shag

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   strong, coarse-cut tobacco

   He filled his pipe with shag and settled beside the fire.

2. 2
   noun

   a rough, matted mass or long pile of hair, fibers, or fabric

   The old rug had a deep shag that trapped dust easily.

3. 3
   noun

   British, vulgar: an act of sexual intercourse

   The comedy uses shag as a deliberately crude term for sex.

4. 4
   noun

   a lively swing dance characterized by quick hopping steps

   They learned the shag at a weekend swing-dance workshop.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Shag originally referred to rough, matted hair, from Old English sceacga. It is Germanic and related to Old Norse skegg, meaning “beard.” The bird name, recorded from the mid-16th century, may refer to the bird’s shaggy crest. The sexual verb is first recorded in 1770 but is probably older, and may go back to a verb meaning “shake” that is recorded between the 14th and 16th centuries.

From Middle English shaggen, probably meaning 'to shake' or 'make rough.' The noun developed senses for rough or matted hair and fabric; coarse-cut tobacco was named for a similar shredded appearance. The dance and vulgar sexual senses have later, partly distinct histories.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary