μανούλα = mummy, but…
From 6am today, 4th March 2021, the Greek government further tightened the restrictions already in place. Schools are closed again. If you want to go out, you have to send a text to 13033 and enter a number between 1 and 6, your name and address. The numbers are code for the following: 1 = medical; 2 = shopping; 3 = government office or banking; 4 = helping the vulnerable; 5 = wedding or funeral; 6 = exercise. Quite rightly, the government has concluded that 2, 3, 4 and 6 have been abused. They are still working on how to tighten up #4, but have modified nos 2, 3 and 6. If you choose 2 or 3, you are limited to your δήμος (municipality) or a radius of 2 kilometres. If you choose 6, you must be on foot or on a bicycle – cars, mopeds, motorbikes nullify this much abused number. Anyway, where does μανούλα fit in all this? There was a discussion on TV about the abuse of the numbering system during which one of the participants said something like “Όταν μιλάμε για παραθυράκια ο Έλληνας είναι μανούλα.” The speaker did not say Ελληνίδα. In this context (παραθυράκια = loopholes), μανούλα applies to both sexes and means a ‘past master’ or an ‘expert’.
www.slang.gr suggests μανούλα can mean καταφερτζής (cajoler, hustler) and καπάτσος (shrewd), and offers γάτος and εξπέρ as synonyms. It also provides the following example:
Πρόσεχέ τον τον Αντώνη γιατί είναι μανούλα στο να τουμπάρει τον κόσμο = Watch out for Andoni because he’s a past master at getting people to do what he wants.