mug¹ (mŭg)
n.

1. A heavy cylindrical drinking cup usually having a handle.
2. The amount that such a cup can hold.

[Perhaps of Scandinavian origin.]

mug² (mŭg)
n.

1. Informal.
   1. The human face.
   2. The area of the human mouth, chin, and jaw.
   3. A grimace.
   4. A mug shot.
2. A thug; a hoodlum.
3. Chiefly British Slang. A victim or dupe.

v., mugged, mug·ging, mugs.

v.tr.

1. Informal. To photograph (a person's face) for police files.
2. To threaten or assault (a person) with the intent to rob: arrested the thief who mugged the tourists.

v.intr.
To make exaggerated facial expressions, especially for humorous effect: The partygoers mugged for the camera.

[Probably from MUG¹ (possibly in allusion to mugs decorated with grotesque faces).]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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