Definition of "mulligan" [mulligan]

• A golf shot not tallied against the score, granted in informal play after a poor shot especially from the tee. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Well, if they have what I call mulligan primaries or contests of some sort, that is, do-overs, late in the game, they could have a decisive influence on who the nominees are."
• "Ballesteros looked thin and pale while making several public appearances in 2009 after being given what he referred to as the "mulligan of my life.""
• "Today's fifth and final mulligan is for Alvin Greene, the inimitable challenger to Republican Sen. Jim DeMint in South Carolina."