Fag

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Fag

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

noun and verb

Pronunciation

FAG  /faɡ/

Definition

British informal noun: a cigarette. Also: a tiring or boring task. Historically in British boarding school slang, a junior pupil who performs menial tasks for a senior pupil. As a verb: to work hard until tired; to make someone tired with hard work.

Plain meaning

In British everyday English, a cigarette, or a tedious effort. The boarding-school sense is now historical. Note: in American slang, the word has an offensive and unrelated sense that should be avoided in international contexts.

Register

British informal. Common in everyday speech. Note carefully the offensive American sense that does not apply in British usage but matters in any cross-cultural context.