Word Study
fag
CIDE DICTIONARY
fag, n.
A knot or coarse part in cloth. [1913 Webster]
fag, n.
a male homosexual; -- always used disparagingly and considered offensive. Shortened form of faggot. [PJC]
fag, v. i. [Cf. LG. fakk wearied, weary, vaak slumber, drowsiness, OFries. fai, equiv. to fāch devoted to death, OS. f, OHG. feigi, G. feig, feige, cowardly, Icel. feigr fated to die, AS. f, Scot. faik, to fail, stop, lower the price; or perh. the same word as E. flag to droop.].
- To become weary; to tire. [1913 Webster]"Creighton withheld his force till the Italian began to fag." [1913 Webster]
- To labor to wearness; to work hard; to drudge. [1913 Webster]"Read, fag, and subdue this chapter." [1913 Webster]
- To act as a fag, or perform menial services or drudgery, for another, as in some English schools. [1913 Webster]
fag, v. t.
- To tire by labor; to exhaust; as, he was almost fagged out. [1913 Webster]
- Anything that fatigues. [1913 Webster]"It is such a fag, I came back tired to death." [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
fag, n. & v.
--n.
1 esp. Brit. colloq. a piece of drudgery; a wearisome or unwelcome task.
2 sl. a cigarette.
3 Brit. (at public schools) a junior pupil who runs errands for a senior.
--v. (fagged, fagging)
1 a tr. (often foll. by out) tire out; exhaust. b intr. toil.
2 intr. Brit. (in public schools) act as a fag.
3 tr. Naut. (often foll. by out) fray (the end of a rope etc.).
--n.
1 esp. Brit. colloq. a piece of drudgery; a wearisome or unwelcome task.
2 sl. a cigarette.
3 Brit. (at public schools) a junior pupil who runs errands for a senior.
--v. (fagged, fagging)
1 a tr. (often foll. by out) tire out; exhaust. b intr. toil.
2 intr. Brit. (in public schools) act as a fag.
3 tr. Naut. (often foll. by out) fray (the end of a rope etc.).
Idiom
fag-end sl.
1 Brit. a cigarette-end.
2 an inferior or useless remnant.
1 Brit. a cigarette-end.
2 an inferior or useless remnant.
fag, n. US sl. often offens. a male homosexual.
Etymology
abbr. of FAGGOT
THESAURUS
fag
auntie, beast of burden, beat, bi-guy, bisexual, bugger, bull dyke, burden, burn out, busy, butch, butt, carton of cigarettes, catamite, chicken, cig, cigarette, cigarette butt, cigarette case, debilitate, deck of cigarettes, dig, dirty work, do in, do up, donkeywork, drive, drudge, drudgery, dyke, employment, enervate, exhaust, fag out, faggot, fairy, fatigue, femme, flag, flit, frazzle, fricatrice, fruit, galley slave, greasy grind, grind, grub, gunsel, hack, hammer, hammer away, handiwork, handwork, harass, homo, homophile, homosexual, homosexualist, industry, invert, jade, keep busy, knock out, knock up, labor, lesbian, lick, lick of work, manual labor, moil, nance, oppress, outwear, overdrive, overfatigue, overstrain, overtask, overtax, overtire, overweary, overwork, pansy, pathic, peg, peg away, plod, plodder, plug, plug along, plug away, poop, poop out, pound away, prostrate, punk, queen, queer, rat race, sapphist, scut work, slave, slavery, slog, slogger, smoke, snipe, spadework, stroke, stroke of work, stub, sweat, swot, task, tax, tire, tire out, tire to death, tiresome work, toil, travail, treadmill, tribade, tucker, use up, wade through, weaken, wear, wear down, wear on, wear out, weary, wilt, wind, work, work away, workhorseROGET THESAURUS
fag
Exertion
VB exert oneself, exert one's energies, tax one's energies, use exertion, labor, work, toil, moil, sweat, fag, drudge, slave, drag a lengthened chain, wade through, strive, stretch a long arm, pull, tug, ply, ply the oar, tug at the oar, do the work, take the laboring oar bestir oneself (be active), take trouble, trouble oneself, work hard, rough it, put forth one's strength, put forth a strong arm, fall to work, bend the bow, buckle to, set one's shoulder to the wheel, work like a horse, work like a cart horse, work like a galley slave, work like a coal heaver, labor day and night, work day and night, redouble one's efforts, do double duty, work double hours, work double tides, sit up, burn the candle at both ends, stick to, work one's way, fight one's way, lay about one, hammer at, take pains, do one's best, do one's level best, do one's utmost, give one hundred percent, do the best one can, do all one can, do all in one's power, do as much as in one lies, do what lies in one's power, use one's best endeavor, use one's utmost endeavor, try one's best, try one's utmost, play one's best card, put one's best leg foremost, put one's right leg foremost, have one's whole soul in his work, put all one's strength into, strain every nerve, spare no efforts, spare no pains, go all lengths, go through fire and water, move heaven and earth, leave no stone unturned.Agent
N doer, actor, agent, performer, perpetrator, operator, executor, executrix, practitioner, worker, stager, bee, ant, working bee, termite, white ant, laboring oar, servant of all work, factotum, workman, artisan, craftsman, handicraftsman, mechanic, operative, working man, laboring man, demiurgus, hewers of wood and drawers of water, laborer, navvy, hand, man, day laborer, journeyman, charwoman, hack, mere tool, beast of burden, drudge, fag, lumper, roustabout, maker, artificer, artist, wright, manufacturer, architect, builder, mason, bricklayer, smith, forger, Vulcan, carpenter, ganger, platelayer, blacksmith, locksmith, sailmaker, wheelwright, machinist, mechanician, engineer, sempstress, semstress, seamstress, needlewoman, workwoman, tailor, cordwainer, minister, servant, representative, coworker, party to, participator in, particeps criminis, dramatis personae, personnel, quorum pars magna fui, faber est quisque fortunae suae.For further exploring for "fag" in Webster Dictionary Online
