marks in printing
See TYPOGRAPHICAL SIGNS. Mark, as a name. Mark Banco. See BANCO.
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marplot
An officious bungler, who spoils everything he interferes with.
Marprelate Controversy
The name given to the vituperative paper war of about 1589, in which the Puritan pamphleteers attacked the Church of England under the pseudonym "Martin Marprelate." Thomas Cooper, Bishop of _ Winchester, defended the Church, and the chief of the "Martinists" were probably Udall, Throckmorton, Penry, and Barrow. Udall died in pnson (1592); Penry and Barrow were executed in 1593.
marriage bed
The relationship between a husband and wife
marriage lines
A marriage certificate.—Provincial.
marriage music
The squalling and crying of children.
marriage penalty
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
marriages are made in heaven
Marriages are predetermined by fate
married
Persons chained or handcuffed together, in order to be conveyed to gaol, or on board the lighters for transportation, are in the cant language said to be married together.
marrow
A mate, a fellow-workman, a pitman who works in a "shift" with another.—Northumberland and Durham.
Marrow Controversy
A memorable struggle in Scotland about 1719 to 1722, between Puritanism and Presbyterianism; so called from Edward Fisher's Marrow of Modern Divinity, a book of ultra-evangelical tendency (pubd. 1644), which was condemned by the General Assembly in 1720.
marrow-bones
The knees; "I’ll bring him down upon his MARROW BONES," i.e., I’ll make him bend his knees as he does to the Virgin Mary. Supposed to be from Mary Bones, an objectionable term used by the first Protestants in reference to the supposed adoration of the Virgin Mary by Catholics.
marrowbones
The knees. To bring any one down on his marrow bones; to make him beg pardon on his knees: some derive this from Mary's bones, i.e. the bones bent in honour of the Virgin Mary; but this seems rather far-fetched. Marrow bones and cleavers; principal instruments in the band of rough music: these are generally performed on by butchers, on marriages, elections, riding skimmington, and other public or joyous occasions.
marry
A very old term of asseveration, originally (in Popish times) a mode of swearing by the Virgin Mary; q.d., by Mary.
marry in haste, and repent at leisure
English proverb; full definition pending editorial review.
marry in haste, repent at leisure
Acting quickly can lead to later regret
marry off
to arrange or facilitate someone's marriage
marry the ketchup
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
marry-muff
nonsense.
Marshal Ney
So called by the troops of Friedland (1807), on account of his fearless bravery. Napoleon said of him, "That man is a lion.
Marshall Plan
This was a plan for aiding the stricken European states after World War II. On June 5th, 1947, G. C. Marshall, Secretary of State for the U.S.A., called upon the countries of Europe to work out a programme of reconstruction for which he promised American assistance "so far as it may be practicable.
Marshalsea Prison
An old prison in South- wark, London (demolished in 1849), so called because it was formerly governed by a Knight Marshal, i.e. an official of the Royal House- hold who took cognizance of offences com- mitted within the royal verge and who presided over the Marshalsea Court (amal- gamated with the Queen's Bench in 1842). It was the Marshal of this prison who was beheaded by the rebels under Wat Tyler in 1381.
Martello Towers
Round towers about forty feet in height, of great strength, and situated on a coast or river-bank. Many of them were built on the south-eastern coasts of England about 1804, to repel the threatened Napoleonic invasion; and they took their name from Mortella (Corsica), where a tower from which these were designed had proved, in 1794, extremely difficult to capture.
Martha's Vineyard
An island, some 100 sq. miles in area, off the S.E. coast of Massa- chusetts. It was discovered in 1 602 by Bartholo- mew Gosnold, the discoverer of Cape Cod and the adjacent coasts, and so named by him. Martha's Vineyard is now a popular summer resort with a population, in 1940, of over 5,000.
Martian Laws
Laws traditionally said to have been compiled by Martia, wife of Guithelm, great-grandson of Mulmutius, who established in England the Mulmutine Laws (<?.v.). Alfred translated both these codes into Saxon-English. Guynteline . . . -whose queen, ...
Martin and Lewis
A fixed-order word pair (irreversible binomial); full definition pending editorial review.
Martin de Tours
The Capetians reigned over France till 1328, when they were succeeded by the House of Valois; but Capet was considered the family name of the kings, hence, Louis XVI was arraigned before the National Convention under the name of Louis Capet.
martin drunk
Very intoxicated indeed; a drunken man "sobered" by drinking more.
martinet
A military term for a strict disciplinarian: from the name of a French general, famous for restoring military discipline to the French army. He first disciplined the French infantry, and regulated their method of encampment: he was killed at the siege of Doesbourg in the year 1672.
martingale
A gambling term, which means the doubling of a stake every time you lose; so that when you win once you win back all that you have lost. So called from the fact that, as in all fair games you must win once, you have a safe hold of fortune. The difficulty is to obtain a bank large enough to do this effectively, or having the bank to find any one who will follow you far enough, in a fair game.
martyr to science
A title conferred on anyone who Joses his health or life through his devotion to science; especially Claude Louis, Count Berthollet (1748-1822), who tested in his own person the effects of carbolic acid on the human frame, and died under the experi- ment.
mary ann
The title of the dea ex machinâ evolved from trades-unionism at Sheffield, to the utter destruction of recalcitrant grinders. She is supposed to do all the "blow-ups," steal all the bands, and otherwise terrorize over victims of the union.
Mary Anne Associations
Secret republican societies in France. The name was adopted by the Republican party because Ravaillac was instigated to assassinate Henri IV (1610) by reading the treatise De Rege et Regio Institu- tione, by Mariana.
Mary at Nazareth
It was said to have been translated to Fiumein Dalmatia in 1291, thence to Recanati in 1294, and finally to a plot of land belonging to a certain Lady Lauretta, situated in Italy, 3 m. from the Adriatic, and about 14 SSE. from Ancona, round which the town of Loretto sprang up. The chapel contains bas-reliefs showing incidents in the life of the Virgin, and a rough image which is traditionally held to have been carved by St. Luke.
Mary Celeste
A mysterious and unexplained abandonment or disappearance
Mary Jane
Marijuana.
Mary of Arnhem
Name used by Helen Sensburg in Nazi propaganda broadcasts to British troops in North-west Europe, 1944-45. Her melting voice made her programmes very popular with the British, but without the results for which she hoped.
Mary Queen of Scots
Shakespeare being under the patronage of Queen Elizabeth, and knowing her jealousv, would not, of course, praise openly her rival queen; but in the Midsummer Night's Dream (ii, 1) composed in 1592, five years after the execution of Mary, he wrote these exquisite lines: —
Mary Warner
Cannabis.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
twin sisters and former child actresses
marygold
One million sterling. See PLUM.
mash
A gun.
maskee
Never mind, no consequence.—Anglo-Chinese.
mason's maund
A sham sore above the elbow, to counterfeit a broken arm by a fall from a scaffold.
mass destruction
Widespread destruction on a large scale
Massacre of St
Bartholomew) : "Nurse, nurse, what murder! what blood! O! I have done wrong: God pardon me.
massacre of the innocents
When the leader of the House of Commons goes through the doleful operation of devoting to extinction a number of useful measures at the end of the session, for want of time to pass them. Vide Times, 20th July, 1859: Mr. C. Foster, on altering the time of the legislative sessions.—Parliamentary Slang.
Massacre of the Innocents
The slaughter of the male children of Bethlehem "from two years old and under," when Jesus was born (Matt. ii, 16). This was done at the command of Herod the Great in order to cut off "the babe" who was destined to become "King of the Jews.
massively
Greatly.
Master John Goodfellow
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
Master Mason
A Freemason who has been raised to the third degree.
master of sentences
See SENTENCES. Master of the Rolls. See ROLLS.
master of the field
The winner; the con- queror in a battle.
Master of the Rolls
A baker.
Master of the Universe
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
master of the wardrobe
One who pawns his clothes to purchase liquor.
master plan
A comprehensive and detailed plan to achieve a goal
Matapan Stew
A meal concocted of left-overs, and so called from the fact that the cooks of H.M.A.S. Perth served a scratch hot meal during the Battle of Matapan, March 28th, 1941.
match made in hell
A relationship or partnership that is very bad or unlikely to succeed
mate
The term a coster or low person applies to a friend, partner, or companion; "me and my MATE did so and so," is a common phrase with a low Londoner. Originally a sea term.
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