Is the gas in cooling flows multiphase?

Employing XMM-Newton EPIC data we perform a detailed comparison between dif ferent spectral models to test whether the gas in cooling flows is multipha se or not. Our findings all point in the same direction, namely, that gas i n cooling flows does not show the wide distribution of temperatures expecte d from standard multiphase models. This result has profound implications fo r cooling-flow models. First, the large absorption column depths inferred b y previous analysis of cooling-flow spectra are most likely an artifact fol lowing from the application of an incorrect spectral model to the data. Sec ond, the mass deposition and mass flow are likely to be much smaller than p reviously thought. Last, but perhaps not least, the term "cooling-flow" clu ster is probably no longer appropriate, as it describes a phenomenon of sma ller entity and impact than previously thought. We propose to substitute it with that of "cool-core" cluster. The latter definition is less ambitious than the first, as it reflects only an observational fact rather than an in ferred physical property, the flow, but has the undeniable advantage of bei ng firmer.