mike1
/mʌɪk
/informal
noun
A microphone.The teachers alleged that the police first snatched the loud speaker and the mike, which was being used by them to address the gathering, and then pushed the girls who participated in the rally....
- It's just as if someone was speaking into the 2m microphone (except the mike is virtual).
- She also revealed that a couple of big time opera houses in New York do resort to using body mikes or floor mikes.
verb [with object]
Supply or equip with a microphone: the minister was already miked up for the interview...
- I told the sound guy that I didn't want to be miked up today; this was too important an outing for me and I needed nothing to divert my attention from the job in hand.
- If Michael had been miked, the microphone would have melted.
- Engineer Chris Walla (of Death Cab for Cutie) miked the church to capture its unique acoustics and cull a ‘big room sound,’ bolstering the Decemberists' orchestral manoeuvres.
Origin
1920s: abbreviation; compare with mic.
Rhymes
mike2
/mʌɪk/British informal, dated
verb [no object]
Idle away one’s time: he thundered at anyone he thought was miking
noun
A period of idleness: that’s a good mike for you, but you’ll have plenty to do later on
Origin
Early 19th century: of unknown origin.
Mike3
/mʌɪk/noun
A code word representing the letter M, used in radio communication.