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mulligan

1 American  
[muhl-i-guhn] / ˈmʌl ɪ gən /

noun

  1. Also called mulligan stew.  a stew containing meat, vegetables, etc., especially one made of any available ingredients.

  2. Golf. a shot not counted against the score, permitted in unofficial play to a player whose previous shot was poor.

Mulligan 2 American  
[muhl-i-guhn] / ˈmʌl ɪ gən /

noun

  1. Gerald Joseph GerryJeru, 1927–96, U.S. jazz saxophonist, bandleader, and composer.

Mulligan 1 British  
/ ˈmʌlɪɡən /

noun

  1. Gerry , full name Gerald Joseph Mulligan. 1927–96, US jazz saxophonist, who pioneered the cool jazz style of the 1950s

"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
mulligan 2 British  
/ ˈmʌlɪɡən /

noun

  1. a stew made from odds and ends of food

"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

Etymology

Origin of mulligan

First recorded in 1900–05; special use of proper name

Explanation

A mulligan is a stew, often made with various leftovers. You might clean all the vegetables out of your fridge and whip up a mulligan. When you make a mulligan — also called a mulligan stew — you use odds and ends from your refrigerator and pantry. You can also use the word to refer to a specific situation in the game of golf: if you make a terrible shot, a mulligan is when you're allowed to try again. The stew came first, around 1905, and the golf stroke followed in the 1940s, possibly from the name of a specific Canadian golfer.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It’s as if MLS gave Colorado a mulligan and the way the game was played suffered as a result.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 29, 2024

This week, however, is his first major with the players from the regular tour — a well-used mulligan in a game that is stingy about second chances.

From Seattle Times • May 14, 2024

Hopes of yet another mulligan came after a Week 7 win over Buffalo that stopped a 1-5 start.

From Washington Times • Nov. 13, 2023

But all will be granted a mulligan of sorts.

From Washington Post • Jan. 5, 2023

They were cooking their mulligan over the fires.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.