other products are regularly delivered to customers: Uncle George used to do the milk round and I remember his little van with milk churns. 2. (UK coll.) the annual tour of higher education establishments by prospective employers: Go to the yearly “milk round ” meetings that big companies set up at the bigger universities. Chat to their representatives. milk run—1. = milk round 1: The milk truck driver agrees to take Joe and Alice home but only if they first accompany him on his milk run . 2. (coll.) a routine trip or flight with no anticipated difficulties: It was just a milk run , the flight to drop off two fishermen at Otter Lake, but Don Sheldon was worried. milk the pigeon • pigeon milk milk the pigeon —(dated) attempt the impossible: “Why have you come here if only to fall into a brown study?” “I am sorry. I promised to do a favor for Miss Ravenhurst but I fear I’m only milking the pigeon .” pigeon milk—(also: pigeon’s milk) 1. the partly-digested food with which pigeons feed their young: Pigeons feed the young ones from the protein-rich “pigeon milk ,” a curd formed in the parent bird’s gut. 2. (dated) said of an imaginary article for which children are sent on a fool’s errand: Boys and novices are frequently sent on the first of April to buy pigeon’s milk . Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase mouse milk—(coll.) anything that delivers little payoff while requiring lots of hard work: When Carl said that making this stuff was mouse milk , what he meant was: it takes a hell of a lot of whatever they use to make it out of to make a little bit. minced meat • mincemeat minced meat—meat cut or chopped into small pieces: The first mouthful brought the tears trickling down my cheeks. It was red pepper, stuffed with minced meat . mincemeat—1. a mixture of currants, raisins, sugar, apples, candied peel, etc. used in pies: My wife makes her own mince - meat and her own plum-puddings. 2. (U.S.) = minced meat: Mincemeat often contains raw animal suet, so always store any uncooked mincemeat in the fridge and don’t be tempted to taste it before cooking. miss out on something • miss out something miss out on something—lose an opportunity to benefit from smth.: You may miss out on some of the latest company gos- sip. miss out something —omit or fail to include smth. in a doc- ument, etc.: You can miss out a comma because you’re writing too quickly. mistaken about something • mistaken in something mistaken about something—is used of smth. concerning which one makes a mistake: I was mistaken about her age. I thought she was over fifty. mistaken in something —1. is used of an erroneous statement, supposition, etc.: The ancients were mistaken in their belief that the earth was flat. 2. = mistaken about something: “The papers have been greatly mistaken in my age,” said the di- vorced wife of the late Samuel Breakwell to a reporter. mix oil and water • pour oil on troubled waters mix oil and water—try to make two very different people or things exist together: There are works which try to combine the technical stuff with personal narratives. Unfortunately, in Veit’s case, it’s mixing oil and water . pour oil on troubled waters —do smth. to make a tense situa- tion more peaceful: Friends are a blessing—they pour oil on troubled waters , drag you to parties and make you feel loved. mix something up with something • mix something with something mix something up with something—1. combine or blend a substance with another substance: I mixed the contents up with water and followed the directions on the bottle. 2. mis- takenly identify one thing with another: They mixed up my name with that of my sister. They then said it was impossible to change the names on the ticket… mix something with something—1. = mix something up with something 1: Mixing paint with the liquid glue requires a little trial and error, so start with just one color of paint. 2. carry out or consider different activities at the same time: Having been badly burned in a previous relationship, Mark never mixes business with pleasure. mixed up in something • mixed up with something mixed up in something—(of people) involved in or linked with smth., especially smth. reprehensible: Robert Mendelson, whose name was also mixed up in the scandal, has not been mentioned in the ruling. mixed up with something—1. blended or interspersed with smth.: Its composition varies according to the various ingre- dients which may be mixed up with it. 2. combined or asso- ciated with smth.: There is no reason why every adventure story should necessarily be mixed up with snobbishness and gutter patriotism. 3. = mixed up in something: No political party makes the slightest reference to it, all parties apparently being too much mixed up with the scandal. 4. confused with smth.; mistakenly identified with smth.: His hospital chart was mixed up with that of another patient with a similar name. mobile home • motor home mobile home—1. a factory-built housing unit that can be installed on a permanent (rented) site and used as a residence: A park owner may not prohibit home owners from installing electric or gas appliances in their mobile home . 2. (also: touring caravan) a non-motorized caravan with living facilities that can be towed by a vehicle and used as a residence: Forty-five miles per hour shall be the maximum speed at which a person shall be permitted to drive a vehicle which is towing a mobile home . motor home—(also: motor caravan) a motor vehicle designed to serve as self-contained living quarters for recreational travel: The number of visitors to our state choosing to travel by motor home is ever increasing. Modern English • New English Modern English—English as it has been since about 1500: According to the nomenclature now generally adopted, the Old English period ends about 1100–1150, the Middle English period about 1500, when the period of Modern English begins. New English—1. the contemporary English language: Mar- riageable men, or what the new English calls “intending bride- grooms” should look at themselves dispassionately in the glass. 2. (attrib.) pertaining to New England (a part of the United States comprising six north-eastern States): Early New English houses were compact, with cooking taking place in one of the principal public rooms. money card • payment card money card—a plastic card for use with card phones (also: calling card): It is a good idea to use a calling card when you call home…. Unlike a lost credit card, the money card has no value to anyone lacking your password. payment card—(UK, also: debit card) a plastic card with which a customer may withdraw money from his account after every transaction: Using payment card , we take complete con- – 237 – money card