swag
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /swæɡ/
rhymes: -æɡ
Forms: form: swags
Etymology: From 18th c. British thieves' slang.
Senses: examples: text: The swag, is a term used in speaking of any booty you have lately obtained, be it of what kind it may, except money; as where did you lumber the swag? that is, where did you deposit the stolen property? To carry the swag is to be the bearer of the stolen goods to a place of safety.
ref: 1819, James Hardy Vaux, Memoirs of James Hardy Vaux, volume 1, page 216:
text: “It′s all arranged about bringing off the swag, is it?” asked the Jew. Sikes nodded.
ref: 1838, Boz [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], “Chapter 19”, in Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy’s Progress. […], volume (please specify |volume=I, II, or III), London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC:
text: ‘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.’
ref: 1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
text: He 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.
ref: 1971 November 22, Frank E. Emerson, “They Can Get It For You BETTER Than Wholesale”, in New York Magazine, page 38:
synonyms: word: boodle
word: booty
word: fang
word: gizzit
word: haul
word: hot property
word: loot
word: pelf
word: pickings
word: pillage
word: plunder
word: prigging
word: sack
word: spoil
word: spoils
word: swag
qualifier: thieves' cant
glosses: Stolen goods; the booty of a burglar or thief; boodle.
examples: text: "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.
ref: 2011, Mark Henry, Battle of the Network Zombies:
text: You may hesitate before you pocket the swag, wondering if doing so is OK. Worry not: Hospitality industry folks say they’re delighted when people feel compelled to take one of these as a keepsake.
ref: 2022 September 28, Kim Cook, “Why free swag at bars, hotels is so important to brands”, in Toronto Star:
synonyms: merch
schwag
glosses: Handouts, freebies, or giveaways, often distributed at conventions; merchandise.
examples: text: He tramped for years till the swag he bore seemed part of himself to him.
ref: 1896, Henry Lawson, “Out Back”, in In the Days When the World was Wide, and Other Verses, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, →OCLC, page 49:
synonyms: bindle
glosses: The possessions of a bushman or itinerant worker, tied up in a blanket and carried over the shoulder, sometimes attached to a stick.
glosses: A small single-person tent, usually foldable into an integral backpack.
examples: text: New Zealand wasted a swag of chances to lose their opening women′s hockey World Cup match.
ref: 2010 August 31, “Hockey: Black Sticks lose World Cup opener”, in The New Zealand Herald:
glosses: A large quantity (of something).
synonyms: stock
qualifier: thieves' cant
glosses: A shop and its goods; any quantity of goods.
Derived terms: word: swagful
word: swagless
sense: shop
word: rum swag
sense: shop
word: swag barrow
sense: stolen goods
word: swag bag
sense: stolen goods
word: swag chovey bloke
sense: stolen goods
english: fence
translation: fence
word: swagsman
sense: itinerant's belongings
word: swagman