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Mau Mau

(mo̵u′ mo̵u′)

a member of a secret society of Kikuyu tribesmen in Kenya, organized c. 1951 to fight against white rule: both the movement and its suppression were marked by terrorism and violence

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transitive verb mau-maued, mau-mauing

Slang to coerce or attempt to coerce by the use of threats, intimidation, etc.

See Mau Mau in American Heritage Dictionary 4

transitive verb mau-maued mau-maued, mau-mau·ing, mau-maus
Informal

To attack or denounce vociferously, especially so as to intimidate: “In years past, [the civil rights leadership] … would mau-mau the government or the corporate sector or the white community” (Joseph Perkins).

Origin:

Origin: After the Mau Mau, a secret society of Kikuyu terrorists that led a rebellion against the ruling Europeans in Kenya in the 1950s

Origin: , from Kikuyu mau-mau, sound of the voracious gobbling of a hyena

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