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easily heard: The sound of the bell was muffled by the
curtains. | muffled voices coming from the next room 2 [UP]
to cover (especially oneself) thickly and warmly: He went out
into the snow muffled (up) in his scarf and heavy overcoat.
muf-fler /'mʌflə/ n 1 a heavy SCARF worn to keep one's
neck warm 2 AmE for SILENCER
muf-ti¹ /'mʌfti/ n a person who officially explains Muslim
law
mufti² n in mufti wearing ordinary clothes, not the uniform
(especially military uniform) which one usually wears
mug¹ /mʌg/ n 1 a round container for drinking especially hot
liquids such as tea and coffee, having straight sides and a
handle, and used, without a SAUCER in the home or on
informal occasions but not at formal events -> compare
CUP¹ 2 also mug-ful /-fʊl/ — the contents of a mug: two mugs
of coffee 3 BrE infml a foolish person who is easily deceived ->
see also MUG'S GAME 4 slang the face or mouth: his ugly mug
mug² v -gg- [T] to rob (a person) with violence, especially in
a public place —mugging n [C;U] a big increase in the
number of muggings in this area
mug up phr v [I;T (= mug sthg. <-> up)] infml, especially BrE to study
with great effort, especially when preparing for an exam
Mu-ga-be, Rob-ert /mu:'ga:bi, 'rɒbərt||'ra:bərt-/ (1924-) an
African nationalist and politician who helped Zimbabwe to
become independent. He became Prime Minister in 1980,
when Zimbabwe became independent, and became its first
president in 1987. Many people have criticized him and his
government for using threats and violence against his politi-
cal opponents in the 1990s and 2000s. After his reelection in
2002 Zimbabwe was SUSPENDED from the Commonwealth
because many countries thought that the election was not
fair or honest. In 2003, Zimbabwe officially decided to leave
the Commonwealth.
mug-ger /'mʌgə/ n a person who mugs people
mug-gins /'mʌgɪnz/ n BrE slang a fool, especially when used
of oneself: Everyone disappeared after dinner, leaving mug-
gins (=me) to do the washing-up.
mug-gy /'mʌgi/ adj infml (of weather) unpleasantly warm with
heavy wet air —giness n [U]
'mug's, game n [S] BrE infml a course of action that is unlikely
to be rewarding or profitable: Writing's a mug's game; you
should get a proper job! -> see also MUG¹
mug-shot /'mʌgʃɒt||-'ʃɑ:t/ n slang a photograph of a person's
face, especially one of a criminal taken by the police
mug-wump /'mʌg-wʌmp/ n AmE derog old-fash a person who
tries to be independent of the leaders in politics
Mu-ham-mad /mu'hæmɪd, mə-/ also Mohammed (?570-
632) an Arab holy man, born in MECCA, who started the
religion of Islam and is its most important PROPHET (=some-
one who has been sent by God to lead people and teach
them). The things that God told him were later written down
to form the holy book called the KORAN. The CALENDAR
which is used in the Islamic world, the HEGIRA CALENDAR,
begins in 622 AD, which is the year when Muhammad went
from Mecca to Medina to escape from being badly treated for
his religious beliefs. When Muslim people mention Muham-
mad's name, they usually add the words 'peace be upon him'
in order to show their respect.
Muhammad, E-li-jah /ɪ'laɪdʒə/ (1897-1975) the leader of
the Black Muslims from the late 1930s until his death
Mu-ham-ma-dan /mu'hæmɪdən, mə-/ n an old-fashioned
word for a Muslim, which most Muslims find very offensive
—Muhammadan adj —Muhammadanism n [U]
Mohammedan and Muhammadan are
old-fashioned words meaning Muslim, but should not be
used because Muslims consider them very offensive. The
spelling Moslem is sometimes used but is disliked by
many Muslims.
Muir, Jean /mjʊə, dʒi:n/ (1933-95) a British fashion
designer, known for her CLASSIC clothes
mu-ja-hed-din /,mu:dʒəhe'di:n/ n [P] Muslim soldiers who
fought against the Soviet army in Afghanistan and later
against the TALIBAN
mu-lat-to /mju:'lætəʊ||mu-/ n pl. -tos or -toes now usually
considered derog a person with one black parent and one white
one
mul-ber-ry /'mʌlbəri||-beri/ n (a tree with) a dark purple
fruit which can be eaten
mulch¹ /mʌltʃ/ n [S;U] a covering of material, often made
from decaying plants, used to improve soil and protect the
roots of plants
mulch² v [T] to cover with a mulch
Mul-der, Fox /'mʌldə/ the main male character in the US
television programme The X Files, who is an AGENT for the
FBI, and who believes in ALIENS
mule¹ /mju:l/ n 1 the animal which is the young of a DONKEY
and a usually female horse. Mules are usually thought of as
being STUBBORN. 2 a sort of spinning-machine (SPIN)
mule² n [usually pl.] a shoe or SLIPPER with no back, but only a
piece of material across the toes to hold it on -> see PAIR
(USAGE)
mu-le-teer /,mju:lɪ'tɪə/ also mule-skin-ner
/'mju:l,skɪnə/ AmE — n a man who drives mules
mul-ish /'mju:lɪʃ/ adj unreasonably refusing to agree with the
wishes of others; STUBBORN: mulish obstinacy —ly adv
—ness n [U]
mull¹ /mʌl/ v [T] to heat (wine or beer) with sugar and SPICES:
mulled ale
mull sthg. <-> over phr v [T] to think over; consider for a
time; PONDER: I've been mulling over your advice but I still
haven't decided what to do.
mull² n ScotE an area of land standing out into the sea;
PROMONTORY
Mull also the Isle of Mull a large island off the west coast
of Scotland, the largest island in the Inner Hebrides. It is
often visited by tourists, especially in summer.
mul-lah /'mʌlə/ n a Muslim teacher of law and religion
Mullah O-mar /,mʌlə 'əʊmə:/, also Mullah Moham-
med Omar (1962?- ) an Afghani politician and former
religious leader who started the Taliban and became its
leader in 1994. The US government believe that he sup-
ported Osama Bin Laden and allowed the terrorist organiza-
tion al-Qaeda to operate from bases in Afghanistan. US
forces have been trying to catch him since the end of the
war against the Taliban.
mul-let /'mʌlɪt/ n pl. mullet or mullets a fairly small sea fish
which can be eaten
mul-li-ga-taw-ny /,mʌlɪgə'tɔ:ni||-'tɔ:ni, -'tɑ:ni/ n [U] a
strong soup, containing hot SPICES
mul-lion /'mʌljən/ n the wood, metal, or especially stone
part running up and down between the glass parts of a
window —ed adj: mullioned windows
multi- -> see WORD FORMATION TABLE
mul-ti-choice /,mʌlti 'tʃɔɪs/ adj MULTIPLE CHOICE
mul-ti-col-oured BrE || mul-ti-col-ored AmE
/,mʌlti'kʌləd || -ərd / adj having many different colours: a
multicoloured sweatshirt
mul-ti-cul-tur-al /,mʌlti'kʌltʃərəl/ n including people or
teachings from several different CULTURES: multicultural edu-
cation -> see Feature on page A14
,mul-ti-'faith adj [A] including or involving people of several
different religious faiths: a multi-faith service of
thanksgiving | a multi-faith society
mul-ti-far-i-ous /,mʌlti'fɛəriəs/ adj of many different
types; showing great variety: his multifarious business activi-
ties —ly adv —ness n [U]
mul-ti-form /'mʌltfɔ:m||-fɔ:rm/ adj fml having several differ-
ent shapes or appearances
,mul-ti-'func-tion adj [A] (of a machine, an apparatus etc) that
has several different uses: a multi-function clock, timer, and
stop-watch | a multi-function tool which combines spanners, a
screwdriver, and a saw
mul-ti-lat-er-al /,mʌlti'lætərəl/ adj concerning or includ-
ing more than two groups or nations: a multilateral
agreement | multilateral trade -> compare BILATERAL, UNILAT-
ERAL —ly adv
mul-ti-lin-gual /,mʌlti'lɪŋgwəl/ adj 1 containing or
expressed in many different languages: a multilingual dic-
tionary/advertisement 2 able to speak many different lan-
guages: a multilingual secretary -> compare POLYGLOT
mul-ti-me-di-a /'mʌlti,mi:diə/ adj [only before n] using a