mau-mau

[ mou-mou ]

/ ˈmaʊˌmaʊ /

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verb (used with object) Slang.

to terrorize, intimidate, or threaten.

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Origin of mau-mau

1970; coined by Tom Wolfe in Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers;see Mau Mau

Words nearby mau-mau

maulers, Maulmain, maulstick, maulvi, Mauman, mau-mau, Maumee, maumet, maun, Mauna Kea, Mauna Kea Observatory

Other definitions for mau-mau (2 of 2)

Mau Mau

[ mou-mou ]

/ ˈmaʊ ˌmaʊ /

noun, plural Mau Maus, (especially collectively) Mau Mau.

a member of a revolutionary society in Kenya, established in the early 1950s, that consisted chiefly of Kikuyu and engaged in terrorist activities in an attempt to drive out the European settlers and to give government control to the native Kenyans.

Origin of Mau Mau

From Kikuyu

How to use mau-mau in a sentence

The Cairo-based Egyptian Mau Rescue Organization even arranges international adoptions of the majestic meowsers.
The Cat's Meow: Top 10 Destinations for Feline Fanatics|Lonely Planet|December 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
So this narrative was created: These are the new African American leaders who aren't hung up on the old racial mau-mau stuff, etc.
Booker, Davis, and Ford|Michael Tomasky|May 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I doubt most Americans have a clue about the Mau Mau Revolution, including me.
Wake Up, Huck: Obama Didn't Grow Up in Kenya!|Mark McKinnon|March 3, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The problem is that Huckabee talked in the same breath about the Mau Mau Revolution, which happened in Kenya.
Wake Up, Huck: Obama Didn't Grow Up in Kenya!|Mark McKinnon|March 3, 2011|DAILY BEAST

For sheer courage in standing up to union mau-mauing, she has earned political credit of reckless, even subprime proportions.
How Hot Is Blanche Lincoln?|Tunku Varadarajan|June 15, 2010|DAILY BEAST
An elderly woman who occasionally visited us was named Mau-ber-ry, the term by which they distinguish the gurnet from other fish.
An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Vol. 1|David Collins
Next day our train is climbing through dense and beautiful forests to the summit of the Mau Escarpment.
My African Journey|Winston Churchill
And here the storm which had been brooding all the afternoon over the western face of the Mau Escarpment burst upon us.
My African Journey|Winston Churchill
These ledges around Hale-mau-mau are very dangerous to stand upon.
St. Nicholas Magazine for Boys and Girls, Vol. 5, Nov 1877-Nov 1878|Various
Another important masticatory is the tobacco quid with its ingredients of lime and mu-mau juice.
The Manbos of Mindano|John M. Garvan

British Dictionary definitions for mau-mau

Mau Mau

/ (ˈmaʊ ˌmaʊ) /

noun plural Mau Maus or Mau Mau

a secret political society consisting chiefly of Kikuyu tribesmen that was founded in 1952 to drive European settlers from Kenya by acts of terrorism

East African slang a Ugandan motorcycle policeman who directs traffic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012