mulligan

1. (golf) An unpenalized chance to re-take a stroke that went awry.Examples: "If you lose your drive in the water, take a mulligan and try again."countableuncountable

2. (collectible card games) An opportunity (sometimes penalized) for a player to reshuffle their cards and draw a new initial hand at the beginning of a game.Examples: "Pokemon has a mulligan rule: if you have no Pokemon in your opening hand, you show it to your opponent and redraw. You may also take a mulligan, I believe, if your opening hand has no basic power cards."; "April 1997 introduced the modern 'Paris mulligan' rule; previously a mulligan required either all land or no land in the hand and could be taken only once, now the mulligan can be taken as many times as desired with any hand, but reduces starting hand size by one each time the mulligan is taken."countableuncountable

3. (by extension) A second chance.Examples: "Don't do poorly in your first interview; you won't get a mulligan."; "It was a low moment when he lost to a smooth-talking Southern smart-ass like Bill Clinton—good thing he got a mulligan, sort of, when Georgie ran."; "While I too believe in investing in alternative energy resources, you don't get a mulligan when a nuclear weapon or a dirty bomb goes off."broadlycountableuncountable