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MAIDENS should be mild and meek, quick to hear, and slow to speak.
Maidens want naething but a man, and then they want a'thing.
Mair by luck than gude guiding.
Mair hamely than welcome.
"Mair haste the waur speed," quo' the tailor to the lang thread.
Mair nice than wise.
Mair pride than pith.
Mair than enough is ower muckle.
Mair than the deil wear a black manteel.
"Mair whistle than woo," quo' the souter when he sheared the sow.
The saying, "Great cry and little wool," is common to all nations ; the Scottish version, however, is the most expressive and humorous we have met with.
Maister's will is gude wark.
For the master himself is sure to be pleased with it.
Maistry maws the meadows doun.
"The captain's a queer hand . . . . he keeps a high hand ower the country, and we couldna deal with the Hielandmen without his protection, sin' a' the keys o' the kintray hings at his belt; and he's no an ill body in the main; and maistry, ye ken, maws the meadows doun."-- Heart of Midlothian.
Mak ae wrang step and down ye gae.
Mak ae pair o' legs worth twa pain o' hands
"He freed Rashleigh from my hold, amid securing me, notwithstanding my struggles, in his own Herculean gripe, he called out, 'Take the bent, Mr Rashleigh-make ae pair o' legs worth twa pair o' hands; ye hae done that before now.'"- Rob Roy.
Mak a kiln o't, and creep in at the logie.
We surmise that this is intended as an advice to a person who has become possessed of an article, and does not know what to do with it, like the old lady who won the principal prize in the lottery, said prize consisting of a live elephant ! A "killogie" is, says Jamieson, "a vacuity before the fireplace in a kiln for drawing air."
Mak a kirk or a mill o't.
Similar to the preceding proverb. Equivalent to saying such a thing is entirely in your own control; you may do what you please with it.
Mak friends o' fremit folk.
Mak hay while the sun shines.
Mak nae bauks in gude bear-land.
To "bauk" is to leave small strips of land unturned in ploughing. Kelly says of this proverb that it is "spoken when it is proposed to marry the youngest daughter before the eldest."
Mak nae orts o' gude hay.
Literally, do not throw aside good hay.
Mak nae toom ruse.
"Toom ruse" means empty praise, and the proverb signifies that we should not praise indiscriminately, or without knowledge of the subject.
Mak the best o' a bad bargain
Mak your wife a gowdspink, and she'll turn a water-wagtail.
That is, if you indulge a person freely to a certain extent, the probability is he will exceed the limits.
Malice is aye mindfu'
Man proposes, God disposes.
Man's twal is no sae gude as the deil's dizzen.
No, because "man's twal" is twelve, while the "deil's dizzen" is thirteen.
March comes like a lion and gangs like a lamb.
March comes wi' adders' heads and gangs wi' peacocks' tails.
March dust and March win', bleaches as weel as simmer's sun.
March dust and May sun mak corn white and maidens dun.
March water and May sun makes claes clear and maidens dun.
The explanation of this saying, which belongs to the Mearns, is, that water in the month of March is supposed to be of a more cleansing quality than in any other month. The same idea is also expressed in the following saying:
March water's worth May soap.
March whisquer was ne'er a gude fisher.
Marriage and hanging gae by destiny.
Married folk are like rats in a trap--fain to get ithers in, but fain to be out themsels.
Marriage wad tame the sea, if a match could be got for her.

Marry abune your match, and get a maister.
Marry for love, and work for siller.
Marry in haste, and repent at leisure.
Marry your son when you will, but your dochter when you can.
Maun-do is a fell fallow.
"Necessity is a hard master."-- German.
May-be's are no aye honey bees.
"An answer to them that say, 'Maybe it will fall out so or so'"-- Kelly.
May-be's flee na at this time o' the year.
Maybe's a big book.
Maybe your pat may need my clips.
Perhaps some day you will be glad of my assistance, although you despise it just now.
May birds are aye cheeping.
This refers to the popular superstition against marrying in the month of May, the children of which marriages are said to "die to decay."
May he that turns the clod ne'er want a bannock.
Mealy mou'd maidens stand lang at the mill.
Measure twice, cut but ance.
Meat and mass ne'er hindered wark.
"'Happy will I be to serve you, my gude auld acquaintance,' said the clerk ; 'but sit you down--sit you down--sit you down, Mrs Dods,--meat and mass never hindered wark. Ye are something overcome wi' your travel--the spirit canna aye bear through the flesh, Mrs Dods.'"-- St Ronan's Well.
Meat and measure mak a' men wise
Meat feeds, claith cleeds, but breeding maks the man.
Meat is gude, but mense is better.
Men are no to be mete by inches.
Men speak o' the fair as things went there.
Mettle's kittle in a blind mare.
Michaelmas mune rises nine nights alike sune.
Mills and wives are aye wanting.
Mind me to a' that ask for me, but blad me in naebody's teeth.
Mind thysel, the warld will mind the lave.
Mint before you strike.
Minting gets nae bairns.
Mischief's mother's but like midge's wing.
Mister makes a man o' craft.
Mistenfu' folk maunna be mensefu'.
"Beggars should not be choosers."-- English.
Mist in May and heat in June mak the harvest right soon.
Mistress before folk, gudewife behint backs; whaur lies the dishclout?
A jocular manner of addressing those who are very particular in their manner of speaking.
Mocking's catching.
Money's aye welcome, were it even in a dirty clout.
Money's better than my lord's letter.
Money's like the muck midden, it does nae gude till it be spread.
Money makes and money mars.
"He who hath gold hath fear, and he who hath none has sorrow."
Money maks a man free ilka where.
Money maks the mare to go whether she has legs or no.
Mony a dog has dee'd sin' ye were whelped.
Mony a dog will dee ere you fa' heir.
Mony a frost and mony a thowe, sune makes mony a rotten yowe.
Mony a gude tale is spoilt in the telling.
"Applied often when a good sermon is ill delivered, to my certain knowledge."-- Kelly.
Mony ane for land taks a fool by the hand.
That is, many marry only for the sake of money and possessions.
Mony ane kens the gude fellow that disna ken the gude fellow's wife.
The reason being that he is a "gude fellow" only when abroad or in the taproom, and not when he is at home.
Mony ane kisses the bairn for love o' the nurse.
That is, show their kindness to the companions, friends, or relations of those upon whom they have a design, which they hope by their influence to effect."-- Kelly.
Mony ane lacks what they would fain hae in their pack.
Mony ane maks an errand to the ha' to bid my leddy good day.
Or, many occupy themselves with trifles.
Mony ane opens his pack and sells nae wares.
Mony ane's coat saves their doublet.
"Spoken when clergymen use you saucily, whom, in deference to their profession, you will not beat."-- Kelly.
Mony ane ser's a thankless maister.
Mony ane's gear is mony ane's death.
Mony ane speaks o' Robin Hood that ne'er shot wi' his bow.
"Doctor Luther's shoes do not fit every parish priest."- German.
Mony ane tines the half-merle whinger for the ha'-penny whang.
This nearly obsolete saying means, literally, loses a six-penny dagger for the sake of a halfpenny thong. "Spoken," says Kelly, "when people lose a considerable thing for not being at an inconsiderable expense."
Mony ane wad blush to hear what he wadna blush to dae.
Mony ane wad hae been waur had their estates been better.
Mony an honest man needs help that hasna the face to seek it.
"Mony a thing's made for the penny," as the wifie said when she saw the black man.
Mony a true tale's tauld in jest.
Mony aunts, mony emes, mony kin, but few friends.
The word "eme" signifies uncle, nod the saying--its claims as a proverb are small enough--means that a person may have many relations but very few friends among them.
Mony care for meal that hae baked bread enough.
"Spoken against whining, complaining people, who have enough, and yet are always making a moan."- Kelly.
Mony cooks ne'er made gude kail.
Mony fair promises at the marriage-making, but few at the tocher-paying.
A man may "promise like a merchant and pay like a man-of-war's-man;" that is, promise anything that may he asked, for the sake of concluding a bargain, but which, once made, he is in no haste to perform.
Mony gude-nights is laith away.
"He shakes hands often who is loath to go."-- French.
Mony hands maks light work.
Mony hawes, mony snawes.
"When there is a great exhibition of blossoms on the hedgerows, the ensuing winter will be a remarkable one for snow storms."-- Robert Chambers.
Mony hounds may soon worry ae bane.
Mony kinsfolk but few friends.
Mony 'll sup wi' little din, that wadna gree at moolin in.
Mony littles mak a muckle.
Mony purses haud friends lang thegither.
Mony rains, mony rowans; mony rowans, mony yewns.
"Yewns being light grain. The rowans are the fruit of the mountain ash, which never are ripe till harvest. It is a common observation, that an abundance of them generally follows a wet season."-- Robert Chambers.
Mony sae "weel" when it ne'er was waur.
"Spoken to them that say 'well' by way of resentment."- Kelly.
Mony time I hae got a wipe wi' a towel, but ne'er a daub wi' a dishclout before.
Or reprimanded by a person who had authority to do so, but never roughly handled by one who had no right to interfere. Kelly says this is "spoken by saucy girls when one jeers them with an unworthy sweetheart."
Mony ways to kill a dog though ye dinna hang him.
Mony words dinna fill the firlot.
A "firlot" is a fourth part of a boll, dry measure. Equivalent to the proverb, "Many words go to a sackful."-- Dutch.
Mony words, muckle drouth.
Mony wyte their wife for their ain thriftless life.
That is, many persons blame others for what are the consequences of their own faults. Kelly says, "I never saw a Scottish woman who had not this at her finger's end."
Mouths are nae measure.
Mows may come to earnest.
"To mow,' to speak in mockery."-- Jamieson.
Moyen docs muckle, but money does mair.
Muck and money gae thegither.
Muckle corn, muckle care.
"Muckle din about ane," as the deil said when he stole the collier.
Muckledom is nae virtue.
Muckle fails that fools think.
Muckle gifts mak beggars bauld.
Muckle gude may it do you, and merry go doun, every lump as big as my thoom.
A bad wish--that every bite may choke you.
Muckle head, little wit.
Muckle maun a gude heart thole.
Muckle meat, mony maladies.
Muckle mou'd folk are happy at their meat.
Muckle musing mars the memory.
Muckleness has nae mair, or else a cow could catch a hare.
Muckleness is no manliness.
Muckle pleasure, some pain.
Muckle power maks mony faes.
Muckle skaith comes to the shae before the heat comes to the tae.
Muckle spoken, part spilt.
So much was said on a subject that a great deal was lost.
Muckle wad aye hae mair.
The more a person has the more he would have.
Muckle water rins by that the miller watsna o'.
Muckle wi' thrift may aye be mair.
"Must" is for the King to say.
My market's made, ye may lick a whup-shaft.
The saucy reply of a maid already betrothed, to a would-be wooer.
My neighbours skaith's my ain peril.
My son's my son till he's got him a wife; my dochter's my dochter a' the days o' her life.
My tongue's no under your belt.

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