shag v.1
1. to have sexual intercourse; thus shag around, to lead a promiscuous sex-life.
 | implied at shagging n. (1) | |
| in Coltman Classical Sculpture and the Culture of Collecting 181: [...] with respect to shagging - [...] as for myself I stick as close to Radicati's Arse as a Bum Bailiff to Lord Deloraine's -- Italy for ever I say if the Italian Woman fuck as well in Italy as they do here, you must be happy indeed. | |
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | ‘The Great Plenipotentiary’ Collection of Songs (1788) 46: Each Sluice-cunted Bawd, who’d been shagged abroad, / Till her Premises gaped like a Grave, Sir. | |
| Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (3rd edn) n.p.: Shag, to copulate. | |
| Lex. Balatronicum. | |
| Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue. | |
| ‘Go For Go: or a Bit On The Sly’ Gentleman’s Spicey Songster 14: All of you that delight in a good smutty song [...] It’s of a sea captain, a frolicsome spark, / Who shagg’d the sailor’s wife all in the dark. | |
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | in Stories the Soldiers Wouldn’t Tell (1994) 139: Old Forney was down from Fort Snelling ... he expressed a wish to shag something. | |
| Cythera’s Hymnal in (1969) 378: A girl [...] Arm in arm with a fellow who’s had the mishap, / To forget, when he shagged her, to button his flap. | |
| My Secret Life (1966) II 235: For six years I had shagged all our servants under her very nose. | |
| Mint (1955) 79: He had taken a tart down the canal towpath, to shag her. | |
| in Ozark Folksongs and Folklore (1992) I 369: (also shag it up) Shag an’ shag an’ a shaggin’ away, / Got to get a little shaggin’ every day. | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | ‘Five o’clock in the Morning’ in Mess Songs & Rhymes of the RAAF 34: The moral of all this trouble and strife, / Is never to shag another man’s wife. | |
| letter 19 June in Leader (2000) 73: Rita Hayworth (who is the most letch-er-rous lay-dih I have ever seen, and whom I should like to shagalot). | |
| ‘One-Eyed Riley’ in Banglestien’s Bar n.p.: Why not shag old Riley’s daughter. | |
| diary 13 Nov. in Eight Bells & Top Masts (2001) 179: They’re Chinese. They shag anything that moves or even if it used to . | |
| Beat Generation 57: They’re too chicken themselves to willingly shag with anybody but their husbands. | |
| Saved Scene x: I ain’ scuttlin’ off juss t’ make room for you t’ shag in. | |
| Too Many Crooks Spoil the Caper 148: Sam was still in the bathroom doing whatever it is that girls do when they’ve been shagged rotten all night. | |
| Flame: a Life on the Game 67: He was in the middle of shagging me when she came in. | |
| Yardie 17: Young boys are only interested in shegging as many girls as possible. | |
| Sopranos 318: I seriously copped off with the bouncer, shagged him and I really regret it. | |
| Sopranos 53: The Sopranos [...] scrawled signs, pressing them against the rear window [...] Shag us! | |
| Guardian Guide 8–14 Jan. 63: A stereotypical detective who shags around. | |
| Rubdown [ebook] I would [...] shag myself silly with a succession of well built toy-boys. | |
| Londonstani (2007) 19: If yous lot wanna see proper fitness you shoulda seen dis bitch I shagged last weekend. | |
![[Scot]](/static/img/flags/sco.png "Scotland") | All the Colours 221: Gillies was shagging a prisoner’s wife and a UVF nutting squad beat him to death. | |
| Life 56: Either he’s pissed himself or he’s just been [...] shagging Mrs Montjoy, who was the art mistress. | |
| Thrill City [ebook] You never let on he was hot. Gonna shag him? | |
| Pigeon English 64: If she wears a bracelet on her ankle she’s a lesbian (shags it up with other ladies). | |
| Decent Ride 7: That’s the burd yir gaunny be shagging exclusively the rest ay yir life. | |
| Scrublands [ebook] ‘You shagging her now, are you?’. | |
| Young Team 11: They don’t teach yi [...] how tae shag, or drink or fight. | |
| Squeeze Me 143: ‘She’s shagging one of her Secret Service guys’. | |
| Opal Country 400: ‘But does he think to tell me, the woman he’s shagging?’. | |
| Empty Wigs (t/s) 117: He’d be shagging virgins with Lal Lal, winner of a deathtime achievement award at the BBC’s Martyrdom Personality of the Year Awards. |
2. used as a semi-euph. for fuck v. in various non-copulatory uses.
![[Ire]](/static/img/flags/ire.png "Ireland") | (con. 1880–90s) I Knock at the Door 81: Oh, shag the kid! said Michael, he’ll have to learn about these things some day. | |
| letter 11 Aug. in Leader (2000) 399: Changing it would be a chore and shag up the metre. | |
| (con. 1940s) Borstal Boy 84: Just shag off, you Killarney bastard. | |
| Goodbye to The Hill (1966) 36: I thought shag the paper round and the oul’ one in the shop and shag everybody else too. | |
| All Looks Yellow to the Jaundiced Eye 64: She shagged off with another bloke. | |
| A Life (1981) Act II: The bit of me that’s not yours at all: that likes to [...] say ‘Shag it’ and be what you call common. | |
| Out After Dark 3: Shag that for a lark. | |
| Smokey Hollow 156: Oh well, shag him. | |
| Breakfast on Pluto 32: Shag the fucking cost! |
3. to masturbate.
| DSUE (8th edn) 1040/1: certainly ca. 1900 and prob. many years earlier. |
4. to assault, to beat up.
| Teen-Age Mafia 134: He couldn’t tell whether or not Tavo and Andres were the guys who’d shagged him. | |
| Storms of Summer 92: I know the ground round here . . . there’s a bloody great reef that will shag a net to hell. |
5. to cheat.
| Layer Cake 17: I don’t wanna shag you or anything, son, I just want us to do the business. |
In derivatives
one’s sex appeal.
| Roger’s Profanisaurus in Viz 87 Dec. n.p.: shagability n. A measurement of how shaggable a person is. |
sexy, lit. (potentially) available for seduction; note mis-defined as a n. in cit. 2001.
| Roger’s Profanisaurus in Viz 87 Dec. n.p.: shagability n. A measurement of how shaggable a person is. | |
| Filth 37: Some shaggable wee student birds are making a fuss of this stinking bundle of rags. | |
| Skins ser.1 ep.3 [TV script] You play clarinet and I look shaggable . | |
| (con. 1980s) Skagboys 53: She gies off that aloof vibe that a lot ay shggable rides dae. |
extremely sexually alluring.
| Observer 27 Feb. 29: Maybe they’d swing behind the shagtastic Tory. |
In compounds
keen on sexual intercourse.
| Glue 35: Ye kin tell [...] that they wee cunts are as shag-happy as fuck. |
1. a general pej. name for any unpopular man.
| Chicago Trib. 17 Apr. 2/7: The CurlyHeaded Doctor, Shag-Nasty Jim, and others of the [Indian] Chiefs. | |
| Bismarck Trib. (ND) 10 Aug. 4/3: Shagnasty John, the harmless crank who pretends to edit a sickly, half-fed little sheet of paper called the Chamberlain register. | |
| Jacksonian (Cimarron, KS) 9 Dec. 1/5: Old Shagnasty has been making faces at The Jacksonian man ever since he struck town [...] It’s strange too, for we’re trying our best to please the weak-minded old critter. | |
| Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 29 Dec. 6/1: It was Fred Hans who went Into the Hole in the Wall after Shacknasty Jim and his outlaw band and killed the leader and two of his companions . | |
| Tucumcari News & Times (NM) 19 Apr. 2/4: Dr Cook is a liar [...] the testimony of Hawknose Johnnie and Shag-nasty Charlie to the contrary. | |
| Eve. Star (Boulder, WA) 13 Dec. 1/4: ‘Look at ’im, there, twiddlin' his fingers at us from the end of his nose! Ain’t he a shagnasty, though!’. | |
| Commonwealth (Scotland Neck, NC) 7 May 3/3: Chargé d’Afaires ‘Ole Shag-nasty’ has slipped into oblivion. | |
| Kingsport Times (TN) 10 July 3/1: The cast of characters is as follows: [...] Rev. Shag Nasty. | |
| Akron Beacon Jrnl (OH) 13 Feb. 6/4: The barbers classify such as you as the ‘shag-nasty’ boys. | |
| Terre Haute Trib. (IN) 8 Mar. 6/2: You’ve got Shagnasty right over a barrel. | |
| Don’t Point That Thing at Me (1991) 102: He was [...] known to one and all as ‘Shagnasty’. | |
| ‘Oh Mr Peanut’ 🎵 Oh Mr Shagnasty, a bit of give-and-take. | |
| (con. 1880) Reno Gaz.-Jrnl (NV) 29 Jan. 42/1: He made enemies, one of whom was Joe Bonati — ‘Shag-nasty Joe’ [...] top gun in Candelaria. | |
| Springfield News-Leader (MO) 20 July 4/4: Maybe these naughty massage business owners/shag-nasties are plain smarter than our [...] law enforcement officials. | |
| News-Press (For Myers, FL) 22 Oct. 18/1: Shag Nasty stands out in any checkout line [...] the bearded guy [...] demanding to see the manager. | |
| Palm Beach Post (FL) 13 Apr. 12/2: He was forced to sell his last tractor-trailer truck [...] with the words ‘Shagnasty’ painted on each side. |
2. (N.Z.) used affectionately.
| Dly Jrnl (Franklin, IN) 28 July 13/7: [advert] For Sale: Called Old Shag Nasty — 1966 Chevrolet Step Van Camper [...] $500 cash. | |
![[NZ]](/static/img/flags/nz.png "New Zealand") | Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 98/2: shag-nasty affectionate male salutation suggestive of active heterosexuality; originally US and Brit. slang in 1900s for unpopular man or a rascal; eg ‘G’day, shagnasty, feel like a beer?’. | |
| Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. [as cit. 1988]. |
3. (Aus.) something unpleasant.
| Sydney Morn. Herald 2 May 66/2: While a brewer will agonise over the quality of his water, hops and malted barley [...] the worst enemies are ‘lactic infections and other shag-nasties’. |
In phrases
1. to work hard, to move fast, to expend effort and energy.
| (con. 1940s) Do Not Go Gentle (1962) 181: When we open up, you people shag ass. | |
| (con. 1964–8) Cold Six Thousand 208: Hank whistled. Guy hit his horn. The troops shagged ass up. |
2. (also shag one’s ass) to depart or leave hurriedly.
| (con. 1943) Big War 159: You think you’re going to shag-ass out of this detail. Well, you got another thought. | |
| Numbers (1968) 219: ‘Shag ass, man!’ the muscular young man tells him gruffly. | |
| Queens’ Vernacular 112: I have to shag ass if I’m going to be on time. | |
| Dead Zone (1980) 378: We just got time for a coffee if we shag ass down to that resrunt [sic] on the corner. | |
| About Face (1991) 77: I shagged ass and caught up with the rear of my platoon. | |
| (con. 1964–8) Cold Six Thousand 398: Chuck diced his folks. Chuck stole their car. Chuck shagged his ass here. |
fed up, infuriated.
| If... 28 Apr. in If Files (1997) 144: I’m shagged off with battlebuses and being headless! | |
| Quizzical Corpse 175: [You’re] lucky I’m not putting the police onto you but I’m shagged off with them. |
1. exhausted.
| Wide Boys Never Work (1938) 196: Mick came in and flopped onto the bed. ‘Oooh, Gawd! I’m shagged.’. | |
| letter 11 Apr. in Thwaite Sel. Letters (1992) 99: An assistant has been appointed to me [...] I get rather shagged, doing everything myself. | |
| letter 19 June in Leader (2000) 73: I felt ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE yesterday and the day before, shegged 8, and it wasn’t improved by a pock on Monday afternoon. | |
| ‘Prisoner and Escort’ in Cockade (1965) I ii: Shagged? Want to get your head down. | |
| Norman’s London 87: These geezers [...] attract the now shagged-out bull’s attention by shouting a volley of abuse at him. | |
| (con. WWII) Soldier Erect 73: We were often so shagged by the end of the day that we could barely stagger back to camp. | |
| ‘Upstairs, Downstairs’ Steptoe and Son [TV script] I’m shagged out when I get home as it is. | |
| Traveller’s Tool 66: Even if I’m shagged out I’m sometimes that randy I could root a rat on a chain. | |
| Van (1998) 475: By the end of the day the two lads were shagged but they’d done a great job. | |
| Fatty 50: [S]ometimes he’d get [...] really shagged out. He’d come up to me on the field and say, ‘That’s it, Fatty, I’m stuffed. I can’t go on’. | |
| ‘Prufrock Scoused’ Catching Up with Hist. 22: The arvo, the evenin avin a birrova kip / jerked off if ther jammy or praps shagged out. | |
| (con. 1944) Prince Charming 50: You see a shagged-out man. On the nest at breakfast, lunch time, tea time. Whip it in, whip it out, wipe it, whip it in again. | |
| Dead Long Enough 97: Poor Hugh, my little, latecome boy, whose daddy is always shagged. | |
| Akron Beacon Jrnl (OH) 25 July E3/3: Dr Evil (Mike Myers) travels back in time to the 1960sand steals Powers’ (Myers) ‘mojo,’ leaving him all shagged out. | |
| Adventures of the Honey Badger [ebook] We arrived at Exmouth fairly shagged. | |
| Empty Wigs (t/s) 153: We were as usual shagged from the night’s exertions. |
2. broken, out of order.
| letter 24 Dec. in Leader (2000) 26: Is your copy shagged? | |
| letter 2 Dec. in Leader (2000) 102: I am not printing these words because the ribbon on my printer is all 2 cock and shagged 8. | |
| Time Was (1981) Act I: Is me face cut? [...] If me good looks went I’d be shagged. |
1. to exhaust.
| letter 14 April in Thwaite Sel. Letters (1992) 239: Hull has shagged me out at the moment, partly through work. |
2. to eject.
| in Law Unto Themselves 244: Father Coughlin who hadn’t yet begun to shag out the money-changers. |
In exclamations
(N.Z.) an excl. of astonishment and/or resignation; a semi-euph. for fuck me! excl.
| Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 98/1: shag me! expression of astonishment and/or resignation; eg ‘You say she left the country! No warning. Just like that? Well, shag me!’. | |
| Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. [as cit. 1988]. |