drack

I. n

Australian

rubbish. An Australian variant form of the more common dreck.

II. adj

Australian

scruffy, shabby, dowdy. The adjective is formed from the earlier noun, itself a var-iant of dreck. drag n

1.

women's clothing, as worn by men, especially homosexuals, transvestites or female impersonators. Originally theatrical slang of the early 20th century in Britain, signifying a long dress (dragging along the ground), the phrase 'in drag' crossed into popular terminology in the early 1960s. In the case of women wearing masculine clothing, 'man-drag' or 'male-drag' is usually specified.

► 'Marlene in man-drag.' (Caption to photograph of Marlene Diet-rich in Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Baby-lon, 1975)

2.

a thing, event or person considered to be boring or depressing. An Americanism, probably originating in the late 19th century and remaining in marginal use until the 1960s, it was adopted into teenage currency in Britain and Australia in the late 1950s and was widespread by the mid-1960s.

► 'What a drag it is getting old.' (Mother's Little Helper, Rolling Stones, 1965)

3a.

British

an inhalation of cigarette smoke, a puff

► Give me a drag on that.

3b.

British

a marihuana cigarette, a joint. A prisoners' term.

4.

a street, especially a long or important street, usually in the form main drag. This Americanism gave rise to 'drag racing' to describe unofficial races from a standing start over a short, straight stretch of pub-lic road. Drag racing is now also an organised sport run over custom-built private 'dragstrips'.