M-80

A classic flip (in which you start with both feet parallel facing forwards, rotated 90° to your normal direction of travel on the board) instantly followed by a revert.

A good M-80 combines the classic flip and revert into one smooth motion, and will usually be accomplished by landing the magic flip in switch on the front wheels and switching into regular stance from there. Because the skateboarder has to spin a 90° body varial as part of the trick, he can use this momentum to carry the revert on landing.

Madonna

Although many people think a Madonna is simply a one footed nosegrab where the front foot is taken off to the heelside, it is specifically a frontside one footed lien to tail on vert – meaning you HAVE to go frontside and HAVE to smack your tail off the coping on the way down. Interestingly, a backside one is called a Sean Penn – named after the former husband of Madonna.

Magic Flip

Back in the day, what we now know as a classic flip was known as a kickflip, and what we now know as a kickflip was called a magic flip. In other words, a magic flip is another name for a modern kickflip.

Manual

A balancing trick involving rolling across an obstacle on the back wheels only. The name ‘manual’ is now often used by skaters when they are doing wheelies – the same trick, but on flat ground. Technically, it’s only a manual when done across an obstacle (for example, a manual pad) but this has been largely forgotten – not something that particularly bothers me, because the distinction is meaningless and I prefer the name manual myself, especially when you think about the differences between a manual and wheelie in BMX riding.

See also nosemanual.

McTwist

A vert trick consisting of a 540° rotation with a backflip. Named after it’s inventor, Mike Mcgill.

Melon

A noseboned backside grab (gripping the heelside of the board with your back hand). The closer to the tail the grab is the more stylish the melon grab is.

Meloncollie

Another name for a melon grab. Some people (including myself) think the longer name, including as it does the word ‘ollie’, refers to the trick being performed on flatground after an ollie as opposed to in or off a ramp, but I can’t verify this right now.

Method Air

A Method is basically a Melon grab but more “tweaked”. You pull the deck upwards during the grab, into your back, to look like you are kneeling mid-air. Apparantly the name comes from the inventor, Neil Blender, who originally invented it as a “method” for getting higher on a backside air.

Miller Flip

A 360° frontside handplant to fakie on vert.

Mongo Foot

The problem afflicting some skateboarders who push off with their back foot on the skateboard instead of their front foot. Such skaters are known as mongo footed and feel uncomfortable or unsafe pushing with their front foot on the board. As a result, mongo footed skateboarders don’t have as much time to prepare themselves for a trick after pushing off because they have to shuffle their feet around a lot after getting on the board.

Monkey Flip

Flipping the skateboard by gripping the heelside long edge (the rails) with either hand and simultaneously jumping and flicking your hand up. This is a difficult trick for a couple of reasons – firstly, it’s fairly awkward to grip the heel edge of skateboard as this involves putting your hand between your legs. Secondly, it’s a nightmare trying to jump upwards from something you’re trying to hold onto without ripping your arm out of it’s socket.

Any skater pulling off a monkey flip kind of looks like a stereotypical ape jumping around, hence the name.

Monsterwalk

A monsterwalk is a chain of 180° pivots that alternate in direction, meaning they look slightly like an old b-movie monster walking, hence the name.

MTB

An acronym for mountainboarding – a sport developed from skateboarding also known as all-terrain boarding or ATB. Mountainboards consist of a flexible base plate connected at each end to an axle and two stonking huge all terrain wheels, and you can buy them at this extreme sports clothing and equipment site.

Murder Flip

Another name for a forward flip.

Mute

A grab trick similar to an indy grab, but with the front hand grabbing instead of the rear hand.