What Is Swag?

Wondrous Words Wednesday

In my house, we debate things like the merit of Romeo as a character and whether or not it’s okay to answer “well” when someone asks “How are you?”

Yeah, we’re kind of nerdy like that.

Last week, we used our nerdiness to tackle a word that epitomizes cool: Swag

Los Angles Graffiti Art Photo Credit: A Syn via flickr CC-BY-SA
Los Angles Graffiti Art Photo Credit: A Syn via flickr CC-BY-SA

My 11-year-old said his friend told him swag means stolen loot. I thought the term came from a window fixture. My teens said it means something  “cool”.

Turns out we were all right!

To find more nerdy wordy discussion, join in Kathy’s Wondrous Words Wednesday meme. Bloggers share new words they’ve discovered in reading, or they highlight some favorites.

Swag \’swag\ origin uncertain; similar to Norwegian svagga to sway, rock; also like Middle Low German swacken to rock

I would have never guessed swag originally was associated with swaying.  This simple word has a ton of meanings!

Intransitive Verb

  • To lurch or sway

Transitive verb

  • To adorn with swags; to arrange drapery in swags

Noun

  • Stolen property
  • A decoration hanging in a curve between two points
  • A depression in the earth
  • A pack of personal belongings; bedroll (Australia)
  • Merchandise given away at trade fairs and events

 

Photo Credit: Kyrre Gjerstad via flickr CC-BY
Photo Credit: Kyrre Gjerstad via flickr CC-BY

Adjective (origin, Hip Hop music)

  • Something cool, stylish, appealing
  • Anything worth doing, buying or eating

Swag has often been used as a name, including:

  • cigars manufactured by Boutique Blends Cigars
  • a 2002 album by former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke
  • a 1976 crime novel by Elmore Leonard
  • a 2014 album by former AKB48 member Tomomi Itano
  • a United Kingdom reality television series
  • the eleventh episode of the television series Ugly Betty

For a laugh, read The Old Person’s Guide to Swag at Gawker.com.

Word Nerd Workout

Use swag in a sentence. And try to talk about something more swag than curtains. Ha! There’s my example.

Don’t forget to visit Kathy’s site to learn more interesting words.

Thanks for getting nerdy with me today!

Julia

Julia Tomiak
I believe in the power of words to improve our lives, and I help people find interesting words to read. Member of SCBWI.

9 Comments

  1. I hadn’t really thought about swag coming from swagger — but I should have!

    And the swag I give away (and collect) at book events is DEFINITELY related to treasure, because all those bookmarks and pins and tote bags ARE treasure, aren’t they?

    As for window swags, yeah I knew that one back when I was buying window treatments for my house, but since I haven’t changed them in years, I forgot. :/ (Is it time to redecorate when your stuff’s been there so long you forget what it’s called?)

  2. Ha! We talk a lot about swag in our house and it always has to do with something cool someone else gave us; like upscale party favors 🙂

    1. There are multiple acronyms for SWAG, including yours, plus SourceWare Archive Group, Scientific Wild A** Guess, and Secretly We Are Gay. Thanks for pulling in the acronym piece. 😉

  3. “Sometimes the best thing about a conference is the loot in the swag bag.”

    I’m a sucker for free pens and notepads – the last college we visited had an information fair with tons of swag like that. I was in heaven! Dorky, I know.

  4. I love all your nerdiness, especially that of your children. I’m so glad neediness has become a good thing. Much different from when my children were the same age as yours. Thanks for all the fun meanings for swag. I only knew it as all the junk you collect at a conference.

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