We have taken it literally. They still exist – the archaic-looking devices with which one can burn things to the mark. This makes our grill no longer a Maverick!
Samuel Maverick, a Texan country baron who refused to brand his cattle. As a result, the word maverick entered the English lexicon, meaning both an unbranded range animal as well as a slang term for someone who exposes a stubborn independence.
But there is also another interpretation, although Maverick stated that his refusal to use the branding was due to animal love and did not want to hurt cattle. But it was also easy for him to release the free-beating young animals of other farmers who were not yet marked as his own.
Ad your two cents!