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MA (Master of Arts) : The commonest type of higher degree awarded by an English university, usually for studying a non-scientific subject.
Magna Carta : The charter granted by King John in 1215, which recognised the rights and privileges of the barons, of the church and the freemen, and which is traditionally regarded as the basis of English liberties.
Manchester United : A leading English football club founded in 1878 with a stadium in southwest Manchester near Old Trafford.
Marks and Spencer : A chain of store selling high-quality clothing and food products, founded in 1884 by Michael Marks, who took Thomas Spencer into partnership in 1894.
Merlin : In the stories about King Arthur, a famous wizard and Arthur's adviser.
Mersey sound : The characteristic pop music of the Beatles and other groups performing in Liverpool (on the river Mersey) in the 1960s.
Murrayfield : The ground of the Scottish Rugby Union in Edinburgh.
MP (Member of Parliament) : A member of the House of Commons elected by voters of his constituency to represent them in Parliament and to pursue the policies of his particular political party.
Nelson's Column : A tall column nearly 185 feet (44m) high in Trafalgar Square, London, with a statue of Admiral Nelson (1758-1805). It was put there in 1840-3 with Trafalgar Square itself planned as a memorial to Nelson. The Column is famous also for the bronze lions by the sculptor Landseer added at its base in 1867.
New Scotland Yard : The headquarters of the London Metropolitan Police Force, housing the Flying Squad (expert detectives from the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) concentrating on major criminals), the Murder Squad, the Criminal Record Office and the Traffic Control Department. The original headquarters was at Scotland Yard, off Whitehall (near 10 Downing Street) and the name became New Scotland Yard when the headquarters moved to its present building in Westminster in 1966.
999 : The emergency phone number to be dialled if the fire brigade, the police, or an ambulance are needed.
Northern Ireland : Before the early 20th century, Northern Ireland was part of Ireland as a whole, having developed in the middle ages as the Kingdom of Ulster, later the Province of Ulster. After many English and Scots people settled there in the 16th century, Northern Ireland became mainly Protestant (two out of three people were Protestant), unlike the rest of Ireland which remained, as before, mainly Roman Catholic. By the terms of an Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921, the south of the island became a Republic, while the north remained in the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland was granted its own parliament in which a Protestant government was formed after successive elections. Roman Catholics, who were excluded from political office, came increasingly to resent the continuing Protestant domination, and, as a result, a vigorous civil rights movement emerged in the late 1960s. the sectarian (Catholic against Protestant) disturbances which followed were exploited by extremists of both faiths. Consequently, British troops were sent to Northern Ireland in 1969 to help to keep the peace. The Northern Ireland government was unable to introduce satisfactory reforms, so the British government imposed direct rule (from Westminster) in 1972. After that, violence and terrorism continued between paramilitary groups -IRA (catholic) and UVF, UDA (protestant). The IRA took its campaign of violence to mainland Britain (especially London and British military bases). The unrest did not decrease in 1985 when an official agreement was made between the Republic of Ireland and the British government. Many Protestants regarded the agreement as an act of treason on the part of the British government, and violently opposed it. (to be continued)
Number 10, Downing Street : The official residence of the Prime Minister in Downing Street, London.
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