Swag
Pronunciation
- US IPA: /swæɡ/
- Rhymes: -æɡ
Origin 1
Probably from Old Norse sveggja ("to swing, sway")
Full definition of swag
Verb
- (intransitive and transitive) To sway; to cause to sway.
- (intransitive) To droop; to sag.
- PalsgraveI swag as a fat person's belly swaggeth as he goeth.
- (transitive) To decorate (something) with loops of draped fabric.
- 2009, January 29, Cathy Horyn, In Paris, a Nod to Old Masters, Dior wouldn’t be Dior without the swagged ball gown, but while they were beautiful, with delicate vines of embroidery — there was more surprise and contemporary charm in slim satin cocktail dresses with open necklines, a dollop of draping and a half-hidden corset ...
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Noun
swag
(plural swags)- A loop of draped fabric.
- 2005, Alan Hollinghurst, , Bloomsbury Publishing, page 438:He looked in bewilderment at number 24, the final house with its regalia of stucco swags and bows.
- A low point or depression in land; especially, a place where water collects.
- 1902, D. G. Simmons, "The Influence of Contaminated Water in the Development of Diseases", The American Practitioner and News, 34: 182.Whenever the muddy water would accumulate in the swag the water from the well in question would become muddy... After the water in the swag had all disappeared through the sink-hole the well water would again become clear.
Derived terms
Origin 2
Shortening of swagger (noun).
Noun
swag
(uncountable)- (slang) Style; fashionable appearance or manner.
- 2009, Mark Anthony Archer, Exile, page 119Now this dude got swag, and he was pushing up on me but, it wasn't like we was kicking it or anything!â€
Origin 3
From British thieves′ slang.
Noun
swag
(plural swags)- (countable) The booty of a burglar or thief; a boodle.
- 1838, Charles Dickens, , :“It′s all arranged about bringing off the swag, is it?†asked the Jew. Sikes nodded.
- 1963, Margery Allingham, The China Governess Chapter Foreword, ‘I understand that the district was considered a sort of sanctuary,’ the Chief was saying. ‘ … They tell me there was a recognized swag market down here.’
- 1971 November 22, Frank E. Emerson, “They Can Get It For You BETTER Than Wholesaleâ€, New York Magazine, page 38He was on his way to call on other dealers to check out their swag and to see if he could trade away some of his leftover odds and ends.
- (uncountable) Handouts, freebies, or giveaways, such as those handed out at conventions.
- 2011, Mark Henry, Battle of the Network Zombies“Make sure to take some swag on your way out!†I called.
He stooped a bit in mid-trot and snatched a small gold bag out of the basket at the door. The contents were mostly shit, a few drink tickets to the Well of Souls, VIP status at Convent, that sort of thing. - (countable, Australia, dated) The possessions of a bushman or itinerant worker, tied up in a blanket and carried over the shoulder, sometimes attached to a stick.
- (countable, Australia, by extension) A small single-person tent, usually foldable in to an integral backpack.
- (countable, Australia, New Zealand) A large quantity (of something).
- 2010 August 31, "Hockey: Black Sticks lose World Cup opener", The New Zealand Herald:New Zealand wasted a swag of chances to lose their opening women′s hockey World Cup match.
Verb
- (Australia) To travel on foot carrying a swag (possessions tied in a blanket). From 1850s.
- 1880, James Coutts Crawford, Recollections of Travel in New Zealand and Australia, %22swagging%22+australia+-intitle:%22%22+-inauthor:%22%22&dq=%22swagged%22|%22swagging%22+australia+-intitle:%22%22+-inauthor:%22%22&source=bl&ots=Nq9oJv7rhS&sig=oOOuScFP6OHs7LNSUBr2h9poePU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-mZxUK71O6noiAep84DYAg&redir_esc=y page 259,He told me that times had been bad at Invercargill, and that he had started for fresh pastures, had worked his passage up as mate in a small craft from the south, and, arriving in Port Underwood, had swagged his calico tent over the hill, and was now living in it, pitched in the manuka scrub.
- 1976, Pembroke Arts Club, The Anglo-Welsh Review, %22swagging%22+australia+-intitle:%22%22+-inauthor:%22%22&dq=%22swagged%22|%22swagging%22+australia+-intitle:%22%22+-inauthor:%22%22&source=bl&ots=fre1iB498h&sig=Ul9T-AKPtyViAyu_Vhst3vT0UfQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=X25xULObBcmhiAeI-YHIBw&redir_esc=y page 158,That such a man was swagging in the Victoria Bush at the age of fifty-one requires explanation.
- 2006, Inga Clendinnen, The History Question: Who Owns the Past?, , Issue 23, %22swagging%22+australia+-intitle:%22%22+-inauthor:%22%22&source=bl&ots=NY9Ue5ZsLw&sig=OfD-EcshQq_ELxtZAJop0XsuVG8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-mZxUK71O6noiAep84DYAg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22swagged%22|%22swagging%22%20australia%20-intitle%3A%22%22%20-inauthor%3A%22%22&f=false page 3,The plot is straightforward. A swagman is settling down by a billabong after a hard day′s swagging.
- 2011, Penelope Debelle, Red Silk: The Life of Elliott Johnston QC, %22swagging%22+australia+-intitle:%22%22+-inauthor:%22%22&source=bl&ots=m15B1HmVAn&sig=9uGHey2BfwYSncWCyaut_2wfUh0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-mZxUK71O6noiAep84DYAg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22swagged%22|%22swagging%22%20australia%20-intitle%3A%22%22%20-inauthor%3A%22%22&f=false page 21,Over the Christmas of 1939, just three months after Britain and Australia had declared war on Germany, they went swagging together for a week and slept out under the stars in the Adelaide Hills, talking, walking and reading.
Derived terms
Origin 4
Noun
swag
(plural swags)- Alternative capitalization of SWAG; a wild guess or ballpark estimate.I can take a swag at the answer, but it may not be right.