1810, member of a gang of murderers and robbers in India who strangled their victims, from Marathi thag, thak cheat, swindler, Hindi thag, perhaps from Sanskrit sthaga-s cunning, fraudulent, possibly from sthagayati (he) covers, conceals, from PIE root *(s)teg- cover (see stegosaurus).
It may also occur in one ear or both ears. The most common reason for muffled hearing is conductive hearing loss that can be caused by a variety of factors or medical conditions including a build up of ear wax and ear infections. In most cases, however, it is treatable and does not lead to permanent hearing damage.
When the muffler is damaged or has a hole in it, this causes the pre-muffled exhaust to leak, increasing the sound that comes out of the exhaust system. Although it is possible that exhaust leaks can occur before the muffler, in most cases, loud exhaust is caused by a leak in the muffler itself.