see|WAG
English
Etymology
Middle English waggen, noun wagge, feminine root of Old English waian, (Middle English noun wae) to oscillate, shake. Compare the Old English verb waġian
The verb may be regarded as an iterative or emphatic form of waian waw, verb, which is often nearly synonymous; it was used, e.g., of a loose tooth. Parallel formations from the same root are the Old Norse vagga femimine, cradle (Swedish vagga, Dutch vugge), Swedish vagga to rock a cradle, early modern German waggen (modern High German dialect wacken) to waver, totter. Cf. waggle, verb
Pronunciation
rfc-level|Pronunciation at L4+ not in L3 POS section
Verb
en-verb|wags|wagging|wagged
- To swing from side to side, especially of an animal's tail
- slang To not go to school, either for a class or classes or the entire school day;<sup>1</sup> <span style="font-variant:small-caps;text-transform:lowercase">play the wag; hop the wag; wag it</span>.<sup>2</sup>
:* "My misfortunes all began in wagging, Sir; but what could I do, exceptin' wag?" "Excepting what?" said Mr. Carker. "Wag, Sir. Wagging from school." "Do you mean pretending to go there, and not going?" said Mr. Carker. "Yes, Sir, that's wagging, Sir." <br>-- Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, (1848) xxii
:* They had "wagged it" from school, as they termed it, which..meant truancy in all its forms. -- William Sylvester Walker, In the Blood,<br>(1901) i. 13
Translations
trans-top|swing from side to side
Finnish: heiluttaa
trans-mid
German: wedeln
Swedish: vifta
trans-bottom
See also
waggle (frequentative)
wiggle
Noun
en-noun
- obsolete A witty person.
See also
skivitis
References
The Oxford English Dictionary, (1989) <http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/login?uri=%2Fentrance.dtl> Accessed 23 Feb. 2006.
Jonathon Green, "wag," The Cassell Dictionary of Slang, (1998) p. 1257.
Afrikaans
Etymology 1
Dutch wacht
Noun
wag
- guard
Etymology 2
Dutch wachten
Verb
wag
- wait
Category:Afrikaans nouns
Category:Afrikaans verbs
et:wag
fr:wag
io:wag
it:wag
ru:wag
ta:wag
te:wag
vi:wag
zh:wag
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