Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. rubbish, nonsense; also adj.

1538		J. Bale Comedye Concernyng Three Lawes (1550) Jii: send.: I wolde thy Gospell, and thou, were both nowe in hell. evang.: Why and shall this baggage, put by the worde of God. pseud.: Thou wylt not be answered, tyl thou fele a sharper rod.
1545		R. Ascham Toxophilus (1761) I 109: A boke [...] wherein he weaveth up many broken ended matters, and settes oute much riff-raffe, pelfery, trumpery, baggage, and beggerie ware.
1567		J. Knox Hist. of Reformation in Laing Works (1846) I 191: Pilgremage, pardonis, and otheris sic baggage .
1576		G. Gascoigne Steele Glas Hiiii: When brewers put, no bagage in their beere [...] Where vintners mix, no water with their wine.
1583		P. Stubbes Anatomie of Abuses 59: Most of them feed upon [...] Hearbes, Weedes, and suche other baggage.
1593		G. Harvey Pierce’s Supererogation 63: I [...] will definitiuely pronounce him, the very Baggage of new writers.
1603		H. Crosse Vertues Common-wealth n.p.: The very scum, rascallitie, and baggage of the people, theeues, cut-purses, shifters, cousoners.
1640		J. Dyke Worthy Communicant 203: Thistles, nettles and such like baggage trash [F&H].
1692		J. Hacket Memorial of John Williams II 128: Books he filcht what he would; For four Cellars of Wine, Syder, Ale, beer, with Wood, Hay, Corn, and the like [...] he gave not an account of Six-pence, but spent it upon Baggage, and loose Franions.
1757		Smollett Reprisal I viii: I’m a soldier, and never burden my brain with unnecessary baggage.

2. a worthless man; also adj.

1572		Treasons against Q. Elizabeth n.p.: [A] namelesse baggage fellow, that for flatterie or briberie runneth before the Magistrates, accusing, belying, and defaming them.
1594		R. Carew (trans.) Huarte’s Examination of Men’s Wits 209: They might soundly sleepe on his eyes, although by nature he were a baggage.
1622		J. Mabbe (trans.) Life of Guzman Pt II Bk III 243: Less harme it were a great deale, that a few, and those baggage-people, should not be rich.
1675		Head Nugae Venales 24: As two Doctors were walking, an unhappy Baggage emptied a Chamber-pot by chance on their heads.
1934		C. Stead Seven Poor Men of Sydney 116: God bless me, he’s a useless baggage.
1990		Beano Comic Library No. 190 59: Silly old baggage!

3. a woman, esp. one considered immoral or sexually autonomous [the image of woman as a man’s burden or encumbrance; the initial use is often synon. with a camp-follower (a woman who follows the military) but by 17C is more commonly found as a comb., e.g. a saucy baggage, a sly baggage, and as such is relatively affectionate; however, there may also be links to Fr. bagasse, a prostitute, a wanton].

1576		T. Twyne The Schoolemaster n.p.: Cato [...] married a very baggage of a meane parentage, yet was she a shrew and a whore, and that more strange is, proud and saucy to her Lord and husband.
c.1580		‘I.T.’ Grim The Collier of Croydon III i: Away you Baggage, hold your peace you Wretch.
1594		Lyly Mother Bombie V iii: The baggage begins to blush.
1604		Dekker Honest Whore Pt 1 III iii: Thou wert honest at flue, and now th’art a Puncke at fifteene: thou wert yesterday a simple whore, and now th’art a cunning Conny-catching Baggage to day.
1613		Middleton Chaste Maid in Cheapside II ii: A politic baggage, she makes us swear to keep it.
1635		T. Cranley (prisoner) Amanda or the Reformed Whore 42: A Bridewell baggage, that deserves the lash.
1640		T. Heywood Love’s Mistress I i: A young green-sickness baggage.
1654		E. Gayton Pleasant Notes I viii 61: No doubt the baggages in the coach were his sisters.
1664		C. Cotton Virgil Travestie (1765) Bk IV 87: This Baggage that still took a pride to / Slander and backbite poor Queen Dido.
1672		Wycherley Love in a Wood II i: Yes, she’s one of your brisk silly Baggages.
1677		Behn Rover III iii: A Rape! Come, come, you lye, you Baggage, you lye.
1678		Scourge for Poor Robin 7: He meets with some little Town-baggage who picks his Pocket, and in requital bestows upon him a swinging Clap.
1686		Behn Lucky Chance III i: The baggage was damnably in love with a young fellow they call Bellmour.
1695		Congreve Love for Love V i: Odd, you’re cunning, a wary baggage.
1700		M. Pix Beau Defeated II i: The Baggage is loose as the wanton Winds, yet she is Witty beyond her Sex.
1705–07		N. Ward Hudibras Redivivus II:3 19: Next came a Pack of mincing Jades, / Attending as her Grace’s Maids / Of Honour, tho’ alas! the Title / Avail’d the Baggages but little.
1714		T. Lucas Lives of the Gamesters (1930) 151: She, being a cunning baggage [...] persisted still that it was done by witchcraft.
1722		S. Centlivre Artifice Act IV: O, you are a tempting Baggage.
1731		C. Coffey Devil to Pay I i: Why, you most pestilent Baggage, will you be hoop’d?
1741		Richardson Memoirs of the Life of Lady H 38: Son, the impudent Baggage will not go.
1751		Smollett Peregrine Pickle (1964) 354: She was a pert baggage, and did not deserve a liard.
1758		A. Murphy Upholsterer I i: Stark-staring mad in Love with a Couple of Baggages not worth a Groat.
1766		O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield (1883) 222: Tell them they are two arrant little baggages.
1775		Sheridan Rivals (1776) II ii: Ah, then, you baggage! I’ll make it a truth presently.
1787		R. Tyler Contrast V ii: Oh! how I loved the little baggage!
1797		M. Robinson Walsingham II 279: O! grand creatures! [...] fine jades! wonderful baggages!
1812		Spirit of Irish Wit 110: ‘They [i.e. nut shells] are all empty, you baggages’.
1815		D. Humphreys Yankey in England 51: new.: I must go with the baggage. mrs. n.: With the baggage!
1821		W. Combe Doctor Syntax, Wife (1868) 267/1: Men the marriage state deride / Some folly of their own to hide, / When in a wife they have miscarried; / And some low, vulgar baggage married.
1838		N.T.H. Bayly Spitalfields Weaver I ii: Don’t accuse your wife until you know she’s a baggage.
1840		‘How to Win Her’ in Facetious Songster in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) III 261: The baggage will think herself really divine, / And scorn you sure as a gun.
1842		S. Lover Handy Andy 145: ‘Come here! you baggage!’ he cried to Augusta.
1851		R.S. Surtees Young Tom Hall (1926) 313: What the deuce did you bring that nasty old baggage here for?
1856		M. Griffith Autobiog. of a Female Slave 324: I had observed her during the day as a garrulous, racketty sort of baggage.
1863		A. Smith Dreamthorp 12: And Beauty, who is something of a coquette [...] goes off in a huff. Let the baggage go!
1870		E. Greey Queen’s Sailors III 279: Here is a generous heart wot will be chucked away on some good-for-nothing baggage as soon as he lands.
1885		Southern Reporter (Selkirk) 25 June 4/4: Then he saw a white hand [...] thrown back over the arm of a chair. ‘A woman! The impertinent baggage!’.
1887		Bulletin (Sydney) 15 Oct. 8/1: It isn’t so much the glass or two of drink, but the nasty, good-for-nothing baggages who serve them, me dear.
1898		W. Pett Ridge Mord Em’ly 260: None of your listenin’ through the key-’ole [...] you inquisitive ole baggage, you.
1904		B.L. Farjeon Amblers 39: Go to, you saucy baggage!
1910		H.G. Wells Hist. of Mr Polly (1946) 61: She mucked up my mushroom bed, the baggage!
1923		H.C. Witwer Fighting Blood 51: Them shameless young baggages from the school, with their short skirts and boys’ haircuts.
1929		K.S. Prichard Coonardoo 48: I thought you’d be glad to get the baggage off your hands.
1930		N. Lindsay Redheap (1965) 71: ‘Sells liquor o’ the sawbeth’ ‘The daughter’s a baggage’.
1935		R.T. Hopkins Life and Death at the Old Bailey 231: A pert cockney baggage with a cold sparkle in her eyes.
1941		E. Knight Lassie Come-Home 69: You’re an impertinent baggage.
1950		A.L. Cherrill Story of a N.Z. Sheep Farm 207: That girl’s no better than a baggage!
1966		A. Harrington Secret Swinger 162: A little teaser, she was. I said: ‘Look here, you baggage, either come home with me or have done.’.
1966		T. Keyes All Night Stand 142: Baggages, hoydens, kittens, minxes, colleens.
1977		P. O’Farrell Bk of Irish Farmers’ Jokes 9: ‘Excuse me sir,’ said an official to the farmer, ‘you must have your baggage disinfected.’ ‘The cheek of you, you impudent pup,’ said the farmer. ‘My wife has no diseases.’.
1996		J. Baker Death Minus Zero (1998) 42: You wanna go round screwing some little baggage you just happened to run into, that’s fine.
2005		H. Mantel Beyond Black 247: ‘Don’t play the innocent wiv me,’ he said. ‘You evil baggage.’.

4. a woman due to be sent to South America in the white slave trade.

1928		A. Londres Road to Buenos Ayres in DU ‘Baggage’ means women, in the phrase of the men of the Centre.
1934		in Hendrik de Leeuw Cities of Sin in DU.
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak.

5. (US gay) the male genitals.

1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular.
1989–2003		R.O. Scott Gay Sl. Dict. 🌐.

6. (US) one who watches a gambling game and advises the players but does not participate.

1989

J. Morton Lowspeak.