muggins

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English

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Etymology

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Origin unknown. Sense 'fool' originally British slang of 1770s,[1] probably an extension of earlier mug (fool). Game senses perhaps from surname Muggins.[2]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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muggins (countable and uncountable, plural mugginses)

  1. A fool or idiot (especially as an ironic way of referring to oneself).
    I suppose muggins here will have to do all the work, as usual.
    • 2022 April 6, “Network News: Booze ban continues as part of move to prioritise women's safety”, in RAIL, number 954, page 6:
      "And I thought: if muggins here, a 37-year-old government minister who can look after myself, feels that way, then we need to really think about how we're putting in place a level of protection for women.
  2. (cribbage) The act of stealing another player's points because they either mispegged or counted up incorrectly.
  3. (uncountable) A game of dominoes in which the object is to make the sum of the two ends of the line some multiple of five.
  4. (uncountable) A card game based on building in suits or matching exposed cards, the object being to get rid of one's cards.
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Translations

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Jonathon Green Green's Dictionary of Slang https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/w3gbioq#66kgcpy
  2. ^ Philip Babcock Gove (ed.) Webster's Third New International Dictionary (1961)