THE FIRST WORD

mulligan

PRONUNCIATION:

(MUHL-i-guhn) 

MEANING:

noun:
1. A second chance, especially in golf where a player is sometimes given another shot to make up for a poor shot which is not counted.
2. A stew made from odds and ends, using whatever is available.

ETYMOLOGY:

Both senses of the word are from the name Mulligan. It's not certain who these two Mulligans were -- maybe a golf player and a chef. Earliest documented use: 1936.

USAGE:

"It's the Do-Over Derby, in which the only candidates not asking for a mulligan are the ones demanding dozens of them."
Frank Bruni; The Do-Over Derby; The New York Times; Feb 13, 2012.