meg·a·phone /'megəfəʊn/ also loudhailer BrE || bull-
horn AmE — n an instrument shaped like a widening tube,
often containing an AMPLIFIER which is held to the mouth
when speaking to make the sound of the voice louder: The
police chief addressed the huge crowd through a megaphone.
→ compare MICROPHONE
meg·a·star /'megəstɑː/ n a very famous performer, espe-
cially in films or television; a SUPERSTAR
meg·a·ton /'megətʌn/ n a measure of force of an explosion
equal to that of a million TONS (about 1,016,000,000 kilo-
grams) of TNT: a five-megaton atomic bomb
meg·a·watt /'megəwɒt||-wɑːt/ written abbrev. MW n a million
WATTS
'me gene,ration n [the+sing./pl. v] (often cap. M) (especially in
the 1970s and 1980s) a group of young adults who are
selfishly concerned only with their own affairs and interests,
and pay no attention to the lives and problems of other
people
Mein Kampf /,maɪn 'kæmpf/ a book written by Adolf HITLER
while he was in prison in 1923. It describes his political
ideas and his plan for gaining power over the whole world.
mei·o·sis /maɪ'əʊsɪs/ n [U] cell division in which the new
cells produced each have half the characteristics of the two
parent cells. Sex cells are produced this way, allowing
children to be different from their parents and from each
other. → compare MITOSIS
Me·ir, Gol·da /meɪ'ɪər , 'gəʊldə/ (1898–1978) an Israeli politi-
cian who was Israel's first female Prime Minister, from 1969
to 1974. She is remembered as a very strong and determined
leader.
Meis·sen /'maɪsən/ also 'Meissen ware a type of delicate
PORCELAIN produced in the town of Meissen near DRESDEN,
in Germany, since the 18th century. It is valuable and some
people collect it.
Me·kong, the /,miː'kŋ || ,mer'kɔːŋ/ a river in southeast
Asia, which flows from Tibet through Cambodia and Laos to
Vietnam. The Mekong Delta is one of the most important
areas in Asia for growing rice, and there was also a lot of
fighting in this area during the VIETNAM WAR.
mel·a·mine /'meləmiːn/ n [U] a RESIN or plastic used for
example to make a hard decorative surface for shelves etc
mel·an·cho·li·a /,melən'kəʊliə/ n [U] old-fash fml a condition
in which one feels sad, hopeless, and worthless; DEPRESSION
mel·an·chol·ic /,melən'kɒlɪk || -'kɑː-/ adj especially fml or lit of
or suffering from melancholia or melancholy
mel·an·chol·y¹ /'melənkɒli||-kɑːli/ n [U] especially fml or lit
sadness, especially over a period of time and not for any
particular reason
melancholy² adj especially fml or lit sad: alone and feeling
melancholy | melancholy news
Mel·a·ne·si·a /,melə'niːziə||-'niːʒə/ a group of islands in
the Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia, including Vanuatu,
the Solomon Islands, and Fiji
Mel·a·ne·si·an /,melə'niːziən || -'niːʒən/ n 1 [C] a person
of or from Melanesia 2 [U] the language of Melanesia
—Melanesian adj
mé·lange /meɪ'lɑːnʒ/ n [ (of) usually sing.] a mixture
mel·a·nin /'melənɪn/ n [U] a natural dark brown colouring
found in human skin, hair, and eyes
mel·a·no·ma /,melə'nəʊmə/ n med a TUMOUR on the skin
which causes CANCER
Mel B /,mel 'biː/ (1975–) a British POP SINGER and former
member of the Spice Girls. When she was a member of the
group, she was known as Scary Spice.
Mel·ba sauce /,melbə 'sɔːs/ n [C,U] a thick sweet liquid
made with raspberries (RASPBERRY) used on ice cream →
compare PEACH MELBA
Melba 'toast n [U] very thin TOAST that breaks easily into
small bits
CULTURAL NOTE In the US Melba toast is often given to
people who are ill or to babies when they are getting new
teeth. In the UK it is often served with SOUP or PÂTÉ in
restaurants.
Mel·bourne /'melbən||-ərn/ the second largest city in Aus-
tralia, which is the capital of the state of Victoria in the
southeast of the country. It is an important business, indus-
trial, and CULTURAL centre. → see picture at AUSTRALIA
Mel C /,mel 'siː/ (1974–) a British pop singer who was a
member of the Spice Girls, and was known as Sporty Spice
meld /meld/ v [I,T (into, with)] if two things meld, or if you meld
them, they combine into one thing: He melded country
music with blues to create rock and roll. | The raindrops
melded into a sheet of water.
Mel·drew, Victor /'meldruː/ a character in the humorous
British television programme ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE. He is an
old man who is always complaining and getting annoyed.
Everything he tries to do goes wrong, causing problems or
leading to strange events. He is known for saying 'I don't
believe it!' when he is angry about something.
mel-ee /'meli:||'meleɪ, meɪ'leɪ/ n [C usually sing.] a struggling
or disorderly crowd
mel·li·flu·ous /mˈlɪflʊəs/ adj fml (of words, music, or a
voice) having a sweet smooth flowing sound
Mel·lors /'meləzl-ərz/ a character in the book LADY CHATTER-
LEY'S LOVER by D. H. LAWRENCE. He is a GAMEKEEPER (=some-
one whose job is to take care of wild birds that are bred to be
hunted), who has a sexual relationship with his employer's
wife, Lady Chatterley, a woman from a high social class.
mel·low¹ /'meləʊ/ adj 1 (of fruit and wine) sweet and ripe or
fully developed, especially after being kept for a long
time 2 (of a colour) soft and warm; not bright 3 (of people
or behaviour) wise and gentle through age or experience:
She used to have a fierce temper, but she's got mellower as she's
got older. 4 infml (feeling) pleasantly calm and friendly, not
nervous: The more wine he drank, the mellower he became.
—ly adv —ness n [U]
mellow² v [I;T] to (cause to) become mellow as time passes:
The colours mellowed as the sun went down. | The years have
mellowed him. | She's mellowed over the years.
mellow out phr v [I,T mellow sbdy ↔ out] AmE infml to (cause to)
relax: mellowing out in front of the fireplace | Would you give
him something to mellow him out? He's getting on my nerves.
me·lod·ic /mɪ'lɒdɪk||mɪ'lɑː-/ adj 1 of or having a
melody 2 melodious
me·lo·di·ous /mɪ'ləʊdiəs/ adj having a pleasant tune or
sound; pleasing to listen to —ly adv —ness n [U]
mel·o·dra·ma /'melədrɑːmə || -dræmə, -dræmə/ n [C,U] a
(type of) exciting play, full of sudden events, very good or
very wicked characters, and (too) strong and simple feelings:
(fig.) You've only cut your finger. Don't make such a melodrama
out of it!
mel·o·dra·mat·ic /,melədrə'mætɪk / adj showing, or
intended to produce, strong and excited feelings; (too) EM O -
TIONAL: He says he's going to kill himself, but he's just being
melodramatic. —ally /kli/ adv
mel·o·dy /'melədi/ n 1 [C] a song or tune: a haunting
melody 2 [C] the part which forms a clearly recognizable
tune in a larger arrangement of notes: The sopranos have the
melody while the others sing the accompaniment. 3 [U] the
arrangement of music in a tuneful way; MELODIOUSNESS
'Melody ,Maker trademark a British weekly newspaper about
ROCK and POP music
mel·on /'melən/ n [C,U] a large rounded fruit, with a firm skin
and juicy flesh which can be eaten. It is often eaten as a first
course, but can also be eaten as a DESSERT. → see also
CANTALOUP, HONEYDEW MELON, WATERMELON; see picture at
FRUIT
melt¹ /melt/ v 1 [I;T] a) to cause (a solid) to become liquid:
The sun melted the snow. b) (of a solid) to become liquid:
The ice is melting in the sun. → compare FREEZE, THAW 2 [I;T]
to (cause to) become gentle, sympathetic etc: He shouted at
the little girl, but his heart melted when he saw her crying. 3 [I