must

must
must
The use of must informally as a noun meaning ‘something that must be done or had, or that should not be missed’, dates from the 1890s in American use. In the earlier part of the 20c, it was often written in inverted commas as being not quite pukka in serious or supposedly serious contexts, and this practice still sometimes occurs:

• A film and a song made the Trevi Fountain a ‘must’ for tourists —Guardian, 1973.

Now, the idiom has moved a stage further in being used attributively (before a noun: This is a ‘must’ book), and in phrasal adjectives such as must-have, must-see, etc. (in which must is a verb and not a noun):

• The King George is, self-evidently, a royal occasion, one of the ‘must-see’ races —Observer, 2007).


Modern English usage. 2014.

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Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Must — (m[u^]st), v. i. or auxiliary. [OE. moste, a pret. generally meaning, could, was free to, pres. mot, moot, AS. m[=o]ste, pret. m[=o]t, pres.; akin to D. moetan to be obliged, OS. m[=o]tan to be free, to be obliged, OHG. muozan, G. m[ u]ssen to be …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Must FM — Logo de Must FM Création 16 avril 1993 Langue Français Pays   …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Must — Must, n. [AS. must, fr. L. mustum (sc. vinum), from mustus young, new, fresh. Cf. {Mustard}.] 1. The expressed juice of the grape, or other fruit, before fermentation. These men ben full of must. Wyclif (Acts ii. 13.). [1913 Webster] No… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Must B 21 — Studio album by will.i.am Released September 23, 2003 …   Wikipedia

  • must — must, musth musth(m[u^]st), a. [Hind. mast intoxicated, ruttish, fr. Skr. matta, p.p. of mad to rejoice, intoxicate.] (Zo[ o]l.) Being in a condition of dangerous frenzy, usually connected with sexual excitement; said of adult male elephants… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Must B 21 — Álbum de Will.i.am Publicación 23 de Septiembre de 2003 Grabación 2003 Género(s) Hip Hop Duración …   Wikipedia Español

  • Must — Must, v. t. & i. To make musty; to become musty. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • MUST — may refer to: * Militära underrättelse och säkerhetstjänsten , the Swedish Military Intelligence and Security Service *Misr University for Science and Technology *Manchester United Supporters Trust (formerly Shareholders United) …   Wikipedia

  • MUST — steht für: Malaysia University of Science and Technology, Universität in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia Militära underrättelse och säkerhetstjänsten, Nachrichtendienst der schwedischen Streitkräfte Manchester United Supporters Trust, vormals… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Must — For other uses, see Must (disambiguation). For the word must meaning compulsion, see wikt:must. For the condition affecting male elephants, see musth. Grapes being pressed to create must. Must (from the Latin vinum mustum, “young wine”) is… …   Wikipedia

  • must — I. verb (present & past all persons must) Etymology: Middle English moste, from Old English mōste, past indicative & subjunctive of mōtan to be allowed to, have to; akin to Old High German muozan to be allowed to, have to Date: before 12th… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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