M.O.B. Montreaux Oberland Bernois railway.
maggiore (Italian) major.
Magyar a member of the people constituting the main ethnic group in Hungary.
mama mia (Italian) my mother.
marc the brandy distilled from the refuse of grapes, seeds, other fruits, etc. after pressing; the French counterpart to grappa.
margaux Chateau Margaux, a French wine.
marsala a dry or sweet, amber-colored fortified wine made in western Sicily.
Marvell Andrew Marvell (1621–78), English poet.
Mattarone Italian name for the Matterhorn, a mountain in the Pennine Alps, on the Swiss-Italian border.
mechano-therapy the treatment of disease, injuries, etc. by using mechanical devices, massage, etc.
Medaglia d'argento (Italian) silver medal.
mess a group of people who regularly have their meals together.
mess tins portable metal plates, bowls, and cups, for eating on the march or on the battlefield.
Mestre a town in northeast Italy, just northwest of Venice.
Metternich Prince von (1773–1859), Austrian statesman and diplomat.
minnenwerfer (German) literally, "mine-thrower."
Modena commune in Emilia-Romagna region of north Italy.
Monfalcone town in present-day northeast Italy, between the Isonzo River and the Gulf of Trieste. At the time during which the story takes place, it lay within the boundaries of Austria-Hungary.
monkey suit (slang) a uniform.
Montreaux a town in west Switzerland, on Lake Geneva.
mufti ordinary clothes, especially worn by one who normally wears, or has long worn, a military or other uniform.
Munich a city in southeast Germany, capital of the state of Bavaria.
Mürren alpine resort.
musette a small bag of canvas or leather for toilet articles, etc., worn suspended from a shoulder strap.
Niagara Falls a large waterfall on the Niagara River, between New York State and Canada; a traditional honeymoon destination.
Normal school a school, usually with a two-year program, for training high school graduates to be elementary schoolteachers.
observation balloons During World War I, military observers often ascended in balloons to observe the battle preparations of the enemy from aloft.
on permission on leave.
Ospedale Maggiore (Italian) Great Hospital.
Othello with his occupation gone The hero of Shakespeare's tragedy Othello commands the Venetian forces who travel to Cypress to fight the Turks. Othello's wife, Desdemona, dies near the conclusion of the play.
Ouchy town near Lausanne, in west Switzerland.
