The word ‘mulligan’ is new to me – but golfers everywhere will find it familiar. In golf a ‘mulligan’ is a shot where you swing at the ball, miss it completely, and then ask for the stroke not to count. (Sounds like my sort of golf!) But – the obvious question – why is it called a ‘mulligan’? The Historical Dictionary of Golfing Terms says the origin is ‘obscure’ – meaning, they don’t know, and they think nobody knows.