NTC''''s Pocket Dictionary of Words and Phrases part 39 pot

(Informal.) 2. to scold or punish
someone severely.
make mischief to cause trouble.
make off with
someone or some-
thing
to leave and take away some-
one or something.
make
oneself
at home to make
oneself comfortable as if one were
in one’s own home.
make
oneself
clear to give a clear
explanation or clear orders.
make
oneself
heard to speak
loudly so that one will be heard
above the noise.
make (out) after
someone or
something
to run after someone or
something; to start out after some-
one or something.
make (out) for
someone or some-
thing

to run toward someone,
something, or someplace.
make out (with
someone or some-
thing
) to manage satisfactorily
with someone or something.
make over
someone or something
to pay a lot of attention to some-
one or something.
make overtures to give hints
about something; to present or
suggest ideas.
make reservations Go to make a
reservation.
make short work of
someone or
something
and make fast work
of
someone or something
to finish
with someone or something
quickly.
make
someone or something
over
to convert someone or something
into a new or different person or

thing.
make
someone or something
tick
to cause someone or something to
run or function. (Originally the
kind of thing that would be said
about a clock or a watch.)
make
someone
the scapegoat for
something
to make someone take
the blame for something.
make
someone
up to put makeup
on someone, including oneself.
make
someone’s
bed Go to make a
bed.
make
someone’s
blood boil to
make someone very angry.
make
someone’s
blood run cold
to shock or horrify someone.

make
someone’s
hair stand on
end to cause someone to be very
frightened.
make
someone’s
head spin Go to
make
someone’s
head swim.
make
someone’s
head swim and
make
someone’s
head spin 1. to
make someone dizzy or disori-
ented.
2. to confuse or overwhelm
someone.
make
someone’s
mouth water to
make someone hungry (for some-
thing); to cause someone to sali-
vate.
make
something
from scratch to

make something by starting with
the basic ingredients.
make
something
off (of)
someone
or something
to make money from
someone or something.
make
something
out to see, read,
or hear something well enough to
understand it.
make
something
up 1. to invent a
story or tale; to fabricate some-
make mischief
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thing, such as a story or a lie. 2. to
redo something; to do something
that one has failed to do in the
past.
make
something
up out of whole
cloth to create a story or a lie

from no facts at all.
make
something
worth
someone’s
while to make something prof-
itable enough for someone to do.
make the feathers fly Go to make
the fur fly.
make the fur fly and make the
feathers fly
to cause a fight or an
argument.
make the grade to be satisfactory;
to be what is expected.
make up for lost time to do much
of something; to do something
fast.
make up
something
to form or
constitute something; to be a part
of something.
make up (with
someone
) to rec-
oncile with someone; to end a dis-
agreement (with someone).
make use of
someone or some-

thing
to use or utilize someone or
something.
makeup ["mek @p] 1. n. substances
applied to the face to improve its
appearance. (No plural. Treated as
singular.)
2. n. the contents of
something; the parts or substances
that form something. (No plural.
Treated as singular.)
3. the adj. use
of Q.
male ["mel] 1. adj. of or about men
or boys; of or about animals of the
sex that is, at maturity, capable of
causing a female to become preg-
nant.
2. adj. [of an electrical or
electronic connector] having short
metal rods to be inserted into or
between electrical contacts.
3. n. a
human or animal that is Q.
malice ["mAl Is] n. the desire to
harm someone or something; the
desire to do something evil. (No
plural.)
mall ["mOl] 1. n. a large building
with many stores inside; a shop-

ping center.
2. n. a wide, formal
walkway, usually lined with trees.
mallet ["mAl @t] n. a tool shaped
like a hammer with a large head.
mammal ["mAm @l] n. one of a
large class of warm-blooded ani-
mals whose females are able to
produce milk to feed their young.
man ["mAn] 1. n., irreg. an adult
male person. (Plural:
men.) 2. n.
the human race; all people. (No
plural. Treated as singular.)
3. n.,
irreg. a strong and brave human
male.
4. tv. to provide a business
or organization with one’s services
or labor.
→
be a marked man
→ ladies’ man
→ odd man out
→ young man
a man about town a fashionable
man who leads a sophisticated life.
the
man in the street the ordinary
person.

manage ["mAn IdZ] tv. to be in
charge of someone or something;
to guide someone or something.
manage to
do something
to be able
to do something, even though
there are problems.
manage to do something
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manager ["mAn I dZ#] n. someone
who manages or controls someone
or something.
maniac ["men i Ak] 1. n. someone
who has a dangerous, sometimes
violent, mental illness.
2. n. some-
one who is wild, foolish, and too
eager. (Figurative on Q.)
mankind ["mAn "kaInd] n. the
human race; all people. (No plu-
ral. Treated as singular.)
manna from heaven unexpected
help or comfort; an unanticipated
benefit or advantage.
manner ["mAn #] n. a method; a
style; a way of doing something; a
way of being.

mannerism ["mAn @ rIz @m] n. a
gesture or movement of a certain
person; a habit or trait of a certain
person.
manners n. the elements of proper
and polite behavior.
mansion ["mAn S@n] n. a very large
house; a large, elegant house.
mantel ["mAn t@l] n. the frame
around a fireplace, and especially
the shelf above the fireplace.
mantle ["mAn t@l] n. something
that completely covers or weighs
down someone or something, such
as a heavy coat.
man-to-man and woman-to-
woman speaking frankly and
directly, one person to another.
manual ["mAn j(u )@l] 1. n. a book
that explains how to do or use
something; an instruction book; a
book of information about some-
thing.
2. adj. of or about the hand
or hands. (Adv: manually.)
manufacture [mAn j@ "fAk tS#]
1. n. the science and business of
making products in factories or
industry. (No plural.)
2. tv. to

make something in large amounts
in a factory or by using machines.
manufacturer [mAn j@ "fAk tS# #]
n. a person, business, or company
that manufactures products.
manuscript ["mAn j@ skrIpt] 1. n.
a book or text that is written by
hand.
2. n. the original copy of a
book or article that is sent to a
publisher.
many ["mEn i] 1. adj., irreg. numer-
ous; of a large number. (See also
more and most for the comparative
and superlative.
Many is used with
things that can be counted. Com-
pare this with
much.) 2. pron. a
large number of people; a large
number of people or things
already referred to.
→
have too many irons in the fire
→ how many
→ in many respects
map ["mAp] 1. n. a drawing that
shows certain features of the
earth’s surface; a sketch or draw-
ing that shows locations or the

relations between things or places.
2. tv. to draw Q.
map
something
out to plot some-
thing out carefully, usually on
paper.
marble ["mar b@l] 1. n. a kind of
stone that can be cut, shaped, and
polished. (Plural only for types
and instances.)
2. n. a small, solid
ball of colored glass, used in
mar-
bles.
3. adj. made of Q.
manager
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marbles n. a game that involves
directing one
marble W into a
group of them.
march ["martS] 1. iv. to walk in
rigid steps, in the manner of a sol-
dier.
2. iv. to walk someplace with
a certain goal in mind; to walk
someplace for a certain reason.

3. tv. to force someone to move or
walk.
4. n. an act of walking in a
line, like soldiers.
5. n. a demon-
stration or protest where people
are walking with signs or chant-
ing.
6. n. music that has a strong
beat and is used in parades or
while soldiers
march as in Q.
7. Go to month. (Capitalized.)
→
(as) mad as a March hare
→ steal a march (on
someone
)
march on [for time] to continue.
march to a different drummer
to believe in a different set of prin-
ciples; to be unconventional in
one’s values.
margarine ["mar dZ@ rIn] n. a food
made from animal or vegetable
fats, used in place of butter; a
spread for bread. (Plural only for
types and instances.)
margin ["mar dZIn] 1. n. the space
between the edge of a text and the

edge of the page.
2. n. an extra
amount; the amount that is more
than what is needed.
marine [m@ "rin] 1. adj. of or about
salt water and the creatures that
live in salt water.
2. adj. of, about,
from, or concerning the sea.
3.
adj. of or about ships and shipping
on the sea.
4. n. someone who is a
member of the U.S. Marine Corps,
a branch of the United States mili-
tary services that serves on land
and sea and in the air.
mark ["mark] 1. n. a spot; a stain; a
dent; something that spoils a clear
or clean surface.
2. n. a line or fig-
ure made by a pencil, crayon, pen,
or other writing device.
3. n.
something that is a sign of some-
thing; something that stands for
something else.
4. iv. to draw or
make Q.
5. tv. to put a spot on

something; to stain something; to
spoil an otherwise clear or clean
surface with Q.
6. tv. to indicate
something; to show something; to
symbolize or represent something;
to stand for something.
→
be a marked man
→ leave
one’s
mark on
someone
→ punctuation mark
→ question mark
→ quotation marks
→ toe the mark
→ wide of the mark
mark
something
down 1. to reduce
the price of something.
2. to write
something down on paper.
mark
something
up 1. to make
marks all over something.
2. to
raise the price of something.

3. to
raise the wholesale price of an
item to the retail level.
market ["mar kIt] 1. n. a place or
building where people gather to
buy and sell things.
2. n. the busi-
ness, building, or system through
which company shares are traded.
(Short for
stock market.) 3. n. an
area or a country where a product
is needed or used; a certain group
of people for which a product is
needed or by which a product is
used.
4. n. the demand for a cer-
tain product.
5. tv. to advertise a
market
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product; to promote a product; to
make a plan for selling a product.
→ a
drug on the market
→ on the market
→ stock market
marketplace ["mar kIt ples] 1. n. a

place, usually outside, where
things are bought and sold.
2. n.
trade; buying and selling. (No plu-
ral.)
markup ["mark @p] n. a price
increase; the amount a price is
raised.
marriage ["mEr IdZ] 1. n. the reli-
gious or legal union of a husband
and a wife.
2. n. the ceremony that
joins a man and a woman in Q; a
wedding.
marry ["mEr i] 1. iv. to unite with
someone in a marriage.
2. tv. to
unite two people in a marriage; to
perform a wedding ceremony.
3. tv. to take someone as a hus-
band or a wife.
→
get married
marsh ["marS] n. a low area of land
sometimes covered with water.
marshmallow ["marS mEl o] n. a
soft, spongy candy made from
sugar. (Originally made from the
roots of a flower called the marsh
mallow.)

marvel ["mar v@l] n. someone or
something that is amazing or sur-
prising.
masculine ["mAs kj@ lIn] 1. adj.
having features usually associated
with a male; manly. (Adv: mascu-
linely.)
2. adj. a grammar term
describing a certain class of nouns,
some of which refer to males. (See
also
gender.)
mash ["mAS] tv. to crush some-
thing until it is a soft paste; to beat
something into a pulp or paste.
mash
something
up to crush some-
thing into a paste or pieces.
mask ["mAsk] 1. n. a covering that
disguises the face.
2. n. a covering
that protects the face, eyes, nose,
or mouth.
3. tv. to conceal some-
thing; to hide something; to put W
on someone or something.
mass ["mAs] 1. n. an amount of
something with no specific shape;
a lump; a heap.

2. n. the scientific
term for the amount of matter that
makes up an object. (No plural.)
3. adj. suitable for many people or
things; involving many people or
things. (Prenominal only.)
4. n. a
Christian church service with
communion. (Capitalized.)
massive ["mAs Iv] adj. very large;
enormous; powerful. (Adv: mas-
sively.)
mast ["mAst] n. [on a ship] an
upright beam or pole to which
sails are attached.
→
at half-mast
master ["mAst #] 1. n. a person
who has authority over people,
animals, or things; a man who has
authority over people, animals, or
things.
2. n. someone who is very
skilled at something.
3. n. an orig-
inal page or document that copies
are made from.
4. the adj. use of
Q, W, or E. (Prenominal only.)
5. adj. primary; main; chief; con-

trolling everything else. (Prenomi-
nal only.)
6. adj. of professional
standing or quality. (Prenominal
only.)
7. tv. to become skilled in
something; to learn how to do
marketplace
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something well; to gain control of
an ability.
mat ["mAt] 1. n. a piece of material
for covering part of a floor, espe-
cially in front of a door.
2. n. a
piece of thick, padded material
used to cushion falls in certain
sports.
3. n. a tangled mass of hair,
weeds, strings, or other things.
match ["mAtS] 1. n. a sporting
event; a competition.
2. n. some-
one or something that is the equal
of or just like someone or some-
thing else; two people or things
that are equal or alike.
3. n. a thin

stick with a chemical substance on
one end, which, when struck
against a hard surface, creates fire.
4. tv. [for something] to be exactly
like something else; to fit some-
thing exactly; to go with some-
thing well.
5. iv. to be exactly alike;
to go together well; to fit together
well.
→
meet
one’s
match
→ strike a match
→ whole shooting match
match up [for people or things] to
match, be equal, or complemen-
tary.
mate ["met] 1. n. the sexual partner
of a living creature.
2. n. a spouse;
a husband or a wife.
3. n. one of a
pair.
4. n. a friend or colleague; a
person who shares someplace or
activity with someone.
5. iv. to
have sex; to breed. (Used prima-

rily of animals.)
6. tv. to bring a
male and female animal together
so that breeding will result.
material [m@ "tIr i @l] 1. n. a sub-
stance that an object is made of; a
substance that can be used to
make things.
2. n. cloth; fabric.
(No plural.)
3. n. information,
knowledge, experience, or imagi-
nation used to develop a story,
movie, book, program, etc. (No
plural.)
4. adj. of or about the
physical world. (Adv: materially.)
5. adj. of importance or relevance.
(Adv: materially.)
maternal [m@ "t# n@l] 1. adj. of or
about mothers or motherhood.
(Adv: maternally.)
2. adj. related
through the mother’s side of the
family. (Adv: maternally.)
math ["mAT] 1. n. mathematics. (No
plural. Treated as singular.)
2. the
adj. use of Q.
mathematic [mAT @ "mAt Ik] adj.

having the exactness or precision
of mathematics. (See also
mathe-
matics.
)
mathematics [mAT @ "mAt Iks] n.
the science that studies the prop-
erties and relationships of num-
bers and shapes. (Treated as
singular.)
matter ["mAt #] 1. n. anything that
takes up space. (No plural.)
2. n. a
certain kind of substance. (No
plural.)
3. n. a concern; an issue;
an affair.
4. iv. to be important; to
have meaning.
→ the
crux of the matter
→ get to the heart of the matter
→ gray matter
→ no laughing matter
→ subject matter
a matter of life and death a mat-
ter of great urgency; an issue that
will decide between living and
dying. (Usually an exaggeration.
Sometimes humorous.)

matter of life and death
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a matter of opinion the issue of
how good or bad someone or
something is.
mattress ["mA trIs] n. a large, rec-
tangular pad that is used to sleep
on.
mature [m@ "tSUr] 1. adj. [of some-
one] adult or fully grown; [of fruit
or vegetables] ripe or ready to eat.
(Adv: maturely.)
2. adj. character-
istic of an adult; sensible; respon-
sible. (Adv: maturely.)
3. tv. to
cause someone or something to
become Q or W.
4. iv. to become
Q.
5. iv. [for a bond] to reach full
value; [for a payment] to be due.
maturity [m@ "tSUr @ ti] 1. n. the
state of being mature or devel-
oped; the degree to which some-
one or something is mature. (No
plural.)
2. n. human wisdom;

adult thinking. (No plural.)
3. n.
the date when an amount of
money becomes due and must be
paid.
maximum ["mAk s@ m@m] 1. n. the
highest amount or degree possible;
the upper limit or boundary.
2. adj. greatest; highest; most.
may ["me] 1. aux. be allowed to do
something; have permission to do
something. (Often
can is used in
place of
may, even though, in stan-
dard English,
can refers to ability,
and
may refers to permission. See
also
might.) 2. aux. be possible.
(See also
might.) 3. aux. a form
used to extend a wish or express a
hope; let it be that
4. Go to
month. (Capitalized.)
→
come what may
maybe ["me bi] adv. perhaps; possi-

bly yes, possibly no.
mayonnaise [me @ "nez] n. a
creamy sauce for salads and sand-
wiches; a sauce made from eggs,
oil, and vinegar. (No plural.)
mayor ["me #] n. the elected leader
of a city, town, or village.
maze ["mez] 1. n. a network of
connected passages, arranged so
that it is hard to get from one
place to another because most of
the paths are blocked.
2. n. some-
thing that is as confusing as Q.
(Figurative on Q.)
me ["mi] 1. pron. the objective form
of
I, the first-person singular pro-
noun. (Used after prepositions
and transitive verbs and as an indi-
rect object.
2. pron. a first-person
singular form. (Used after a short-
ened form of
be to refer to the
speaker or writer. Usually, either
“It’s me” or the more formal “It is
I.” Rarely, if ever, “It’s I” or “It is
me.”)
meadow ["mEd o] n. an area of

grass-covered land; an area of land
where cows, sheep, or goats can
eat.
meal ["mil] 1. n. a regular occasion
where food is eaten, especially
breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
2. n.
the food that is eaten at Q.
3. n.
crushed grain; flour. (Plural only
for types and instances.)
→
square meal
mealy-mouthed not frank or
direct. (Informal.)
mean ["min] 1. adj. cruel; not kind;
selfish. (Adv: meanly. Comp:
meaner; sup: meanest.)
2. adj.
average. (Prenominal only.)
3. n.
an average; the average of a group
of numbers.
4. tv., irreg. [for lan-
matter of opinion
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guage] to represent, indicate, or
express something; [for someone]

to indicate, express, or intend
something by words or actions.
(Past tense and past participle:
meant.) 5. tv., irreg. [for some-
thing] to indicate or signal some-
thing.
6. iv., irreg. to intend to do
something.
mean (for
someone
) to
do some-
thing
to intend (for someone) to
do something.
meaning ["min IN] n. the sense of a
word, statement, or symbol; what
a word, statement, or symbol
means.
means ["minz] n. one’s [financial]
ability to accomplish something.
→
beyond
one’s
means
→ live beyond
one’s
means
→ live within
one’s

means
meant ["mEnt] past tense and past
participle of
mean.
meant to be destined to exist or
happen.
meant to be
something
destined or
fated to be something.
meantime ["min taIm] the period
of time between two things; the
period of time between now and
when something is supposed to
happen.
→
in the meantime
measles ["mi z@lz] n. an easily
spread disease common in chil-
dren, characterized by fever and
red spots on the skin. (Treated as
singular or plural, but not counta-
ble. Often preceded by the.)
measure ["mE Z#] 1. n. a unit in a
system that determines the
amount of something.
2. n. one of
the series of groups of musical
notes that makes up a piece of
music.

3. n. the extent, amount, or
quantity of something.
4. n. a
course of action; a plan.
5. n. a
law; a proposed law; a resolution.
6. tv. to determine the size, extent,
amount, degree, etc., of some-
thing.
7. iv. to be a certain size,
extent, amount, degree, etc.
→
made to measure
measure
something
off 1. to deter-
mine the length of something.
2. to distribute something in
measured portions.
measure up (to
someone or some-
thing
) to compare well to someone
or something.
measurement ["mE Z# m@nt] 1. n.
a system of measuring. (No plu-
ral.)
2. n. the process of measur-
ing. (No plural.)
3. n. the size,

length, weight, or amount of
something, as determined by
measuring.
meat ["mit] 1. n. the flesh of ani-
mals used as food. (Plural only for
types and instances.)
2. n. the
main idea or content of some-
thing. (Figurative on Q. No plu-
ral.)
meatloaf ["mit lof] 1. n. a dish of
chopped meat shaped like a loaf of
bread and baked. (Plural only for
types and instances.)
2. n. a unit
or loaf of Q.
medal ["mEd l] n. a small piece of
metal—usually flat and having a
design or words on it—that is
given to someone as an honor.
medallion [m@ "dAl j@n] 1. n. a
large medal.
2. n. a large design or
decorative element; a decorative
medallion
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element resembling a large coin or
medal.

meddle in
something
["mEd l ] to
interfere in someone’s business; to
involve oneself in someone’s busi-
ness when one is not wanted.
meddle with
something
["mEd l ]
to play with and interfere with
something.
media ["mid i @] 1. n. the Latin plu-
ral of
medium Q. (Although it is a
Latin plural,
media can be treated
as singular or plural in English.
Not countable.)
2. n. the Latin
plural of
medium W. (Often
treated as singular. Not counta-
ble.)
3. n. the Latin plural of
medium E. (Often treated as sin-
gular. Not countable.)
mediator ["mid i et #] n. someone
who helps negotiate the settlement
of a disagreement.
medical ["mEd @ k@l] adj. of or

about medicine or the study and
practice of medicine. (Adv: med-
ically [
Ik li].)
medicate ["mEd @ ket] tv. to put
medicine on or in someone or
something; to treat someone or
something with medicine or
drugs.
medication [mEd @ "ke S@n] 1. n.
the use or application of medicine.
(No plural.)
2. n. a kind of medi-
cine; a dose of medicine.
medicine ["mEd @ s@n] 1. n. the sci-
ence and study of preventing,
identifying, and curing diseases in
the body. (No plural.)
2. n. some-
thing that is used to treat a disease,
especially something that is taken
by the mouth or injected into the
body. (Plural only for types and
instances.)
→ a
dose of
one’s
own medicine
→ take
one’s

medicine
medieval [mid i "i v@l] adj. of or
about the Middle Ages in Europe,
from about a.d. 500 to 1450. (Adv:
medievally.)
mediocre [mi di "o k#] adj. only
average; halfway between good
and bad; just acceptable.
medium ["mid i @m] 1. n., irreg. a
channel or pathway for sending
information—such as newspapers,
radio, television, print advertising,
etc. (The Latin plural is
media, and
the English plural is mediums.)
2. n., irreg. a substance in which
organisms such as bacteria can be
grown and kept alive. (Rarely used
in the singular. Plural:
media.)
3. n., irreg. the [different kinds of]
materials used by an artist. (The
Latin plural is
media, and the
English plural is mediums.)
4. n.
the middle size of an object for
sale that comes in different sizes.
(Plural: mediums.)
→

hit a happy medium
→ strike a happy medium
meek ["mik] adj. letting others do
as they want; not protesting. (Adv:
meekly. Comp: meeker; sup: meek-
est.)
meet ["mit] 1. tv., irreg. to come
together with someone either by
chance or on purpose; to
encounter someone. (Past tense
and past participle:
met.) 2. tv.,
irreg. [for something] to touch
someone or something; to come
into contact with someone or
something.
3. tv., irreg. to be
meddle in something
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introduced to someone. 4. iv.,
irreg. to come together; to join; to
connect; to make contact; to
touch.
meet
one’s
death and meet
one’s
end to die.

meet
one’s
end Go to meet
one’s
death.
meet
one’s
match to encounter
one’s equal.
meet
someone
halfway to com-
promise with someone.
meeting ["mit IN] 1. n. a group of
people who have come together
for a specific reason.
2. n. an
instance of people coming
together, perhaps by accident.
→
call a meeting to order
a meeting of minds the establish-
ment of agreement; complete
agreement.
megabyte ["mEg @ baIt] n. a unit
consisting of about one million
bytes. (The abbreviation is MB,
and the word can be shortened to
meg.)
mellow ["mEl o] 1. adj. [of colors,

sounds, textures, or tastes that are]
soft, deep, relaxing, or muted.
(Adv: mellowly. Comp: mellower;
sup: mellowest.)
2. adj. relaxed and
quiet. (Informal. Figurative on Q.
Adv: mellowly. Comp: mellower;
sup: mellowest.)
3. tv. to cause
someone or a group to become W.
4. iv. to become W.
melody ["mEl @ di] n. the series of
notes that make up the tune of a
song; a song; a tune.
melon ["mEl @n] 1. n. one of a fam-
ily of large round or oval fruits
with thick rinds and juicy, edible
insides.
2. n. the edible part of Q;
Q used as food. (No plural. Num-
ber is expressed with piece(s) or
slice(s) of melon.)
melt ["mElt] 1. iv. [for a solid] to
become liquid; to turn into a liq-
uid.
2. tv. to cause something solid
to become liquid; to cause some-
thing solid to turn into a liquid.
3. tv. to cause something to disap-
pear or fade. (Figurative on W.)

4. n. an instance of turning into a
liquid as in Q.
→
look as if butter wouldn’t melt
in
one’s
mouth
melt down 1. [for something fro-
zen] to melt.
2. [for a nuclear
reactor] to become hot enough to
melt through its container.
melt in
one’s
mouth to taste very
good; [for food] to be very rich
and satisfying.
melt into
something
to melt and
change into a different physical
state.
melt
something
down to cause
something frozen to become a liq-
uid; to cause something solid to
melt.
melt
something

into
something
to
cause something to change its
physical state through melting.
member ["mEm b#] n. someone
who belongs to a group or an
organization.
membership ["mEm b# SIp] 1. n.
the connection between one per-
son and an organization to which
the person belongs. (Plural only
for types and instances.)
2. n. all
of the members of a group or
organization. (No plural.)
membership
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