Dictionary

muggins en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈmʌ.ɡɪnz/

Etymology

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

Meanings

1. (UK, countable, uncountable) A fool or idiot (especially as an ironic way of referring to oneself).
   • "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. 2022 April 6, “Network News: Booze ban continues as part of move to prioritise women's safety”, in RAIL, number 954, page 6:
   • I suppose muggins here will have to do all the work, as usual.
2. (countable, qualifier:cribbage, uncountable) 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.

Forms

Deriveds

cotton-headed ninny-muggins

Relateds

mugginsed · cutthroat · Buggins's turn · cutthroat cribbage

Translations (5)

fr bibi (fool or idiot) · pl frajer (fool or idiot) · pl frajerka (fool or idiot) · de Idiot (fool or idiot) · de Dummkopf (fool or idiot)