905
Monroe Doctrine, the
'monkey wrench n a tool that can be used for holding or turning things of different widths
Monkhouse, Bob /'mʌŋkhaus/ (1928–2003) a British COMEDIAN and PRESENTER of GAME SHOWS (=television programmes in which people play games and answer questions to win prizes) such as Celebrity Squares and Family Fortunes
mon-o¹ /'mɒnəʊ||'mɑː-/ adj using a system of sound recording or broadcasting in which the sound appears to come from one direction only when played: a mono record/record player ➔ compare QUADRAPHONIC, STEREO
mono² n [U] infml 1 mono sound 2 MONONUCLEOSIS
mono- ➔ see WORD FORMATION TABLE
mon-o-chrome /'mɒnəkrəʊm||'mɑː-/ adj 1 using only black, white, and grey: a monochrome television 2 (of a painting etc) in only one colour: a monochrome study of trees by a pool | (fig.) a dull monochrome existence (=always the same)
mon-o-cle /'mɒnəkəl||'mɑː-/ n an EYEGLASS for one eye only, worn in former times, especially by UPPER-CLASS men
mo-nog-a-my /mə'nɒdəmi||mə'nɑː-/ n [U] the custom or practice of having only one wife or husband at one time, the only legal form of marriage in most of the western world ➔ compare BIGAMY, POLYGAMY —mous adj —mously adv
mon-o-gram /'mɒnəgræm||'mɑː-/ n a figure formed of two or more combined letters, especially a person's INITIALS that is printed on writing paper, or sewn on clothes TOWELS etc. A monogram is considered to be a sign of a wealthy person.
—med adj
mon-o-graph /'mɒnəgrɑːf||'mɑːnəgræf/ n [ (ø)] a serious article or short book on one particular subject that the writer has studied deeply
mon-o-ki-ni /'mɒnəʊkiːni || 'mɑː-/ n a piece of women's clothing for swimming which is in one piece and worn below the waist; a BIKINI without a top
mon-o-ling-ual /ˌmɒnə'ʊlɪŋgwəlˌmɑːnə-/ adj tech speaking or using only one language: a monolingual dictionary ➔ compare BILINGUAL
mon-o-lith /'mɒnəlɪθ||'mɑː-/ n 1 a large block of stone, usually taller than it is wide, standing by itself, especially as put up in former times for religious purposes 2 something which is large and very difficult to change
mon-o-lith-ic /ˌmɒnə'lɪθɪkmɑː-/ adj 1 of or like a monolith: a monolithic office building 2 often derog forming a large unchangeable whole: a monolithic totalitarian state —ally /kli/ adv
mon-o-logue || also monolog AmE /'mɒnəlɒg||'mɑːnəlɔːg, -lɑːg/ n 1 a long speech for a single actor or actress, usually alone on stage 2 infml a rather long period of talking by one person, which prevents others from taking part in the conversation ➔ compare DIALOGUE, SOLILOQUY
mon-o-ma-nia /ˌmɒnə'meɪniəˌmɑː-/ n [U] a condition of the mind in which a person keeps thinking of one particular idea or subject
mon-o-ma-ni-ac /ˌmɒnə'meɪniækˌmɑ-/ n, adj (a person) suffering from monomania
mon-o-nu-cle-o-sis /ˌmɒnənjuːkli'əʊsɪs||ˌmɑːnənuː-/ n [U] especially AmE for GLANDULAR FEVER
mon-oph-thong /'mɒnəfθɒ||'mɑːnəfθɔː/ n tech a single vowel sound, in which the organs of speech remain in the same position while it is being pronounced: The vowel sound in 'me' is a monophthong. ➔ compare DIPHTHONG
mon-o-plane /'mɒnəpleɪn||'mɑː-/ n an aircraft with only one wing on each side, as used today by most AIRLINES ➔ compare BIPLANE
Mo,nopolies and 'Mergers Com,mission, the a British government organization whose job is to examine cases where two companies plan to MERGE (=join together to form a larger company), and to decide whether this would be bad for other businesses and for ordinary customers. If the government thinks there may be a problem, the case is 'referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission'. There is a similar organization in the US called the FTC (=the Federal Trade Commission).
mo-nop-o-list /mə'nɒpələlɪst||mə'nɑː-/ n a person who has a monopoly —ic /ˌmɒnəpə'lɪstɪkˌmɑːnɑː-/ adj: giant monopolistic corporations
mo-nop-o-lize also -lise BrE /mə'nɒpəlaɪz||mə'nɑː-/ v [T] to have or get complete control of: The company eventually monopolized the entire cigarette industry. | Robert completely monopolized the conversation last night; Sally and I couldn't get a word in edgeways! —lization /məˌnɒpəlaɪ'zeɪʃən||məˌnɑːpələ-/ n [U(ø)]
mo-nop-o-ly /mə'nɒpəlɪ||mə'nɑː-/ n 1 [C] control of all of the market for a product or service: That airline has a monopoly on flights to Oslo. | The postal service is a government monopoly. (=no one else is allowed to provide this service) 2 [S+of] possession of, or control over, something which is not shared by others: He seems to think he has a monopoly of brains. (=that he alone is clever) | A university education shouldn't be the monopoly of the rich.
Monopoly trademark a very popular type of BOARD GAME that has been sold since the 1930s. Players use toy money to buy streets and buildings on squares on the board, and then make other players pay rent if they move onto those squares. The squares on the board show the names of real streets in cities in the US (=in an American Monopoly set), London (=in a British Monopoly set), or other big cities around the world. People sometimes use the expression Monopoly money to mean a very large amount of money: You know how much it costs to buy an apartment in Tokyo? It's Monopoly money!
mon-o-rail /'mɒnəreɪl||'mɑː-/ n (a train travelling along the top of, or hanging from) a railway system with a single RAIL
mon-o-sod-i-um glu-tam-ate /ˌmɒnəʊˌsəʊdiəm 'gluːtəmeɪt||ˌmɑːnə-/ n [U] ➔ see MSG
mon-o-syl-lab-ic /ˌmɒnəsɪ'læbɪkˌmɑː-/ adj 1 tech (of a word) having one SYLLABLE 2 (of a remark) short and rather rude: He was sulking, and would give only monosyllabic replies, such as 'yes' and 'no'. —ally /kli/ adv
mon-o-syl-la-ble /'mɒnəsɪləbəl||'mɑː-/ n tech a word with one SYLLABLE: 'Can', 'hot', and 'neck' are monosyllables.
mon-o-the-is-m /'mɒnəθiːɪzəm||'mɑːnə-/ n [U] tech the belief that there is only one God ➔ compare POLYTHEISM —ist n —tic /ˌmɒnəθiː'ɪstɪkmɑːnə-/ adj: Christianity is a monotheistic religion.
mon-o-tone /'mɒnətəʊn||'mɑː-/ n [S] a way of speaking or singing in which the voice neither rises nor falls, but continues on the same note: to speak in a monotone
mo-not-o-nous /mə'nɒtənəs||mə'nɑː-/ adj having a tiring uninteresting sameness and lack of variety, dull: He spoilt the poem by reading it in a monotonous voice. | My job is rather monotonous. —ly adv
mo-not-o-ny /mə'nɒtəni||mə'nɑː-/ also mo-not-o-nous-ness /mə'nɒtəsnəs||mə'nɑː-/ n [U] sameness; lack of variety: the monotony of his voice/the job
mon-o-unsat-u-rate /ˌmɒnəʊæn'sætʃʊreɪt||ˌmɑ-/ also mon-o-unsat-u-rat-ed fat /ˌmɒnəænsætʃreɪtɪd 'fæt||ˌmɑː-/ n tech a type of fat found especially in vegetable foods which is less harmful than SATURATED FAT, which is found in meat and DAIRY products
mo-nox-ide /mə'nɒksaɪd||mə'nɑːk-/ n [C,U] tech a chemical compound containing one atom of oxygen to every atom of another ELEMENT: carbon monoxide
Mon-roe, James /mən'rəʊ/ (1758–1831) the President of the US from 1817 to 1825. He is known especially for the speech he made to the US CONGRESS in 1823, called the MONROE DOCTRINE.
Monroe, Mari-lyn /'mɛərɪlɪn/ (1926–62) a US film actress and singer, whose real name was Norma Jean Baker. People still think of her as the most typical example of a SEX SYMBOL (=someone who represents society's idea of what is sexually attractive). Although she was famous and successful, she was a very unhappy woman and she died after taking too many SLEEPING PILLS. She is also known for having had a sexual relationship with the US president, J.F. KENNEDY. Her films include Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959). ➔ see photo on page A33
Mon'roe ,Doctrine, the the idea, stated in a speech by President James MONROE in 1823, that countries of Europe