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:
, , , , / (unfermented), / , , , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • must — must …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • müstə’mərə — ə. müstəmləkə …   Klassik Azərbaycan ədəbiyyatında islənən ərəb və fars sözləri lüğəti

  • must — must1 [must] v.aux. pt.must [ME moste, pt., had to < OE, pt. of motan, may, akin to Goth (ga)mot, (I) find room, am permitted, prob. < IE * mōt , var. of * med , to measure > METE1] 1. used to express compulsion, obligation, requirement …   English World dictionary

  • 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 — [ mɶst ] n. m. • 1981; av. 1973 (marque déposée); mot angl. ♦ Anglic. Fam. Ce qu il faut savoir ou faire pour être à la mode (⇒ impératif); ce qu il y a de mieux. Ce logiciel, c est le must. ⇒ 2. top. Le must de la saison. ● must nom masculin… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

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  • 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 — студийный альбом will.i.am …   Википедия

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

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