Word List 17 (middle-of-the-road - millennium)

- middle-of-the-road adj. 1. Pursuing a course of action midway between

  extremes, especially following a course in politics that is neither liberal

  nor conservative. 2. Abbr. MOR Of, relating to, or being a type of

  entertainment, especially popular music, that appeals to a wide audience.

 

- middling adj. 1. of medium size, position, or quality. 2. Mediocre. n. 1.

  Chiefly Southern US a. Pork or bacon cut from between the ham and shoulder of

  a pig. Often used in the plural. b. Salt pork. Also called middling meat. 2.

  middlings Any of various products, such as partially refined petroleum or ore,

  that are intermediate in quality, size, price, or grade. 3. middlings Coarsely

  ground wheat mixed with bran. adv.

 

- midriff n. 1. See diaphragm (sense 1). 2. The middle outer portion of the

  front of the human body, extending roughly from just below the breast to the

  waistline.

 

- mid-rise adj. Moderately tall: a mid-rise office building. n. A moderately

  tall building.

 

- midst n. 1. The middle position or part; the center: in the mist of the

  desert. 2. A position of proximity to others: a stranger in our midst. 3. The

  condition of being surrounded or beset by something in the midst of all our

  problems. 4. A period of time approximately in the middle of a continuing

  condition or act: in the midst of the war. prep. Among; amid.

 

- mien n. 1. Bearing or manner, especially as it reveals an inner state of mind:

  "He was a Vietnam veteran with a haunted mien" (J. Traub). 2. An appearance

  or aspect.

 

- miff n. 1. A petulant bad-tempered mood; a huff. 2. A petty quarrel or

  argument; a tiff. tr.v. To cause to become offended or annoyed.

 

- miffy adj. 1. Informal Easily offended; oversensitive. 2. Botany Difficult to

  raise except under perfect conditions. Used of certain plants. miffiness n.

 

- might-have-been n. An event that could have but never did occur: "This is one

  of the great might-have-beens of modern history" (A. M. Schlesinger, Jr.).

  

- mignonette n. Any of several Mediterranean plants of the genus Reseda,

  especially R. odorata, widely cultivated for tis terminal, dense, spikelike

  clusters of very fragrant but inconspicuous greenish flowers.

 

- milch adj. Giving milk: a milch cow.

 

- milchig adj. Derived from or made of milk or dairy products.

 

- mileage n. 6. Informal The amount of service something has yielded or may

  yield in the future; usefulness: a tape player that still has a lot of mileage

  left.

 

- Milesian2 n. 1. Mythology A member of a people who invaded Ireland and became

  the ancestors of the Irish. 2. A native or inhabitant of Ireland. adj. Of or

  relating to Ireland; Irish.

 

- milliary adj. 1. Having the appearance of millet seeds. 2. Pathology Having

  small skin lesions that are the size and appearance of millet seeds.

 

- milieu n. An environment or a setting.

 

- milium n. A small, white or yellowish cystlike mass just below the surface of

  the skin, caused by retention of the secretion of a sebaceous gland. Also

  called whitehead.

 

- milk-and-water adj. Insipid; weak; wishy-washy.

 

- milk run n. Slang A routine trip involving stops at many places.

 

- milk toast n. Toast, usually buttered, served in warm milk, often with sugar

  or seasonings.

 

- mill1 n. 6. A process, agency, or institution that operates in a routine way

  or turns out products in the manner of a factory: The college was nothing more

  than a diploma mill. 7. A slow or laborious process: It took three years to

  get the bill through the legislative mill. v. -tr. 6. Western U.S. To cause

  (cattle) to move in a circle or tightening spiral in order to stop a stampede.

  --intr. 1. To move around in churning confusion: "A crowd of school children

  milled about on the curb looking scared" (A. Tyler). 2. Slang To fight with

  the fists; box. 3. To undergo milling.

 

- millennium n. 1. A span of one thousand years. 2. A thousand-year period of

  holiness mentioned in Revelation 20, during which Jesus and his faithful

  followers are to rule on earth. 3. A hoped-for period of joy, serenity,

  prosperity, and justice. 4. A thousandth anniversary.

[7grizzly]

回复 '暖冬cool夏' 的评论 : Thank you, 暖冬, for reading and your comments.

Indeed, even reading about old words feels educational.

I easily recall "in the midst of sth." but 'midst' as a preposition felt less
ready, heard 'milieu' from GK a few times and it left a mark, and was very happy
to meet the 2nd and 3rd senses of 'millennium.'

I remembered milk toast but forgot where and when. It was in a restaurant and I
ordered it by mistake, thinking of slices of bread on a plate with a cup of warm
milk by the side. They came mixed up in a bow! It was a great comfort food, fit
for enjoying once a month before hard labor :-)

It surprised me that the New Oxford American Dictionary, an app on my laptop,
doesn't have 'miffy.' Another unexpected word was 'mignonette,' which Google
showed first as a kind of sauce.

Have a great week!

[暖冬cool夏]

Some familiar words here, like midst, millennium, middle-of-the-road, but they could still take on meanings that are new to me.
I like "mid-rise, low-rise and high-rise", and wish more English words are as flexible and straightforward as they are.
Just came across the word "milieu" recently.
Thanks for sharing, my friend.