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A.Word.A.Day--mufti

mufti (MUFF-tee, MOOF-) noun

1. Civilian clothes, especially when worn by someone who normally wears a uniform.

2. A scholar or jurist who interprets Muslim law.

[From Arabic mufti, from afta (to decide a legal point). Another word that comes from the same root is fatwa (decree).]

"John Warren `Jack' Gedney, a retired U.S. Navy commander who had traded his uniform for the mufti of a Seattle Costco executive, laid out his life itinerary by the time he could vote: He'd be a career military man, retire at 42, then enjoy a second career in business."
Carole Beers, Jack Gedney, Costco Exec, The Seattle Times, Feb 26, 2000.

"Those on duty were dressed in the distinctive ochre uniform that has won so many admirers. However, almost the entire complement of cabin crew and pilots not rostered on were also there - in mufti - further demonstrating the sort of esprit de corps the fledgling airline has managed to engender in just 18 months."
Piers Lort-Phillips, Crowd Gathers to Bid Bon Voyage for New Airline's Maiden Flight, The Cairns Post (Queensland, Australia), Oct 28, 2002.

This week's theme: words related to the military.

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