- bag
- I. n1.an unattractive and/or unpleasant woman. This usage originated in the early 20th century with the idea of a shapeless, heavy or burdensome female, previously expressed as 'baggage'.2.one's special interest or current preoccupation, sphere of activity. This usage came into vogue in Britain among the beatniks and later the hippies in the 1960s. It was derived from black American jazz terminology, where it meant a 'category' or 'style'. By the early 1980s the term had become distinctly dated.► 'Papa's Got a Brand New Bag.' (Song title, James Brown, 1965)3.Americana package or some measured amount of marihuana or another drug. The custom of American street dealers of grass was, and is, to sell small amounts in paper envelopes or cellophane bags, typically 'dime bags' or 'nickel bags'.4.Britishthe sum of £1,000 in the slang of city traders. Unlike bar, pony and other similar terms, this seems to be a fairly recent coinage. It is said to be based on the rhyme 'bag of sand': grand.► It'll cost you at least a bag.II. vb1a.to arrest or catch.This subsense of the word is encountered in police usage, from the terminology of hunters.1b.to have or take. In this sense the word is used as a synonym for 'grab' or 'cop' in such instances as 'let's bag some beers'. The usage also occurs in American adolescent argot, which includes phrases such as 'bag some z's/rays'.2a.Americanto conceal or suppress2b.to give up or abandon► 'Maybe I should bag this tugboat busi-ness and go into politics.' (Legwork, US TV series, 1986)2c.to dismiss, fireThese usages, popular especially among teenagers, are all related by their sugges-tion of discarding someone or something with the trash. Similar meanings of bag were heard occasionally in Britain before 1950.3.Australianto criticise. A 'bagging' is a verbal attack or strong criticism.4.also bag upAmericanto divide mari-huana into small amounts and/or pack-ages before selling it5.AmericanSee bag one's face/head
Contemporary slang . 2014.
