[move heaven and earth]{v. phr.} To try every way; do everything you can. •/Joe moved heaven and earth to be sent to Washington./ Compare: LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED.

[move in on]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {colloquial} To take over something that belongs to another. •/He moved in on my girlfriend and now we’re not talking to each other./

[movement] See: LABOR MOVEMENT.

[moving spirit]{n. phr.} The main figure behind a business or an activity; the one who inspires the others. •/Mr. Smith is the moving spirit behind our expansion plans./

[much] See: AS MUCH AS, FOR AS MUCH AS, MAKE MUCH OF, SO MUCH, SO MUCH FOR, THINK A GREAT DEAL OF or THINK MUCH OF.

[much as] See: AS MUCH AS(1).

[much less]{conj.} And also not; and even less able or likely to.?—?Used after a negative clause. •/I never even spoke to the man, much less insulted him./ •/John couldn’t even pick up the box, much less carry it upstairs./ •/George can hardly understand arithmetic, much less algebra./ Compare: LET ALONE, NOT TO MENTION.

[mud] See: NAME IS MUD, STICK-IN-THE-MUD.

[mud in your eye]{n. phr.}, {informal} A cheering exclamation when people drink, much like "cheers!" •/Each time John raised his glass he said, "Well, here’s mud in your eye!"/

[mug shot]{n. phr.} A police photograph showing the arrested person’s full face and profile. •/"Go over these mug shots," Sergeant O’Malley said, "and tell me if you find the person who held up the liquor store!"/

[Muhammad] See: IF THE HILL WON’T COME TO MUHAMMAD, THEN MUHAMMAD MUST COME TO THE HILL.

[mull over]{v. phr.} To consider; think over. •/He mulled over the offer for some time, but finally rejected it./

[mum is the word] You must keep the secret; keep silent; don’t tell anyone.?—?Often used as an interjection. •/We are planning a surprise party for John and mum is the word./ •/"Mum is the word!" the robber captain told his men./

[murder] See: SCREAM BLOODY MURDER.

[muscle] See: MOVE A MUSCLE.

[muscle-bound]{adj.} Having your muscles large, hard, and tight from too much exercising; having muscles so developed that you can hardly move. •/Bob was big and strong, but he was muscle-bound, and Bill could beat him./ •/An athlete must train properly so as not to become muscle-hound./

[muscle in on]{v. phr.} To intrude; penetrate; force oneself into another’s business or territory. •/The eastern Mafia muscled in on the western Mafia’s turf and a shooting war was started./

[music] See: FACE THE MUSIC.

[musical chairs]{n. phr.} (Originally the name of a children’s game.) The transfer of a number of officers in an organization into different jobs, especially each other’s jobs. •/The boss regularly played musical chairs with department heads to keep them fresh on the job./

[music to one’s ears]{n. phr.} Something one likes to hear. •/When the manager phoned to say I got the job, it was music to my ears./

[mustard] See: CUT THE MUSTARD.

[muster] See: PASS MUSTER.

[my God] or [my goodness] {interj.} Used to express surprise, shock, or dismay. •/My God! What happened to the car?/

[my lips are sealed]{informal sentence} A promise that one will not give away a secret. •/"You can tell me what happened, " Helen said. "My lips are sealed."/

[nail] See: HARD AS NAILS, HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD, TOOTH AND NAIL.

[nail down]{v. phr.}, {informal} To make certain; make sure; settle. •/Joe had a hard time selling his car, but he finally nailed the sale down when he got his friend Sam to give him $300./ •/The New York Yankees nailed down the American League Championship when they beat the Red Sox 3 to 0 on September 15./

[nail one’s colors to the mast]{literary} To let everyone know what you think is right and refuse to change. •/During the election campaign the candidate nailed his colors to the mast on the question of civil rights./

[name] See: CALL NAMES, HANDLE TO ONE’S NAME, IN NAME, TAKE ONE’S NAME IN VAIN, TO ONE’S NAME.

[name calling] See: CALL NAMES.

[named after]{adj. phr.} Given the same name as someone. •/Archibald was named after his father./

[name day]{n.} The day of the saint for whom a person is named. •/Lawrence’s name day is August 10, the feast of St. Lawrence./

[namedropper]{n. phr.} A person who is always mentioning well-known names. •/Since her move to Hollywood she has become a regular namedropper./

[name is mud]{informal} (You) are in trouble; a person is blamed or no longer liked.?—?Used in the possessive. •/If you tell your mother I spilled ink on her rug my name will be mud./ •/Your name will be mud if you tell the teacher about the bad thing we did./ Compare: IN THE DOG HOUSE.

[name of the game]{n.}, {informal} The crux of the matter; that which actually occurs under the disguise of something else. •/Getting medium income families to support the rest of society?—?that’s the name of the game!/

[narrow down]{v. phr.} To limit within very strict margins. •/Of the numerous applicants, the list has been narrowed down to just a few./

[narrow escape]{n. phr.} An escape by a very small margin; a near miss. •/If the truck that hit his car had been coming faster, it would have killed him; it was certainly a narrow escape that he only had a broken arm!/

[narrow-minded]{adj. phr.} Limited in outlook; resistant to new ideas; bigoted. •/He is generally very open about everything, but when it comes to politics, he is terribly narrow-minded./

[nary a]{informal} Not a single; not one; never a. •/One afternoon a large dark cloud came in the sky. John thought it would rain so he took his raincoat?—?but nary a drop fell./ •/John went fishing but he caught nary a one./

[nasty-nice]{adj.} Unkind in a polite way; disagreeable while pretending to be gracious. •/The bus driver has a nasty-nice way of showing his dislike./

[natural] See: BIG AS LIFE or BIG AS LIFE AND TWICE AS NATURAL.

[natural-born]{adj.} 1. Being a (citizen) because you were born in the country. •/Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt came to the United States from Germany and are naturalized citizens but their children are natural-born citizens./ 2. Born with great ability to become (something); having great ability (as in a sport or art) almost from the start. •/Joe had never played baseball before trying out for the team but he showed that he was a natural-born pitcher and he became the best in the league./ •/Mozart was a natural-born musician. He could play the piano well when he was only six years old./

[nature] See: SECOND NATURE.

[naught] See: GO FOR NOTHING also GO FOR NAUGHT.

[near] See: FAR AND NEAR.

[near at hand] See: AT HAND.

[necessity] See: MAKE A VIRTUE OF NECESSITY, OF NECESSITY.

[neck] See: BREATHE DOWN ONE’S NECK, BREAK ONE’S NECK, CATCH IT IN THE NECK or GET IT IN THE NECK, PAIN IN THE NECK, SAVE ONE’S NECK, STICK ONE’S NECK OUT.

[neck and neck]{adj. or adv.}, {informal} Equal or nearly equal in a race or contest; abreast; tied. •/At the end of the race the two horses were neck and neck./ •/For months John and Harry seemed to be neck and neck in Alice’s favor./ Compare: NIP AND TUCK.