Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

(Amelia) #1

Ma Belln. AT&T, the American Telephone
and Telegraph Company; any telephone
company. (See also Baby Bell.) I forgot
to pay Ma Bell this month. Ma Bell is
still one of the largest firms in the nation.


mace someone’s face[mes...] tv. to do
something drastic to someone, such as
spraying mace in the face. (Chemical
Mace™ is a brand of tear gas sold in pres-
surized cans for personal protection.) 
Do you want me to mace your face? Then
shut up! I look at him, and suddenly I
just want to mace his face or something.


macho[“matSo] 1. mod. masculine; virile.
(From Spanish. Used as a derogation by
feminists.) Does the world really need
one more macho man? He’s hardly ma-
cho. You know—that bright-eyed ma-
cho type. 2. n. a masculine or virile male.
He’s such a macho. He even chews to-
bacco. Watch out for that macho over
there. He’s cruising for a bruising.


Mac(k)[mAk] n. a generic name for a man.
(Also a term of address.) Look, Mac,
you want to make some big money? Hey,
Mack! Come here a minute.


mackn. a pimp. (From mackerel, a form
of which once had the meaning “bro-
ker.”) This gal’s mack was slapping her
silly when the police came.


mack daddyn. a man who is popular with
the ladies. Sam is a real mack daddy.
Sure knows how to treat the ladies.


mack on someone 1. in. to make a sex-
ual proposition to someone. You try to
mack on anything that wears a skirt! 2. in.
to make outwith someone. Sam is in
the back room macking on Mary.


mac outin. to overeat, especially the type
of food served at McDonald’s fast-food
restaurants. (From the Big Mac™ sand-
wich. See also Big Mac attack. See also
blimp out; pig out; pork out; scarf out.)
I’ve been in Europe for a month, and I
just want to get home and mac out. I
mac out every weekend. It’s like going to
church.
madamn. the female keeper of a brothel.
The madam was caught in a sting op-
eration. The cops led the madam away,
followed by a parade of you-know-whats.

Madison Avenue 1. n. the style or image
of the major U.S. center for advertising
agencies. (The agencies are located on
Madison Avenue in New York City.) It’s
too much like Madison Avenue. We want
a calm, sincere mood. This is plain old
Madison Avenue. I want something more
subtle. 2. mod. in the manner of intense
promotion; propagandalike.  More
and more people simply do not respond to
Madison Avenue hype. Can Madi-
son Avenue techniques sell a political
candidate?
mad moneyn. money to be spent in a friv-
olous fashion. This is my mad money,
and I’ll do with it as I please. I got $100
in mad money for my birthday.
magn. magazine. I gotta stop and get a
computer mag. I’ve seen your face in the
mags, haven’t I?

maggot 1. n. a cigarette. (Probably a play
on faggot.) Can I bum a maggot off of
you? Get your own maggots. 2. n. a low
and wretched person; a vile person. 
You maggot! Take your hands off me! 
Only a maggot would do something like
that.

M

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