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The M drawer

46 phrases beginning with M.

Mad as a cut snake Extremely angry, wildly agitated or behaving in an uncontrolled way. Very informal. It usually describes anger or commotion, not a medical condition…
Mad as a hatter Extremely irrational or eccentric. The expression is old-fashioned, and describing a real person's mental health this way may be insensitive.
Madder than a wet hen Extremely angry, indignant, or agitated, especially in a visibly flustered and noisy way. Folksy and emphatic. It usually makes anger sound colorful…
Main character energy An informal internet expression for a bold, self-assured way of carrying oneself, as though everyday life were a film built around the person living…
Make a beeline To head straight for something with speed and focus.
Make a clean breast To confess fully, baring all.
Make a clean sweep To clear or win it all, total take.
Make a hames of Make a mess of something through error or inept handling. Informal and mildly disparaging. Hames is normally plural in both the literal and idiomatic…
Make a holy show of yourself Behave so foolishly in public that you become a ridiculous spectacle. Informal and admonishing. 'Holy' is an intensifier; the phrase does not normally…
Make a meal of it To overdo or stretch a task, big fuss.
Make a mountain out of a molehill To exaggerate a small problem into something much bigger than it is, often out of anxiety, drama, or misperspective, blowing minor issues out of…
Make a pig of yourself Eat too much, especially in a visibly greedy or self-indulgent way. Informal and explicitly disapproving. It is often self-deprecating, but directed…
Make a pig's ear To botch or mess up bad, a flop.
Make a rod for your own back To set up your own trouble, self-made.
Make a silk purse out of a sow's ear To turn something rough into fine, often against the odds.
Make a song and dance To fuss or hype it up, big show.
Make a virtue of necessity Turn an unavoidable or unwelcome situation to advantage, or accept it with good grace. Can mean either gaining an advantage from constraint or…
Make ends meet Have just enough income or resources to cover necessary expenses. Usually concerns household finances and basic needs. Both is historically common but…
Make hay while the sun shines To seize an opportunity while conditions are favorable, acting fast before chances fade.
Make no bones about it To state something plainly with no hesitation or fuss, bare of doubt.
Make no odds It doesn't matter or change much, no big deal.
Make the grade Reach the required standard, prove good enough, or succeed in a test, role, profession, or difficult undertaking. Informal but common. It refers to…
Make waves To stir things up or cause a fuss, rocking the calm.
Man does not live by bread alone People need intellectual, emotional, or spiritual nourishment as well as material necessities. Traditional man is generic; people do not live by bread…
Mansplaining Explaining something in a condescending or overconfident way, especially a man explaining to a woman who in fact knows more about the topic than he…
Manspreading A man sitting with his knees spread wide apart, especially on public transport, so that he occupies more than one seat. Informal and usually a…
Many a little makes a mickle Many small amounts or efforts, accumulated patiently, eventually make a substantial whole. The title preserves the historically meaningful form. 'Many…
Many hands make light work Dividing a substantial task among several helpers reduces the effort required from each person. Usually encouraging and cooperative. It may be…
May Two-Four Victoria Day or its long weekend in Canada. Current informal holiday name Regional use: Canada, strongest in Ontario and also familiar in British…
Method in the madness A rational plan or purpose concealed beneath apparently strange or chaotic behaviour. Usually reassuring or humorous. British English favours method…
Mid Mediocre; noticeably below the hype, as in 'that sequel was mid'. Informal dismissive slang, most at home on TikTok and X, and insulting when applied…
Might and main Using all available physical strength, determination, and sustained effort to achieve something. Often sounds literary, humorous, or deliberately…
Mind like a steel trap Having a sharp, quick memory or wit, snapping shut on details.
Mind your Ps and Qs Be careful about your manners, conduct, or details; behave properly and avoid mistakes.
Monday morning quarterback A person who criticizes a decision after its outcome is known and confidently explains what should have been done instead. Informal and usually…
Money burns a hole in your pocket Cash you itch to spend fast.
Money for old rope Money or profit gained with very little effort, or a task that is exceptionally easy. It is chiefly British and informal, usually said of an easy job…
Monkey on your back A persistent burden, compulsion, or problem that is difficult to escape; historically, especially a drug addiction. Informal. In addiction contexts it…
Monkey's wedding A sunshower: rain falling while the sun is shining. Informal but widely recognisable in South Africa. Jackal's wedding is a related regional…
More haste, less speed Rushing a task often delays success by causing mistakes or wasted effort. Usually offered as practical advice. The apparent paradox is clearer when…
More than you can shake a stick at Used of a quantity or number too large to count or take in, typically in the pattern 'more X than you can shake a stick at'. It conveys abundance with…
Motte and bailey A rhetorical trick in which someone advances a bold, controversial claim (the 'bailey') but, when challenged, retreats to a bland, easily defended…
Move fast and break things A slogan favouring speed over caution: ship quickly, accept that things will break, and fix them later. Began as Facebook's internal engineering…
Move the goalposts To unfairly change the rules, criteria, or target of a process after it has already begun, typically making it harder for the other party to succeed…
Murder will out A murder or other grave wrongdoing will eventually be discovered. Archaic in casual speech. It may be extended to concealed wrongdoing that is not…
My brother's keeper A person responsible for another person's welfare or conduct. Traditional brother can be used generically, but sibling's keeper or one another's…