wag
wag1 / wag/ • v. (wagged, wag·ging) (with reference to an animal's tail) move or cause to move rapidly to and fro: [intr.] his tail began to wag | [tr.] the dog went out, wagging its tail. ∎ [tr.] move (an upward-pointing finger) from side to side to signify a warning or reprimand: she wagged a finger at Elinor. ∎ [intr.] (used of a tongue, jaw, or chin, as representing a person) talk, esp. in order to gossip or spread rumors: this is a small island, and tongues are beginning to wag.• n. a single rapid movement from side to side: a chirpy wag of the head.PHRASES: how the world wags dated how affairs are going or being conducted.the tail wags the dogsee tail1 .wag2 • n. dated a person who makes facetious jokes.
wag
wag1 tr. †stir, move XIII; sway from side to side XIV; intr. †brandish, wave XIII; move to and fro XIV. ME. waggen, iterative formation on OE. wagian totter, sway), ME. waʒe, waw(e) = MLG., MDu. wagen, OHG. wagōn, ON. vaga.
So waggle XV; see -LE3 and cf. (M)LG., Du. waggelen stagger, totter, which may be the immed. source.
So waggle XV; see -LE3 and cf. (M)LG., Du. waggelen stagger, totter, which may be the immed. source.
wag
wag2 mischievous boy, youth, chap; habitual joker. XVI. prob. shortening of †waghalter (vars. †wagstring, †wagwith) one who is likely to swing in the hangman's noose, gallows-bird XVI; see prec., HALTER.
Hence waggery, waggish XVI.
Hence waggery, waggish XVI.
WAG
More From encyclopedia.com
side-necked turtle , side-necked turtles See PLEURODIRA. from side to side , side / sīd/ • n. 1. a position to the left or right of an object, place, or central point: a town on the other side of the river on either side of th… broadside , broad·side / ˈbrôdˌsīd/ • n. 1. a nearly simultaneous firing of all the guns from one side of a warship. ∎ fig. a strongly worded critical attack: br… Flank , flank / flangk/ • n. 1. the side of a person's or animal's body between the ribs and the hip: leaning against his horse's flanks. ∎ a cut of meat fro… Polygon , Polygons are closed plane figures bounded by three or more line segments. In the world of geometry, polygons abound. The term refers to a multisided… Trapezoid , A trapezoid, in plane geometry, is a four-sided, two-dimensional polygon with two parallel sides (bases) of unequal length. A polygon is any geometri…
You Might Also Like
NEARBY TERMS
wag