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mike
mid·sum·mer /'mɪd,sʌmə/ n [U] 1 the middle of summer 2 the summer SOLSTICE (21st or 22nd June)
,Midsummer 'Day also Midsummer's Day n [S] BrE the 24th of June
,midsummer 'madness n [U] infml lit very foolish behaviour
,Midsummer ,Night's 'Dream, A a humorous play by William SHAKESPEARE in which OBERON, the king of the fairies (FAIRY), puts a magic SPELL on TITANIA, his queen, while she is sleeping, so that she falls in love with the first creature she sees when she awakes. This is BOTTOM, a weaver who has been given the head of a DONKEY by Oberon's servant, PUCK, who has magic powers. It is one of Shakespeare's most popular plays, and it is often performed outdoors in the summer, for example in Regent's Park in London. -> see Feature on page A26
mid·term /'mɪdˌtɜːm||'mɪdˌtɜːrm/ n AmE an examination in the middle of a (university) TERM: The chemistry midterm was a real killer!
,midterm 'blues n [P] an expression used in newspapers etc and by politicians to explain feelings of dissatisfaction expressed by the public midway through a government or a President's time in office
mid·town /'mɪdtaʊn/ adj, adv AmE in the area of a city near the centre but which is not the main business area -> compare DOWNTOWN
Midtown n AmE a central area of a city, especially the part of Manhattan in New York City which is south of Central Park -> compare DOWNTOWN, UPTOWN
mid·way /ˌmɪd'weɪ ||'mɪdweɪ/ adj, adv halfway; in a middle position: There's a small village midway between these two towns. | He was knocked out midway through the third round.
Mid·way¹ /'mɪdweɪ/ two small islands in the Pacific Ocean northwest of Honolulu, used as a US military base. There was an important sea and air battle there in 1942 called the Battle of Midway.
Midway² an airport in Chicago, Illinois, used mostly for flights within the US
mid·week /ˌmɪd'wiːk ||'mɪdwiːk/ adj, n [U] (happening during) the middle days of the week; Tuesday, Thursday, and especially Wednesday: a midweek match
Mid·west, the /ˌmɪd'west/, the American Midwest, the Middle West the large central part of the US, typically thought of as an area of FARMLAND, small towns, and small cities. It includes the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Oklahoma. -> compare NORTH, SOUTH, SOUTHWEST, WEST; see also EAST COAST, NEW ENGLAND, PACIFIC NORTHWEST, WEST COAST, WILD WEST
CULTURAL NOTE When people in the US think about the Midwest, they usually think about farms because these states are where most of the country's crops are grown. The STEREOTYPE of a farmer from the Midwest is someone who wears OVERALLS, drives a PICK-UP TRUCK, and has traditional beliefs about the family, sex etc -> see also MIDDLE AMERICA
mid·wife /'mɪdwaf/ n pl. -wives /waɪvz/ a person, usually a woman, who is not a doctor but helps women when they are giving birth to children: a male midwife
mid·wif·ery /'mɪdˌwaɪfərɪ||ˌwaɪfəri/ n [U] the skill or work of a MIDWIFE
mid·win·ter /ˌmɪd'wɪntər/ n [U] 1 the middle of winter 2 the winter SOLSTICE (21st or 22nd December)
mien /miːn/ n lit a person's expression or appearance, as showing a particular (stated) feeling: a thoughtful and solemn mien
Mies van der Ro·he, Lud·wig /ˌmiːz vən də 'raʊəl -dər-, 'ludwɪg/ (1886-1969) a US ARCHITECT, born in Germany, who is considered to be one of the most important ARCHITECTS of the 20th century. He is best known for his many steel and glass SKYSCRAPERS such as the Seagram Building in New York City. He was a teacher in the BAUHAUS in Germany, and his buildings are very plain, practical, and without decoration.
miffed /mɪft/ adj [F] infml slightly angry
might¹ /maɪt/ v 3rd person sing. might; negative short form mightn't [modal->v] 1 (used to show very slight possibility): He might come, but it's very unlikely. | That car nearly hit me; I might have been killed! (=but I wasn't) -> compare MAY¹ 2 (describes may in the past): I thought it might rain. (=I thought, 'It may rain.') | They asked if they might go home. (=they asked, 'May we go home?') | (fm) He said I might go if I wished. 3 BrE (used instead of may for asking permission politely): 'Might I come in?' 'Yes, of course you may.' -> compare MAY¹ 4 (used like ought or should): You might at least say 'thank you' when someone helps you. | You might have offered to carry it! (=I am angry because you did not offer) | I might have known she'd refuse. (=it was typical of her to refuse.) 5 (in CLAUSES expressing hope or purpose) would; could: I'd have thought you might remember your mother's birthday. | The prisoner had hopes that he might be set free. -> compare MAY¹ 6 also may becoming rare — pomp or humor (in questions) do/does: And what might this mean? (=what does this mean?) | Who might you be? (=who are you?) 7 perhaps; MAY: You might think you're clever, but that doesn't give you the right to order me about! 8 might well to have been likely to: We lost the football match, but we might well have won if one of our players hadn't been hurt. 9 might (just) as well to have no strong reason not to: No one will eat this food; it might just as well be thrown away.
USAGE 1 When you are talking about possibility might sometimes suggests a smaller possibility than may but often these words are used to mean the same thing: I may/might see you tonight; I don't know yet. 2 There can be a difference between He may have (=perhaps he has) drowned and He might have drowned (=he was in danger of drowning, but he did not). But many people now use these words to mean the same thing. -> see also CAN (USAGE), COULD (USAGE), NOT (USAGE)
might² n [U] 1 especially lit. power; strength; force: The army was crushed by the might of the enemy forces. | He pushed and pushed with all his might but it wouldn't move 2 by/with might and main old-fash by using all one's strength
'might-have-beens n [the P] infml desirable things that could have happened in the past, but did not: The old lady would sit for hours, thinking sadly of all the might-have-beens.
might·n't /'maɪtənt/ infml, especially BrE short for might not: They mightn't come.
might·y¹ /'maɪti/ adj especially lit or bibl very great in power, strength, size etc: He raised the hammer and struck the rock a mighty blow. | mighty empires | a mighty king | the mighty Himalayas -> see also HIGH-AND-MIGHTY —ily adv: He swore mightily. | mightily (=very) amused
mighty² adv especially AmE infml very: a mighty good meal
mi·graine /'miːgreɪn, 'maɪ-||'maɪ-/ n [C;U] (a condition in which one has) a repeated severe headache, usually with disorder of the eyesight
mi·grant /'maɪgrənt/ n a person, animal, or especially a bird that migrates or is migrating: Summer migrants nest here. | Migrant workers move from country to country in search of work. | cheap migrant labour -> see EMIGRATE (USAGE)
mi·grate /maɪ'greɪt||'maɪgreɪt/ v [I (from, to)] 1 (of birds and fish) to travel regularly from one part of the world to another, according to the seasons of the year 2 to travel so as to change one's place of living, especially for a limited period: Some tribes migrate with their cattle in search of fresh grass. -> see EMIGRATE (USAGE) —gratory /'maɪ'reɪtəri||'maɪgrətɔːri/ adj: migratory birds
mi·gra·tion /maɪ'greɪʃən/ n [C;U] (an example of) the act of migrating: Scientists have studied the migration of fish over long distances. | Wars always cause great migrations of people. -> see EMIGRATE (USAGE)
mi·ka·do /mɪ'kɑːdəʊ/ n pl. -dos (often cap.) (a former title for) the Emperor of Japan
Mikado, The (1885) a COMIC OPERA by GILBERT AND SULLIVAN which is set in Japan and contains the well-known songs The Flowers that Bloom in the Spring, Tra La and Three Little Maids from School. The name 'Mikado' is a former title for the EMPEROR of Japan.
mike /maɪk/ n infml for MICROPHONE