Masculine for Male.  See Feminine.

Mend for Repair.  “They mended the road.”  To mend is to repair, but to repair is not always to mend.  A stocking is mended, a road repaired.

Meet for Meeting.  This belongs to the language of sport, which persons of sense do not write—­nor read.

Militate.  “Negligence militates against success.”  If “militate” meant anything it would mean fight, but there is no such word.

Mind for Obey.  This is a reasonless extension of one legitimate meaning of mind, namely, to heed, to give attention.

Minus for Lacking, or Without.  “After the battle he was minus an ear.”  It is better in serious composition to avoid such alien words as have vernacular equivalents.

Mistaken for Mistake.  “You are mistaken.”  For whom?  Say, You mistake.

Monarch for King, Emperor, or Sovereign.  Not only hyperbolical, but inaccurate.  There is not a monarch in Christendom.

Moneyed for Wealthy.  “The moneyed men of New York.”  One might as sensibly say, “The cattled men of Texas,” or, “The lobstered men of the fish market.”

Most for Almost.  “The apples are most all gone.”  “The returning travelers were most home.”

Moved for Removed.  “The family has moved to another house.”  “The Joneses were moving.”

Mutual.  By this word we express a reciprocal relation.  It implies exchange, a giving and taking, not a mere possessing in common.  There can be a mutual affection, or a mutual hatred, but not a mutual friend, nor a mutual horse.

Name for Title and Name.  “His name was Mr. Smith.”  Surely no babe was ever christened Mister.

Necessaries for Means.  “Bread and meat are necessaries of life.”  Not so; they are the mere means, for one can, and many do, live comfortably without them.  Food and drink are necessaries of life, but particular kinds of food and drink are not.

Necessities for Necessaries.  “Necessities of life are those things without which we cannot live.”

Nee.  Feminine of ne, born.  “Mrs. Jones, nee Lucy Smith.”  She could hardly have been christened before her birth.  If you must use the French word say, nee Smith.

Negotiate.  From the Latin negotium.  It means, as all know, to fix the terms for a transaction, to bargain.  But when we say, “The driver negotiated a difficult turn of the road,” or, “The chauffeur negotiated a hill,” we speak nonsense.

Neither—­or for Neither—­nor.  “Neither a cat or fish has wool.”  Always after neither use nor.

New Beginner for Beginner.

Nice for Good, or Agreeable.  “A nice girl.”  Nice means fastidious, delicately discriminative, and the like.  Pope uses the word admirably of a dandy who was skilled in the nice conduct [management] of a clouded cane.