Mafeking
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force. It was given this name because its shape reminded people of the film actress Mae WEST, who was known for her large breasts.
**Maf·e·king** /'mæfəkɪŋ/ the old name of a town in the northern part of South Africa, now called Mafikeng. It is famous in British history because of the Siege of Mafeking in 1899–1900, when British soldiers defended the town against the Boers during the BOER WAR. The Relief of Mafeking took place after 217 days when more British forces arrived, and the news of this event caused great celebrations in the UK.
**MAFF** /mæf/ MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
**maf·i·a** /'mæːfiə||'mɑːfiə/ n [S+sing./pl. v] 1 [the] (often cap.) also the Mob an organization of criminals who control many ILLEGAL activities by threats of violence, especially the one existing for many years in Sicily and more recently in the US. The Mafia has been the subject of many books and films, e.g. *The Godfather*. 2 derog an influential group who support each other without any concern for people outside the group: *She claimed that the medical mafia had protected the doctor against complaints of negligence.*
**maf·i·o·so** /ˌmæfi'əʊsəʊˌmɑ-/ n (often cap.) a member of the mafia
**mag** /mæg/ n infml a magazine
**mag·a·zine** /ˌmægə'ziːn||'mægəziːn/ n **1** a sort of book with a paper cover and usually large pages, which contains written articles, photographs, and advertisements, usually on a special subject or for a certain group of people, and which is printed and sold every week or month: *a glossy fashion magazine* | *a photography/news/cricket magazine* | *a popular women's magazine* → compare JOURNAL **2** the part of a gun in which bullets are placed before firing **3** the place where the roll of film is kept away from the light in a camera or PROJECTOR (=an apparatus for showing pictures) **4** a storehouse or room for arms, explosives, bullets etc
**Ma·gel·lan, Fer·di·nand** /mə'gelən, -'dʒe-l-'dʒe-, 'fɜːdɪnænd||'fɜːr-/ (?1480-1521) a Portuguese sailor generally considered to be the first person to sail all around the world. The STRAIT OF MAGELLAN at the bottom of South America was named after him.
**ma·gen·ta** /mə'dʒentə/ adj having a dark purplish red colour —**magenta** n [U]
**Mag·gie** /'mægi/ a short form of the name 'Margaret'. British newspapers often used this name to refer to Margaret Thatcher when she was Prime Minister.
**mag·got** /'mægət/ n a small wormlike creature which is the young of a fly or certain other insects, found on flesh and food where flies have laid their eggs
**Ma·ghreb, the** /'mɑːgreb/ the area of northwest Africa which includes the countries of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. The people who live there are mainly Arab and Berber.
**Ma·gi, the** /'meɪdʒaɪ/ also **the Three Wise Men, the Three Kings** n [P] three kings or three wise men who, according to the New Testament of the Bible, came from the East, guided by a star, to see the baby Jesus, for whom they brought gifts of gold, FRANKINCENSE, and MYRRH. → see also NATIVITY
**ma·gic¹** /'mædʒɪk/ n [U] **1** the use of secret forces to control events and people, usually by calling on spirits, saying special words, performing special ceremonies etc: *to practise/work magic* → see also BLACK MAGIC, WHITE MAGIC **2** the art employed by an entertainer (CONJURER) who produces unexpected objects and results by tricks **3** a strange or wonderful influence, power, or quality: *And now, by the magic of satellite technology, we can take you live to Sydney, Australia.* | *the magic of the theatre* **4** like magic/as if by magic so well or suddenly as seems unreasonable or impossible to explain → see also MAGICIAN
**CULTURAL NOTE** Very few people in Western countries believe in magic, but people enjoy watching entertainers perform magic tricks. → see Cultural Note at MAGICIAN
**magic²** adj **1** [A] caused by or used in magic: *a magic trick* | (fig.) *She has a magic touch with the baby; he never cries when she's holding him.* **2** [F] BrE slang very good; wonderful: *Their latest record is really magic.*
**ma·gic·al** /'mædʒɪkəl/ adj apprec of strange power, mystery, or charm: *a magical evening beneath the bright stars* —**ly** /kli/ adv
**magic 'bullet** n **1** a drug or treatment that can cure a disease or illness quickly and easily **2** infml something that solves a difficult problem in an easy way: *There's no magic bullet for school reform.*
**magic 'carpet** n a flying CARPET which can carry people through the air from place to place (from a story in the Arabian Nights)
**Magic 'Circle, the** a British society for people who perform magic tricks as a form of entertainment. The Magic Circle has a strict rule that the secrets of how magic tricks are done must not be told to anyone who is not a member.
**magic 'eye** n infml for PHOTOELECTRIC CELL
**ma·gi·cian** /mə'dʒɪʃən/ n **1** (in stories) a person who can make strange things happen by magic **2** an entertainer who performs magic tricks, e.g. making things appear or disappear; a CONJURER.
**CULTURAL NOTE** The STEREOTYPE of a magician is a man wearing a black CLOAK. He waves a MAGIC WAND and says magic words, for example ABRACADABRA, when he is performing magic tricks. Traditional tricks include making things appear and disappear, especially making a rabbit appear from a TOP HAT (=a tall black hat), and SAWING a woman in half. The magician puts a woman in a box, then cuts through the middle of the box and appears to cut the woman in half.
**Magic 'Kingdom, the** also **the ,Magic ,Kingdom 'park** trademark another name for DISNEYLAND or DISNEY WORLD
**magic 'lantern** n an apparatus for throwing images of pictures from glass plates onto a white sheet; early type of PROJECTOR
**Magic 'Marker** trademark a large pen with a thick soft point
**magic 'mushroom** n a type of MUSHROOM which causes HALLUCINATIONS when eaten. Some people look for and eat these deliberately, because of their drug-like effects.
**Magic 'Realism** n [U] a style of imaginative novel writing connected especially with 20th century writers from Latin America, such as Jorge Luis BORGES, Gabriel García MÁRQUEZ, and Isabel ALLENDE, in which impossible events are described as if they are real
**magic 'wand** n a small stick used by a magician in doing magic tricks: (fig.) *The government can't just wave a magic wand and make this problem go away.*
**Ma·gi·not Line, the** /'mægɪnəʊ ˌlaɪn/ a line of FORTS (=very strong buildings for use by an army) built before World War II to defend the eastern border of France against the Germans. It was not effective, because the German army avoided it by going through Belgium. → compare SIEGFRIED LINE
**ma·gis·te·ri·al** /ˌmædʒɪ'stɪəriəl/ adj fml **1** typical of someone who has complete control over a situation, great knowledge of a subject etc; AUTHORITATIVE: *His magisterial study of Roman law is likely to be the standard book on the subject for many years.* | *a magisterial manner* **2** [A] of or done by a magistrate —**ly** adv
**ma·gis·tra·cy** /'mædʒɪstrəsi/ n **1** [the|U] the office of magistrate **2** [the+sing./pl. v] magistrates considered as a group
**ma·gis·trate** /'mædʒɪstreɪt, -strɪt/ n an official who judges cases in the lowest courts of law: *The boy came up/appeared before the magistrate on a charge of theft.*
**CULTURAL NOTE** In England and Wales, a magistrate is also called a Justice of the Peace or JP. Magistrates in the UK do not have any special training in law, and they are not paid for their work. If they need information about the law, magistrates are advised by a clerk, who is either a SOLICITOR or a BARRISTER. But the decision about whether someone is guilty or not is made by the magistrate. Being a magistrate is considered to be a very responsible position in society.
**'Magistrates' ,Court** n a local law court in England and Wales, where magistrates judge cases involving crimes that