• IPA: /ʃæɡ/

shag

1. Matted material; rough massed hair, fibres etc.
   • [1716], [John] Gay, “Book I. Of the Implements for Walking the Streets, and Signs of the Weather.”, in Trivia: Or, The Art of Walking the Streets of London, London: Printed for Bernard Lintott, […], OCLC 13598122 ↗, page 4 ↗:

     Nor ſhould it prove thy leſs important Care, / To chuſe a proper Coat for Winter's Wear. / [...] / True Witney Broad-cloath with it's Shag unſhorn, / Unpierc'd is in the laſting Tempeſt worn: [...]

2. Coarse shredded tobacco.
3. A type of rough carpet pile.
4. (UK, archaic) Bacon or fat, especially if with some remaining hair or bristles.
5. (UK, archaic) A roughly-cut or torn-off piece of bread or cheese.

• Italian: intreccio, viluppo, intrico
• Portuguese: guedelha, grenha

• French: tabac à rouler
• Italian: trinciato, tabacco grossolano
• Russian: махо́рка

• Italian: tappeto a pelo lungo e irregolare

shag (shags, present participle shagging; past and past participle shagged)

1. (transitive) To make hairy or shaggy; to roughen.
2. (intransitive, obsolete) To hang in shaggy clusters.

shag

1. (obsolete) Hairy; shaggy.
   • c. 1606–1623, William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act IV, Scene II:

     Son. Thou liest, thou shag-hair'd villain!

shag (plural shags)

1. Several species of sea birds in the family Phalacrocoracidae (cormorant family), especially the common shag or European shag, Phalacrocorax aristotelis, found on European and African coasts.
   • 1941, Ernestine Hill, My Love Must Wait, A&R Classics 2013, p. 7:

     He ran back and picked up a dead bird that had fallen. It was not a duck but a shag.

• French: cormoran huppé
• German: Krähenscharbe
• Italian: marangone
• Portuguese: corvo-marinho
• Russian: бакла́н
• Spanish: cormorán, cormorán moñudo

shag (shags, present participle shagging; past and past participle shagged)

1. (intransitive) To shake, wiggle around.
2. (transitive, vulgar slang) To have sexual intercourse with.
3. (intransitive, vulgar slang) To have sexual intercourse.
4. (Indian, transitive, vulgar slang) To masturbate.
5. To chase after; especially, to chase after and return (a ball) hit usually out of play.
6. To perform the dance called the shag.

• (to shake) jiggle, rock, tremble, wobble; see also Thesaurus:shake
• (have sexual intercourse) bonk, go to bed with, sleep with; see also Thesaurus:copulate with
• (to have sexual intercourse) do it, get it on, have sex; see also Thesaurus:copulate
• (to masturbate) get it on, have sex; see also Thesaurus:masturbate

• Italian: dimenarsi, agitarsi
• Portuguese: agitar
• Russian: меша́ть

• French: sauter, baiser
• German: bumsen
• Italian: scopare, chiavare
• Portuguese: comer
• Russian: тра́хать
• Spanish: joder

• Italian: pedinare, seguire, stare alle calcagna
• Russian: гоня́ться

shag (plural shags)

1. A swing dance.
2. (slang) An act of sexual intercourse.
   • 2007, Julie Andrews, "Roman Must Die", in The Leonard Variations: Clarion 2007 San Diego, ISBN 9787774574500, page 10 ↗:

     They were in the midst of an intense snog, his tongue down her throat as he tried to work out if he wanted another shag before she left for the night, when an odd noise sounded from behind the door of 2B.

   • 2010, Clara Darling, Hot City Nights, St. Martin's Press (2010), ISBN 9780312536954, page 107 ↗:

     “And feel free to come over anytime you'd like a drink and a shag. […]

   • 2011, Josephine Myles, Barging In, Samhain Publishing, Ltd. (2011), ISBN 9781609285920, page 24 ↗:

     He could say yes, then just quietly leave the area without ever seeing the man again. He could even get a shag out of Charles first.

3. (slang) A casual sexual partner.
   • 2003, Freya North, Pip, Harper (2003), ISBN 9780007462254, unnumbered page ↗:

     'It turned out that it was me who was just a shag to him. He had a girlfriend I didn't know about. He presumed I was up for some no-strings action. And the thing is, I thought I was – in theory. But in practice, I realized that I wasn't.'

   • 2008, Bruce Cooke, Trace Elements, Eternal Press (2008), ISBN 9781897559369, page 56 ↗:

     "Was I just another shag to you, Trace? Someone to bed when the offer came?"

   • 2011, Wes Lee, "Saul", in The Sleepers Almanac, No. 7 (eds. Zoe Dattner & Louise Swinn), Sleepers Publishing (2011), ISBN 9781742702995, page 135 ↗:

     'Your favourite shag?' I ask her.

     'Martin Kershen.'

     'He was a sexy beast.'

• (act of sexual intercourse) see also Thesaurus:copulation
• (casual sexual partner) see also Thesaurus:casual sexual partner.

• Russian: шэг

• French: baise
• Italian: scopata
• Portuguese: foda
• Russian: тра́ханье
• Spanish: polvo

• Italian: compagno
• Portuguese: foda
• Russian: тра́халь
• Spanish: polvo

shag (plural shags)

1. (Canada, Northwestern Ontario) A fundraising dance in honour of a couple engaged to be married.

• stag and doe, stag and doe party (Canada)
• social, wedding social (Canada)

shag (plural shags)

1. (West Country) Friend; mate; buddy.

• See Thesaurus:friend