Marxism
862
1964), who never spoke and played the harp, and Chico
(1886-1961), who played the piano. Groucho, who was the
most famous, had GLASSES, a large MOUSTACHE, and a strange
way of walking, and he always carried a thick CIGAR. On US
television he was the PRESENTER of a GAME SHOW called You
Bet Your Life in the 1950s. The Marx Brothers' films include
Horse Feathers (1932), Duck Soup (1933), and A Night at the
Opera (1935). → see photo on page A46
Marx-ism /'mɑːksɪzəm||'mɑːr-/ n [U] the ideas of Karl Marx
and Friedrich ENGELS which form the basis of Socialism and
Communism. Marxism explains the changes in history as
part of the 'class struggle' (=the opposition between different
social classes) and states that this will eventually lead to the
end of CAPITALISM and the victory of the working classes.
These ideas have had a great influence on political thinking
and political events in many parts of the world. —ist n, adj
Marxism-'Leninism n [U] the ideas of Marxism as
explained and added to by the Russian leader LENIN, who
believed in the 'dictatorship of the proletariat' (=when gov-
ernment is controlled by a combination of industrial work-
ers and poor farm workers) as part of the process of
achieving REVOLUTION —Marxist-Leninist n, adj
Ma-ry¹ /'meəri/ also the Virgin Mary, Our Lady in the
Christian religion, the mother of Jesus Christ, and the most
important of all the SAINTS. She was the wife of Joseph, but
Christians believe she was a VIRGIN (=someone who has never
had sex), because the father of Jesus is not a human being,
but God. Christians, especially ROMAN CATHOLICS often pray
to her to ask for help.
Mary² in the New Testament of the Bible, a woman who lived
with her sister, MARTHA. When Jesus visited them, Mary
remained to listen to what he was saying while Martha went
and prepared food for him and his DISCIPLES. As a result Mary
often represents the type of Christian who spends their life
thinking deeply about religious matters. → compare MARTHA
Mary, Mary, Quite Con'trary a NURSERY RHYME (=an
old song or poem for young children):
Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.
Mary had a Little 'Lamb a NURSERY RHYME (=an old
song or poem for young children):
Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow;
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go.
Mary I, Queen /meəri ðə 'fɜːst||'fɜːrst/ also Mary
'Tudor (1516-1558) the queen of England from 1553 until her
death. She was the daughter of HENRY VIII and Catherine of
Aragon, and she married the king of Spain, Philip II. Mary
tried to make England return to the Catholic religion, and
many Protestants who refused to become Catholics were
killed by being burned. For this reason, she was sometimes
called Bloody Mary.
Mary II /meəri ðə 'sekənd/ → see WILLIAM OF ORANGE
Ma-ry-land /'meərɪlənd/ written abbrev. MD a state on the east
coast of the US, and one of the 13 original states of the US.
Its largest city is Baltimore, which is a busy port.
Mary Mag-da-le-ne, Saint /meəri mægdə'liːni,
-'mægdəliːn/ in the New Testament of the Bible, a woman
whom Jesus cured. She attended Jesus's CRUCIFIXION and was
the first person to see him when he returned to life after his
death. She is usually thought to be the same woman as the
PROSTITUTE who washed Jesus' feet, but who is not named in
the Bible.
Mary Pop-pins /meəri 'pɒpɪnz||-ˈpɑː-/ (1964) a US film in
which Julie ANDREWS appears as a NANNY (=a woman who is
employed to take care of the children in a family) called
Mary Poppins, who has magical powers and can fly
Mary Quant /meəri 'kwɒnt||-ˈkwɑːnt/ trademark a British
company that makes fashionable clothing for women, jewel-
lery and COSMETICS. It is named after the woman who started
it. Mary Quant had a big influence on the fashion of the
1960s, and she is considered by some people to be the
inventor of the MINI SKIRT.
Mary Queen of Scots
Mary Queen of 'Scots
also Mary 'Stuart (1542-87)
the daughter of the Scottish
King James V. She became
Queen of Scotland when she
was one week old, but in
1568 she was forced to give
up her position, and she
escaped to England. Instead
of helping her, the English
queen, Elizabeth I (who was
her COUSIN) put her in
prison. Many Catholics
believed Mary should have
been Queen of England
instead of Elizabeth, who
was a Protestant. Eventually
Elizabeth ordered Mary to be
killed, because she believed
Mary was involved in a secret plan to kill her. After Eliza-
beth's death, Mary's son James, who was the King of
Scotland, also became the King of England (as JAMES I). Mary
had three husbands, and had an exciting and romantic life,
and many stories and books have been written about her.
Mary 'Rose, The a British warship which sank in the sea
off the south coast of England on its first journey in 1545. It
was brought to the surface in 1982, and can now be seen in
Portsmouth.
mar-zi-pan /'mɑːzɪpæn||'mɑːrtsɔː-, 'mɑːrzɪ-/ n [U] a very
sweet substance made from sugar, eggs, and finely crushed
ALMONDS used for making sweets and for covering cakes,
especially wedding cakes
Ma-sai /'mɑːsaɪ/ n 1 the Masai [P] a tribe of people who
live in Kenya and Tanzania, whose economy is mostly based
on cattle 2 [C] a member of this tribe 3 [U] the language of
the Masai —Masai adj: a Masai warrior
masc. written abbrev. for MASCULINE
mas-ca-ra /mə'skɑːrə||mə'skerə/ n [U] a dark substance
used by women to colour and thicken their eyelashes (EYE-
LASH)
mas-cot /'mæskɒt||'mæskɑːt/ n an object, animal, or person
that is chosen as a SYMBOL and thought to bring good luck:
The football team's mascot is a goat.
mas-cu-line /'mæskjʊlɪn/ adj 1 of or having qualities that
are considered typical of or suitable for a man, such as
strength, authority, and a deep voice: He looks very mascu-
line in his new uniform. | She has a rather masculine
voice. 2 (in grammar) for or belonging to the class of words
that usually includes most of the words for males: 'Drake' is
the masculine word for 'duck'. | The word for 'book' is mascu-
line in French. | a masculine ending → compare FEMININE,
NEUTER; see FEMININE (USAGE)
mas-cu-lin-i-ty /mæskjʊ'lɪnəti/ n [U] the quality of being
MASCULINE
Mase-field, John /'meɪsfiːld/ (1878-1967) a British writer
and sailor, best known for his poems about the sea, such as
Sea Fever and Cargoes. He became POET LAUREATE (=the
Queen's official poet) in 1930.
ma-ser /'meɪzər/ n an apparatus for producing a very pow-
erful electric force → compare LASER
Mas-e-ra-ti /mæzə'rɑːti||məs-/ trademark an expensive type
of Italian SPORTS CAR, known for its speed and style
mash¹ /mæʃ/ v [T(UP)] to crush into a soft substance, often
after cooking: Mash (up) the potatoes with a fork.
mash² n 1 [U] BrE infml mashed potatoes, especially when
eaten with SAUSAGES: I love sausage and mash. 2 [C,U] a
mixture of grain, BRAN etc, with water, forming a soft mass
used as food for animals 3 [U] a mixture of MALT with hot
water, used in making beer
M.A.S.H /mæʃ/ a very popular US television programme
(1972-82), based on Robert Altman's film of the same name
(1970) about a US army medical camp during the KOREAN
WAR. Although it treated the subject in a humorous way, it
also showed the serious effects that war had on people. The
letters stand for 'Mobile Army Surgical Hospital'.
mashed /mæʃt/ adj [F] BrE infml very drunk or strongly
affected by drugs: We got completely mashed last night.