Green’s Dictionary of Slang

scag n.2

also skag
[ety. unknown; note Smitherman, Black Talk (1994): ‘low-grade heroin that has been diluted’]

1. bad liquor.

[US]M.H. Boulware Jive and Sl. n.p.: Skag ... Bad liquor.

2. (drugs) heroin.

[US]G. Scott-Heron Vulture (1996) 52: I never touched the skag that the junkies were ridin’ on.
[US]Time 6 Apr. 46: I started getting high on scag at 14 or 15.
[US]R.D. Pharr S.R.O. (1998) 118: ‘You never used skag [...] You’ll never understand until after you’ve used it’.
[UK]New Musical Express 27 Aug. 25: Killing his pain with an obscene blend of cheeseburgers and scag.
[US]Grandmaster Melle Mel ‘Hustler’s Convention’ 🎵 I was snorting skag while other kids played tag.
[Ire]J. O’Connor Salesman 235: If yer gonna keep me here, y’ll have to get me some skag or some methadone.
[NZ]D. Looser ‘Boob Jargon’ in NZEJ 13 35: skag n. Heroin.
[UK]N. Griffiths Grits 57: A can teyk booze with-a skag, most carnt.
[US]ONDCP Street Terms 19: Scag — Heroin.
[NZ]D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 167/2: skag n. heroin.
[UK]N. ‘Razor’ Smith Raiders 134: As soon as it was whispered that there was skag up for trade I had every junkie in the prison bringing me lumps of hash.
[UK]Sun. Times 19 Dec. 21/1: How are you off for skag, or heroin, this weekend.
[Scot]I. Welsh Dead Man’s Trousers [20]: — Skag: several kilos of uncut pharmaceutical heroin.
[US]N. Walker Cherry 208: I was pretty wasted on some fucking skag.

3. attrib. use of sense 2.

[US]N. von Hoffman We are the People Our Parents Warned Us Against 65: A mean, crazy-eyed New York scag-shooter.
[US]E. Torres Carlito’s Way 9: A skag high ain’t but good the first few times out, then you hooked.
[US]C. Hiaasen Tourist Season (1987) 57: An assortment of scag peddlers from Coconut Grove.
[Aus]P. Doyle (con. 1969-1973) Big Whatever 15: Negative conditioning [...] plus a Nam skag habit.

In derivatives

skagged (adj.)

intoxicated by heroin.

[Scot](con. 1980s) I. Welsh Skagboys 75: Ah goat a bit skagged up when it was aw gaun on [...] Ah banged up in the lavvy .
[US]T. Robinson Rough Trade [ebook] ‘He’s playing [...] tonight and we don’t need him skagged out’.
skaggy (adj.)

pertaining to heroin and/or its use.

[Scot](con. 1980s) I. Welsh Skagboys 262: He’s looking for cheap, seasonal labour, Marriott sais in his camp, skaggy whine.

In compounds

scag freak (n.)

a heroin addict.

[US]C. Hiaasen Star Island (2011) 58: The scrawny no-talent scag freak with rotted teeth.
scag hag (n.) (also skag hag)

1. one who enjoys associating with heroin addicts.

[UK]A. Attanasio Crow 🌐 You’re not going to kill yourself for a scag hag and an old drunk.

2. a female heroin addict.

[UK]K. Sampson Powder 55: Skag-hags and jellyheads.
scaghead (n.) (also skaghead, skeghead) [-head sfx (4)]

a heroin addict; also attrib.

J. Walker ‘Rev. of the Biography of Nick Cave’ in Addicted to Noise 🌐 Cave and company respond with some of the grimiest, most cacophonous rock and roll ever recorded, from the all-time scaghead death-trip classic Junkyard.
[UK]Guardian 17 Nov. 11/1-4: ‘To many people he’s just a skeghead [...] Nobody wants to be seen with youn except other skegheads’.
[US]Mr Ti2bs ‘Breakdown’ 🎵 I could never be a scaghead, I’ve got a clean spirit.
[UK]N. ‘Razor’ Smith Raiders 134: Serious skagheads [...] looking to buy a bit of tackle.
[UK]Sun. Times 19 Dec. 21/3: We should all welcome the opportunity to have scagheads living next door.
scag jones (n.) [jones n.1 (1)]

(US drugs) a heroin addiction.

Probert Encyc. 🌐 Scag Jones is American slang for an addiction to heroin.
scag merchant (n.)

a heroin dealer.

[Scot]T. Black Gutted 228: Avoided the hails of skag merchants, yelling: ‘You sorted, pal?’.
scag town (n.)

(drugs) an area of a city or town where addicts live and heroin is easily available.

[US]Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk) 20 May 🌐 Neighborhood pride had eroded, hope was largely gone, and outsiders had assigned New Road a new name, ‘Scagtown’.
posting at MySpace.com 18 Apr. 🌐 Im a nigga from Exmore Scag Town dat smoke a lot of weed.

In phrases

scagged out (adj.) (also skagged out)

(drugs) addicted to heroin.

[US]Current Sl. V:2 12: Skagged out, adj. Very intoxicated (high) with drugs.
[Aus]Lette & Carey Puberty Blues 99: It wasn’t until much later that I realized he was scagged-out on heroin.
skaggy-bawed (adj.) [Scot. baw, to sleep]

(Scot.) comatose or impotent as a result of taking heroin.

[Scot]I. Welsh Trainspotting 13: Ah’m a bit too skaggy-bawed tae fuck.
[Scot](con. 1980s) I. Welsh Skagboys 223: [She’s]gantin oan it, but ah’m too skaggy-bawed tae ride her.