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Armed Forces Arts Churches Courts Politics Sport Titles

M1 do not say M1 motorway. M6 Toll is the road in the Midlands opened in December 2003

Maastricht treaty (l/c treaty), but Treaty of Maastricht; for an unofficial name for the updated version of the treaty, write Maastricht II (not 2 or Two). See social chapter

Macau (not Macao); the Macau Government (capitalised as the administration of a special administrative region; as Hong Kong). See Chinese names

Mac, Mc always check spelling of these prefixes in Who's Who; in alphabetical lists, treat Mc as Mac.

Note then when typesetting in caps, the "c" (and if in the name, the "a") may need to be set in a small cap or even l/c, eg FRANK McAVENNIE

Macaulay, Lord the 19th-centtury poet, essayist, historian and Whig politician Thomas Babington Macaulay

Macaulay, Sarah (Gordon Brown's wife)

McCarthy, Senator Joseph; McCarthyism

McCartney, (Sir) Paul

McClaren, Steve football coach and manager

MacDonald, Ramsay

McDonald, (Sir) Trevor, the newsreader

McDonald's, the hamburger chain

McDonnell Douglas (no hyphen)

MacDowell, Andie

Macfarlanes the City law firm

MacGregor, Neil the director of the British Museum

MacKay, Andrew, Conservative politician (not Mackay)

McKellen, Sir Ian

MacKenzie, Kelvin former Editor of The Sun, subsequently chairman and chief executive of the Wireless Group

Mackintosh, (Sir) Cameron

MacLaine, Shirley

Maclean, Donald

Macleod, Iain

McLoughlin, Coleen model, columnist, TV presenter and wife of Wayne Rooney

McLuhan, Marshall

Macmillan, Harold, and the publishers

MacMillan, James the Scottish composer

McMillan, Ian the poet

Macpherson, Elle

McQueen, Alexander

McRae, Colin rally driver killed in crash of helicopter he was piloting in 2007

MacShane, Denis MP

MacStiofáin, Sean born John Stephenson. He became the Provisional IRA chief of staff

Macedonia the correct (and politically sensitive) title of the new republic is the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (caps as shown). Accept no variations. See Yugoslav

Machel, Graça a cedilla on the first name of Nelson Mandela's wife

Machiavelli(an)

machinegun, but sub-machinegun

Machu Picchu accept no alternative

mackintosh (raincoat)

macroeconomic, microeconomic (no hyphen)

Macy's (New York store)

Madame Tussauds no apostrophe. It is part of the the Merlin Entertainments Group, which also includes Warwick Castle, Alton Towers and Chessington World of Adventures

mad cow disease. No longer written "mad cow" disease. See BSE, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Madejski Stadium, Reading (not Madjeski)

Madison Square Garden, New York (not Gardens)

Madonna her maiden name is Ciccone (not Ciccione). She divorced Guy Ritchie in 2008

madrassa Islamic school. No h, two esses. Plural madrassas

maestros (plural of maestro; not maestri)

Mafia cap only in Italian or US context; l/c mafia in countries such as Russia when used as a synonym of gangsters. Note Cosa Nostra. Other Italian groups include the Camorra from the Naples area and the ’Ndrangheta from Calabria. See Triads, yakuza

Mafikeng the new name (since 1980) of Mafeking. Spell according to historical context

Magdalen College, Oxford; but Magdalene College, Cambridge. See Oxford, University of, Cambridge, University of

Maghreb see Middle East

"magic circle", l/c and quotes first mention, for top law firms in the City; but cap Magic Circle for the magicians' organisation

Maginot line French fortifications against Germany before the Second World War. See line

Magistrates' Association, the note apostrophe

magistrates' courts the Metropolitan Magistrate, West London Magistrate etc, but usually magistrates take l/c. An acceptable alternative for a magistrate or district judge is JP (Justice of the Peace) in some contexts. When the accused is appearing before the bench, he appears before the magistrates (plural) unless a stipendiary magistrate, now called a district judge (magistrates' courts). The full name of the court is capped, as in Bow Street Magistrates' Court. See courts, JP, legal terms, Courts special section. To find courts, use the court locator

Magna Carta, not the Magna Carta, imposed on King John at Runnymede in June 1215

maharajah prefer to maharaja; likewise rajah

mailshot

major avoid as a lazy alternative for big, chief, important or main

Majorca, Minorca use the anglicised forms. See Spanish regions

majority of do not use as alternative for most of

makeover one word as noun

make-up (cosmetics or typography), not makeup

Málaga note accent

malapropism misuse of a similar-sounding word, eg, "an allegory on the banks of the Nile", when "alligator" is meant. See coruscating, often mistaken for excoriating

Malaysia Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the former Prime Minister; thereafter Dr Mahathir. His title while the Prime Minister was Datuk Seri. His wife is Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, thereafter Dr Siti Hasmah. In Malaysia, honorary titles are: Tun, approximately equivalent to a life peerage, but with numbers restricted to about 25, with wives who are not Tun in their own right titled Toh Puan; Tan Sri, a federal award similar to Sir, with wives titled Puan Sri; Datuk (preferred to Dato) is a state award, somewhat like a local/regional knighthood, with wives titled Datin. See tunku

Mall, The (cap “T”), the road in London. In Washington DC, the national park is the (l/c) Mall, more fully the National Mall

Mammon (initial cap)

Man cap in the context of humankind, the species. Also cap in names such as Essex Man, Mondeo Man, Neanderthal Man, White Van Man etc. See Nature

management buyout spell out first time, though MBO (plural MBOs) is acceptable on Business pages

management-speak do not succumb, for example, to describing an organisation as meaninglessly as what was suggested in a press release: "interested in non-face-to-face, high-volume, low-unit-cost solutions that would require the front-loaded investment the voluntary sector cannot acquire". See jargon

Manichean relating to a radical dualist philosophy, often considered heretical by the Church

manifestos (not -oes)

Manila capital of the Philippines

man-made hyphenated

Manningham-Buller, Baroness the former Director-General of MI5 (retired April 2007). She is Lady Manningham-Buller at second mention. Her given first name is Elizabeth, but she prefers to use Eliza

manoeuvre, manoeuvring, manoeuvrable

mantelpiece (not mantlepiece)

manuscript(s) write out when part of a sentence, but abbreviate to MSS when quotation from catalogue, or in headline if context is clear

Maori plural Maoris

Mao Zedong (not Mao Tse-tung, except perhaps in direct quotation in historical Pinyin context). See Chinese names

maps the mapsonus website is useful, not just for the US but globally

marathon avoid in clichéd sense of a long time as in “a marathon session”. Cap as in London Marathon, New York Marathon

march past (noun; two words in military context)

Mardi Gras for the Shrove Tuesday festival, but note the self-styled Mardi Gra bomber

Margrethe, Queen of Denmark (not Margarethe)

Mariinsky for the name of the theatre home of the Kirov Ballet

Marines cap in both Royal Marines and US Marines; also, a Marine

marketplace (one word), but market-maker

Marks & Spencer use the ampersand rather than and in text; can abbreviate to M&S in headlines; the formal legal title is Marks and Spencer plc, but we need use this form only rarely

marquess, not marquis, except in foreign titles. See Titles special section

Marrakesh (not Marrakech)

married couple's allowance

Marriott hotels (not Marriot)

Mars bar(s) (l/c "b")

Marseilles prefer the anglicised version to Marseille; also call the football club Marseilles (not Olympique de Marseille). See foreign places, Lyons

martial law rule by the military, eg, under a junta, in the absence of civil law; do not confuse with military law, eg, that exercised at a court martial

Martini is a trade name, so always cap

Marxist, Marxism derived from Karl Marx, so cap. Do not use as loose variant of communism. See communism

Mary Celeste (not Marie Celeste)

Masai prefer to Maasai

Mason-Dixon line state boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania, regarded as the dividing line between the North and the South, especially between the free and the slave states before the American Civil War. See line

Mass (cap in its religious context), also Holy Mass, Requiem Mass etc. See Churches special section

Massachusetts

massive avoid as a synonym of big

MasterCard

masterclass (musical etc; no hyphen)

master of foxhounds (l/c) see foxhunt

Master of the Queen's Music (not Musick)

Master of the Rolls see Courts special section

Matabele singular and plural (a Matabele, the Matabele people)

materialise avoid as a synonym of appear, come about or happen

matériel note accent

Mathews, Meg former wife of Noel Gallagher

Matthews, Shannon note that Craig Meehan is not her stepfather

matinee (no accent), as premiere, debut, decor etc. See Arts special section

matins (l/c). See evensong, Christian terms

matt (not mat), as in matt paint, matt black etc

Maupassant, Guy de

Mauretania, the liner; Mauritania, the country

may/might do not confuse. 1. Might makes the past tense or subjunctive mood of may. Thus, "He might have come last night"; 2.Often followed by well, expressing theoretical possibility, "He might well come". In this sense, might looks to the future and functions as a weak form of may. Thus, use might in sentences referring to past possibilities that did not happen, eg, “If that had happened ten days ago, my whole life might have been different”. A clear distinction is evident in the following example: “He might have been captured by the Iraqis [but he wasn't]”, compared with “He may have been captured by the Iraqis [it is possible but we don't know]”. In the sentences "You may be correct" and "You might be correct", might implies a greater degree of tentativeness. In this context, could may provide an alternative of degree. Thus, "There may be trouble ahead" implies more certainty than "There could be trouble ahead", which in turn is more certain than "There might be trouble ahead"

Maya, one of the Indian people of Central America; Mayas, plural; and Mayan, adjective

mayday (as in SOS), l/c; but May Day (holiday)

Mayfair, but the May Fair Hotel. See London hotels

mayor for when to cap, see local government, Lord Mayor. But note that the Mayor of London becomes the mayor (l/c) after first mention

Mazar-i-Sharif

Maze prison in Northern Ireland; do not use Long Kesh except in quotes or historical context

MCC, short for Marylebone Cricket Club. Do not say the MCC

McCann, Madeleine regarding her age, use a form of words (to cover any eventuality) to the effect that she disappeared shortly before her fourth birthday. Also note accents on Polícia Judiciária, Portimão

mealtimes write breakfast time, lunchtime, teatime, dinner time, supper time (but use hyphens in compounds when adjectival)

means-test, means-tested etc (hyphenate whether as noun, verb or adjective)

means to an end is singular, eg, "It is a means to an end"; but “his means are modest”

mecca l/c as in "mecca for tourists"

Médecins sans Frontières

media plural as in mass media, so do not write, eg, "a media that is full of rumour". Note mediums (spiritualists). See press

medical officer of health in extremis, MoH acceptable in headlines

medical terms never use these metaphorically or as terms of abuse (geriatric, paralytic, schizophrenic). In words ending in -tomy (appendectomy, hysterectomy etc), the word “operation” is tautologous and must not be used. See -aemia, bacterium, X-ray

medications give the generic name (lower case, parentheses) as well as the brand name, eg, Casodex (bicalutamide) for those new or not familiar. Omit in reference to well-known medications, eg, Valium, Viagra

Medici note apostrophe in, eg, Catherine de' Medici

Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency note l/c products; MHRA or the agency at subsequent mentions

medieval (not mediaeval)

Mediterranean

meet never write meet with

mega- be very sparing with this as a colloquial prefix meaning big

megawatts the capacity of a power station is measured in megawatts; the output is measured in megawatt-hours. The correct abbreviation of megawatt is MW (not mW, which means milliwatt). See kilowatt-hour

Mehsud, Baitullah the suspected assassin of Benazir Bhutto; Mr Mehsud at second mention. He is from South Waziristan

Meinhof, Ulrike (not Ulrika) of the Baader-Meinhof (hyphen) gang. Note the title of the film The Baader Meinhof Complex (no hyphen)

mêlée

Meles Zenawi is Prime Minister, not President, of Ethiopia. Mr Meles at second mention

Member of Parliament (cap Member), but MP almost always preferable. See Politics special section

mementoes (not -os)

memoirs (not memoires)

memorandum, plural memorandums (not -a)

meningitis distinguish whether bacterial or viral; the headline cases are usually bacterial

Mercedes-Benz (hyphen)

Merchant Navy (caps)

Merchant Taylors' School (in Northwood, northwest London, and Crosby, Liverpool); there is also Merchant Taylors' School for Girls in Crosby

Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales (a unitary authority) must never be shortened to Merthyr, which is a village in Carmarthenshire. See unitary authorities, Wales

Messiah cap in the religious context, eg, in Judaism the awaited redeemer of the Jews; in Christianity in reference to Jesus Christ. But l/c in a more general sense, eg, "Many managers at Newcastle have been hailed as messiahs"

Messerschmitt (not -schmidt). Note that aircraft types are styled, eg, Me109, Me262. See aircraft types

mete out (not meet out), in context of punishment

Method acting use cap M

métier accent

Met Office formerly the Meteorological Office

metres, as in distance, poetry etc; meters, as in gas, electricity or parking etc

metric The Times should keep abreast of the trend in the UK to move gradually towards all-metric use, but given the wide age range and geographical distribution of our readers, some continuing use of imperial measurements is necessary. The main aim is to avoid confusing the reader, so try not to mix the two systems in a single article. In general, we should prefer the metric, with imperial conversions in brackets at first mention. This should now apply particularly to temperatures, eg, the temperature on the South Coast hit the low 30s (no longer the 90s); but where specific, eg, 16C (61F). Similarly, for areas prefer hectares and square metres to acres and square yards, but do not use square kilometres in the UK and the US where distances are measured in miles. Whenever converting, try to keep a sense of proportion: it is nonsense to express, for instance, an estimated 15ft as an excessively detailed 4.57m. If the first figure is no more than an estimate, the conversion may safely be rounded to a similarly approximate 4.5m.

The following are the principal exceptions to the foregoing:

1. Distances globally Give miles first, and convert (at first mention) to kilometres in brackets for all countries apart from the UK and the US. Speeds: use only miles per hour (mph) in the UK and US; for all other countries use mph but also convert to kilometres per hour (km/h) in brackets at first mention.

2. Personal measurements in height and weight Continue to say she was 5ft 7in (1.7m) and weighed 9st 10lb (62kg).

3. Altitude and depth The main exception to metric should be aircraft altitude, where a pilot will announce that "we are now flying at 33,000ft"; metric conversion to 10,058m may be used in brackets here. But now specify mountain heights in metric first, eg, Ben Nevis is the highest peak in Britain at 1,343m (4,406ft).

4. Volume The main exceptions to metric should be pints of beer and cider, while milk (confusingly) is still sold in pint bottles as well as litre containers. With petrol and fuel sold in litres rather than gallons, use metric, eg, 75p a litre (no any need to convert), but because car manufacturers still do so, give fuel consumption in miles per gallon.

The overwhelming preference is sporting, foreign, engineering and scientific stories to be metric; similarly foodstuffs and liquids in cookery contexts, recipes etc should be metric, though small amounts can be given in tablespoons (tbsp) and teaspoons (tsp).

The most common metric abbreviations are mm (millimetre), cm (centimetre), m (metre) and km (kilometre); mg (milligram), g (gram), kg (kilogram); sq m (square metre), ha (hectare), sq km (square kilometre), cu m (cubic metre); ml (millilitre), cl (centilitre), l (litre); W (watt), kW (kilowatt).

Never add a final "s" to any of these abbreviations, eg, 48km (not 48kms).

A useful online resource for calculating conversions is at Science Made Simple. Alternatively, type into a new Google search, eg, 1657m in ft, then render the conversion sensibly

Metropolitan Police see Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police; Metropolitan Magistrate see magistrates' courts

metrosexual note that the term was coined by Mark Simpson, a British journalist, not by Marian Saltzman, a US writer

MI5 is the Security Service; see also Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)

miaow

Michelangelo

mickey, take the

microchip

microgram do not abbreviate, and certainly not to mcg, which is meaningless under international scientific standard abbreviations

microlight (prefer to microlite)

mid-air (hyphenate, noun or adjective)

midday, midweek (no hyphens)

Middle Ages, the (caps)

Middle-earth (note hyphen and u/c, l/c); see Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien

Middle East comprises Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen. In a general sense, it also takes in the countries of the Maghreb: Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, Western Sahara. Never abbreviate to the Americanism Mideast

Middle England (caps, in political context)

Middlesbrough

Middlesex is no longer a county. See postal addresses

Mideast unacceptable as abbreviation of Middle East

Mid Glamorgan (no hyphen) no longer exists as a local government authority, but name persists in some organisations and titles, eg, Lord-Lieutenant for Mid Glamorgan.

See unitary authorities

Midland Bank no longer exists as a trading entity. It is part of HSBC, so use Midland only in historical context. See Hong Kong

midlife crisis but do not overuse this cliché

midnight (not 12 midnight). See noon

midsummer, midwinter

midterm

Midwest (US)

MiG, the former Soviet aircraft

migrant do not use in place of emigrant or immigrant. It means one who is in the process of migrating

mike (not mic), as abbreviation for microphone

mileage

military law not to be confused with martial law

military ranks use hyphens in compounds such as Major-General, Lieutenant-Colonel etc (where two ranks are joined), but not with Second Lieutenant, Lance Corporal, Air Commodore etc. Do not abbreviate ranks except in lists. Refer, eg, to Major-General Geoffrey Blimp, Lieutenant-Colonel Godfrey Blank at first mention, thereafter General Blimp, Colonel Blank; similarly, Rear-Admiral Horatio Salt, thereafter Admiral Salt. See Armed Forces special section

militate (against or in favour of); do not confuse with mitigate

millennium common usage says that the millennium ended on December 31, 1999, though technically it should have been December 31, 2000. We accept the former. Note the Millennium Dome (and Dome subsequently - now the O2 arena), Millennium Fund, Millennium Commission, Millennium Exhibition (caps). Also Millennium Eve (as New Year's Eve). The London Eye was known as the Millennium Wheel. Note also the Millennium Bridge over the Thames. The plural of millennium is millennia (unlike memorandums etc; see referendum). Note also millenarian (only one middle “n”) meaning of, or related to, the millennium

Million+ universities think-tank

millions write out millions from one to ten, thereafter 11 million etc. Abbreviate to “m” only for headlines. For currencies, spell out in text, eg, £15 million, but abbreviate to £15m in headlines.With decimal notations, best to restrict to two decimal points in text, rounded up or down (eg, £1.53 million), though in headlines try to avoid decimals altogether. In text, write 2.5 million rather than spelling out two and a half million; but “three million shares changed hands” (not 3 million shares) etc

Miltonian prefer to Miltonic for the adjective relating to John Milton and, by extension, sublime and majestic writing

Mind the mental health charity (no longer MIND). But see SANE, initials

mindset

minimal do not use as a synonym of small; it means smallest, or the least possible in size, duration etc

miniskirt (no hyphen); also, minicab

ministers (political) l/c unless specific, in which case cap, whether in the Cabinet or not. Thus, the Trade Minister, a trade minister, a Treasury minister, a Home Office minister etc. The same applies to ministers in overseas governments: give name and full title (capped) first time, thereafter name or just “the minister”. See departments of state and government offices, Politics special section

Minnelli, Liza

minuscule (not miniscule). Originally, a medieval script. Use sparingly, as it is heavily overworked as a synonym of very small or unimportant

Mishcon de Reya, solicitors (l/c “de”)

mis-hit (hyphen), mis-sell; but see misspell

Miss, Ms Ms is fully acceptable when a woman (married or unmarried) wants to be called thus, or when it is not known for certain if she is Mrs or Miss. Ms is increasingly common in American and UK contexts, with Miss the exception. See appellations

missiles Pakistan's missiles are the Hatf (short-range), Shaheen (short), Ghaznavi (medium) and Ghauri (medium). India's are the Prithvi (short-range) and Agni (medium). Most of the above may have numerals after them, eg, Shaheen2

Mississippi

misspell (no hyphen; see spelt)

mitigate means to make milder, moderating (as in mitigating circumstances in a law case); not to be confused with militate

Mitterrand, François, the late French President

Mladic, Ratko the fugitive former Bosnian Serb general is a war crimes suspect. Depending on context, write General Mladic or Mr Mladic at subsequent mentions. See Karadzic

mobile phone do not abbreviate to mobile even after first mention; cellphone in US only

moccasins (not mocassins)

MoD acceptable abbreviation for Ministry of Defence at subsequent mentions and especially in headlines

Moët & Chandon no longer Moët et Chandon

Mogul (not Mughal) for the empire and art

Mohammed see Muhammad

Moldova no longer Moldavia

Molotov cocktail do not use this euphemism. Write petrol bomb

Mona Lisa (not Monna Lisa) the portrait also known as La Gioconda, painted by Leonardo da Vinci

monarch; (l/c) for the British monarch; but the Sovereign, the Crown. See Royal Family

Mönchengladbach (no hyphen), rather than the former spelling of München-Gladbach

Monetary Policy Committee (caps) of the Bank of England; MPC at subsequent mentions

moneys (plural of money), but money will usually serve. Also, moneyed, not monied

money laundering two words as noun; but hyphenate adjective, a money-laundering gang

Mongol, Mongolian, for the race. Never refer to a Down's syndrome sufferer as a mongol

Monopolies and Mergers Commission (MMC) was replaced by the Competition Commission in 1999. Refer to the MMC now only in historical context

Monsignor (Mgr abbreviated) can be used for Roman Catholic archbishops or bishops in Britain (where appropriate), as well as in foreign contexts. See Churches special section

Montagu of Beaulieu, Lord

Montenegrin is the adjective from Montenegro (not Montenegran)

months abbreviate (only in lists or listings) as follows: Jan, Feb, March, April, May, June, July, Aug, Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec

Moon cap in planetary context, otherwise l/c. Also l/c phases, eg, full moon, new moon. See Earth, Sun, Universe

moose plural moose, name of the large North American deer that in Europe and Asia is known as the elk, plural elks

Moral Re-Armament (not Rearmament), MRA at subsequent mentions

Morecambe Bay

more than use rather than over with numbers, eg, “more than 2,500 people attended the rally”, not “over 2,500 ...."

Moreno Ocampo, Luis no hyphen, Mr Moreno Ocampo subsequently. See Sudan

Moreton-in-Marsh (not Morton, nor -in-the-)

MORI must cap

Morissette, Alanis

Mormon a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (note hyphen and l/c -day). Also note the Book of Mormon (roman)

Morrell, Lady Ottoline (not Otteline)

morris dancing/dancers

Morrisons the supermarket; in business-orientated stories, the company is Wm Morrison at first mention, then Morrison

Morse code

mortar do not use by itself when the meaning is mortar bomb; the mortar is the launcher from which the shell is fired. But mortar attack is perfectly correct

mortuary not morgue

Mosley, Max, the president of the Féderation Internationale de l'Automobile. See dominatrix, motor racing special section.

His father was Sir Oswald Mosley, the leader of the British Union of Fascists. See Fascist

mosquitoes (not -os as plural)

most favoured nation status

MoT certificate, test; but the Department for Transport (not Ministry of ...)

Mother Nature (initial caps) see Nature

mother of five etc no hyphens. See father of two

"mother of Parliaments, England is the"

mother ship two words

Mother's Day or Mothering Sunday (not Mothers')

Mother Teresa not Theresa

mother-to-be hyphens

motocross (not motorcross)

motorcycle, motorcyclist, motorbike etc

motoring terms the following terms should be standardised throughout the paper thus: carburettor, wheelspin, four-wheel drive (preferred abbreviation is 4x4 rather than 4WD), but a four-wheel-drive vehicle (two hyphens when adjectival), power steering, anti-lock brakes, 3-litre car, 1.9 diesel (hyphenated when adjectival), four-door, hatchback, four-star petrol, E-type Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz E-class etc, airbag, seatbelt, numberplate, sports car.

For the foreseeable future, continue to give fuel consumption figures in miles per gallon. See metric

motor neuron (no final e) disease but note the Motor Neurone Disease Association

motorway junctions styled Junction 6 (cap, numeral) of the M40, etc

Mourinho, José accent on first name

Mousavi, Mir Hossein former Iranian Prime Minister, a presidential candidate in 2009; Mr Mousavi at subsequent mentions. See Iran

moustached having a moustache; cf mustachioed, having a moustache, especially when bushy or elaborately shaped, eg, a handlebar

moveable (keep middle “e”)

movies, although an Americanism, is now so common as to be an acceptable synonym of films; but use films whenever possible

, MP, QC, commas each side when used after name. Plural MPs (never MP's). See Member of Parliament, Politics special section, Courts special section

Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms see appellations

mugging strictly means theft by violence in the open air. Take care not to overuse

Muhammad use this spelling for the Prophet. Use it also as the default spelling of the name, but respect variants according to individuals' preference; however, if in doubt, use Muhammad. Note also Muhammad Ali but King Mohammed VI of Morocco. See Arabic names, names, Sheikh Mohammed

Muhammad al-Masari (Saudi dissident); then Dr Masari

Mullah Muhammad Omar supreme leader of the Taleban; Mullah Omar at subsequent mention. See War on Terror

Mujahidin (cap), the fighters in a jihad or holy war. The singular is Mujahid

multi incline towards making multi compounds one word wherever possible, whether used as a noun or as an adjective, eg, multimillionaire, multinational, multilateral, multimedia, multiracial, multispeed, multistorey, multitrack (and note multispeed, multitrack Europe). However, when the compound appears too hideous, such as multi-ethnic, hyphenate.

multimillion-pound (multimillion-dollar) deal etc

mum see dad and mum

Mumbai prefer now to Bombay. See Indian place names. Note the surviving terrorist suspect from the November 2008 attacks is Azam Amir Kasab, at second mention Kasab

muntjac

Murdoch, Elisabeth; refer to her as Ms Murdoch at subsequent mentions

Murdoch, Rupert; at first mention he should be described as chairman and chief executive of News Corporation, parent company of The Times. See Deng, Wendi, News International, The Times

Murphy-O'Connor, Cardinal Cormac, the former Archbishop of Westminster. Note the hyphen. His successor is Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Birmingham.

See Churches special section

Murphy, Róisín

Musharraf, Pervez (not Pervaiz), former President of Pakistan. He was a general, but left the military, so refer to him as Mr Musharraf after first mention

musical vocabulary

song titles (classical or pop), album titles, operas (including arias), take italics; see titles of books, films, discs, programmes, songs etc

symphonies Symphony No 3 (roman, caps); but where symphonies have numbers and popular alternative titles (Eroica, Pastoral) the titles, when used, are in italics, eg, Eroica;

concertos First Violin Concerto (roman caps). For fuller list, see Arts special section

music hall no hyphen as noun; music-hall hyphenate adjectivally, eg, a music-hall act

Muslim, not Moslem or Mohamedan. See Islam, Islamic terms, Muhammad

Mussorgsky, Modest prefer to Moussorgsky

mustachioed see moustached

Muzak (cap, proprietary)

Myanmar continue to call the country Burma

mynah bird (prefer to mina, myna)

Last edited: September 2, 2009