mulligan
/ˈmʌlɪɡən/ noun, proper noun
Forms mulligans Mullican
- noun (golf) An unpenalized chance to re-take a stroke that went awry. “If you lose your drive in the water, take a mulligan and try again.”
- noun (collectible card games) An opportunity (sometimes penalized) for a player to reshuffle their cards and draw a new initial hand at the beginning of a game.
- noun (by extension) A second chance. “Don't do poorly in your first interview; you won't get a mulligan.”
- proper noun A surname from Irish.
Synonyms
Etymology
Attested since the 1930s in the sense “chance to re-take a golf stroke”; probably from the name Mulligan, after a golfer who replayed a stroke. See Wikipedia for more information.
Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Maolagáin, from maolagán (“person with cropped hair”), from maol (“bald”).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “mulligan”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details