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Why is being robbed in the street called "mugging"?

boy with knife smallQuestion

When someone is robbed in the street, why is it known as a mugging? Is it anything to do with “being taken for a mug”?
Robert, Croydon

Answer

** Definitive **
Name: Josh, Bromley
Qualification: I had a conversation about where various words came from
Answer: The word mug comes from the Scandinavian word from the 17th century meaning drinking vessel. In England, it was quite common to paint pictures of yourself on mugs – as with Toby Jugs – and we took the word from Scandinavia meaning someone’s face. For violent offences, the word mugging means “hitting someone in the face”.

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