machination- a course of action with some amount of nuance
machine- a device that becomes twice or four times as productive when twice as big, as opposed to a gadget, which less useful, if anything
mainstream- the other side
make possible- to give money to
man does not live by bread alone- to live a fulfilling life, you need not just food, but also God, or maybe love, or perhaps wisdom
mane- a neckbeard
manic pixie dream girl- modern term for hoyden
mannerly- behaving very much in a manner
manspread- to sit astraddle nothing
March Mania- an annual college basketball tournament that happens in March
Mariolatry- excessive, deific worship of Mario
marketplace of ideas- a situation in which ideas can compete and evolve to be most agreeable with people's biases
martial art- a sport involving fighting from Eastern Asia. While sports such as boxing and wrestling do involve fighting, they are not from Eastern Asia, and are thus not classified as martial arts
martyr- one who commits suicide at the hands of another
matanot l'evyonim- the Purim tradition of giving relief to those in need which, for some reason, is less popular than wearing costumes, eating pastries, or getting drunk.
maudlin- tired and emotional
meditate- to alleviate one's stress by completely ignoring all of existence
meninism- political advocacy for the rights of men that can disguise itself as a parody when threatened.
mercenary- an organized hitman. A migrant laborer soldier.
meta- 1. self-referential 2. nested
MGTOW- gender-swapped version of political lesbianism, but not gay
Micawber- a poor sap who believes in class mobility
mic drop- an act of dropping the microphone after a witty or decisive remark, before running off to avoid responsibility for the shattered microphone
microtome- a tool used to cut smalls into tinies
Midrash- Torah fanfic
Midwinter Day- archaic term for Christmas, so called because it falls smack dab in the beginning of winter
mikvah- a bathhouse for the pious
millenarianism- a belief that Jesus will return for 1000 years of paradise, after which He will say "that was great, but I gotta go", leaving us to spend the rest of eternity in our wretched godlessness.
minicorn- term I use for those little corncobs. You know what I mean? Like in that scene in Big where he eats it like a regular corncob. Yeah, what are they called?
minty-fresh (adjective)- cold, which is the most hygienic smell
mirage- 1. a light-phenomenon in which heated air above a surface mixes light from that surface, looking much like a puddle on, say, a road. 2. A wishful hallucination
mishap- a mistake that is not the fault of whoever made it
mishloach manot- the opposite of trick-or-treating
missionary- one who goes to a foreign country and attempts to persuade the locals
mistletoe- one of the four Christmas plants, the others being poinsettia, spruce, and holly
mohel- a Jewish religious official who performs pediatric surgery
mole- 1. a birthmark most common among older women 2. six hundred two sextillion, two hundred fourteen quintillion, seventy-five quadrillion, and eight hundred sixty-two trillion
moment of truth- the point at which you are most expected to pay attention
monocle- an eyeglass
moonstruck- afflicted with mental illness associated with the full moon. While often seen as an outdated, unscientific myth, it actually makes perfect sense because my bedroom faces east. I can't fall asleep in the full moon's light, and sleep deprivation is a known cause of cognitive impairment.
morale- happiness, seen as a tool to increase productivity
moralize- to go on and on spouting opinions I disagree with
morel- kind of edible and, more importantly, salable mushroom
mosh- to jostle
mugwump- a politician who is both good and bad, which is worse than bad, because it messes up your classification scheme.
mundane (noun)- (fanspeak) a secular
Mussolini made the trains run on time- 1. even horrible things can have marginal benefits 2. commuting sucks, am I right?