bag

—baglike, adj.

/bag/, n., v., bagged, bagging, interj.

n.

1. a container or receptacle of leather, plastic, cloth, paper, etc., capable of being closed at the mouth; pouch.

2. something resembling or suggesting such a receptacle.

3. a suitcase or other portable container for carrying articles, as in traveling.

4. a purse or moneybag.

5. the amount or quantity a bag can hold.

6. any of various measures of capacity.

7. a sac, as in an animal body.

8. an udder.

9. Slang. a small glassine or cellophane envelope containing a narcotic drug or a mixture of narcotics.

10. something hanging in a loose, pouchlike manner, as skin or cloth; a baggy part: He had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep.

11. Baseball. base¹ (def. 8b).

12. Hunting. the amount of game taken, esp. by one hunter in one hunting trip or over a specified period.

13. Slang.

a. a person's avocation, hobby, major interest, or obsession: Jazz isn't my bag.

b. a person's mood or frame of mind: The boss is in a mean bag today.

c. an environment, condition, or situation.

14. bags,

a. Informal. plenty; much; many (usually fol. by of): bags of time; bags of money.

b. Slang. trousers.

15. bag and baggage,

a. with all one's personal property: When they went to collect the rent, they found he had left, bag and baggage.

b. completely, totally: The equipment had disappeared, bag and baggage, without even the slightest trace.

16. bag of bones, an emaciated person or animal.

17. bag of tricks, a supply of expedient resources; stratagems: Maybe they will finally be honest with us, once they've run through their bag of tricks.

18. hold the bag, Informal. to be forced to bear the entire blame, responsibility, or loss that was to have been shared: His accomplices flew to South America on news of the theft and left him holding the bag.

19. in the bag, Informal. virtually certain; assured; definite: Her promotion is in the bag. The sale of the house is in the bag.

20. old bag, Slang. an unattractive, often slatternly woman: a gossipy old bag.

v.i.

21. to swell or bulge: A stiff breeze made the sails bag out.

22. to hang loosely like an empty bag: His socks bagged at the ankles.

23. to pack groceries or other items into a bag.

v.t.

24. to cause to swell or bulge; distend: The wind bagged the curtain.

25. to put into a bag.

26. Informal. to kill or catch, as in hunting: I bagged my first deer when I was a teenager.

27. Theat. clew (def. 10a).

28. Slang. to quit, abandon, or skip: I bagged my math class today. We'd better bag the deal. I was working too hard so I decided to bag it.

interj.

29. bags! Brit. Slang. (used to lay first claim to something): Bags it! Bags, I go first!

[1200-50; 1920-25 for def. 20; ME bagge < ON baggi pack, bundle]

Regional Variation. 1. Although BAG and SACK are both used everywhere throughout the U.S., the more commonly used word in the North Midland U.S. is BAG and in the South Midland is SACK.

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