fag
/fæɡ/ (bre, ipa) · [fˈæɡ] /fæɡ/ (ame, ipa) · [fˈæɡ] /ˈfag How to pronounce fag (audio)/ (ame, mw)
fag — noun
- fagsingular
- fagsplural
1. a cigarette, especially as referred to in informal British English.
a cigarette, especially as referred to in informal British English.
Outside the pub, Christopher asked his friend for a fag and a light.
British informal: fag = cigarette
Nadia crushed her last fag before walking back into the office.
The old photo shows Pedro holding a fag beside the football ground.
At the station, Sahil bought a sandwich and a fag for later.
用法筆記
Chiefly British and informal. In most neutral contexts, learners should use 'cigarette' instead.
2. a hateful slur aimed at a man because he is gay.
a hateful slur aimed at a man because he is gay.
The boys shouted fag at him as he crossed the school yard.
reported insult aimed at a gay man
A stranger called Cole a fag on the late train home.
The coach lost his job after calling a player a fag.
Lan reported the message because it called her brother a fag.
用法筆記
Extremely offensive. Use this word only when reporting abuse, discussing slurs, or explaining why the language is harmful.
常見錯誤
3. a job, piece of study, or other activity that feels dull and leaves you tired.
a job, piece of study, or other activity that feels dull and leaves you tired.
Filing three years of receipts turned into a real fag.
informal noun for a dull, tiring task
Cleaning the hall after the party was such a fag.
For Nora, memorising every date in the chart felt like a fag.
Sorting wet laundry by hand is a fag on winter evenings.
用法筆記
Mostly British informal English. It usually comments on how tedious and tiring the task feels.
4. in older British private-school life, a younger boy assigned to run errands and
in older British private-school life, a younger boy assigned to run errands and other small duties for an older pupil.
At the old school, new boys worked as a fag for older pupils.
historical British school role
The headmaster ended the fag system after parents complained.
fixed phrase: fag system
As a fag, Christopher carried books and cleaned muddy boots.
The novel shows a shy fag serving tea in the dormitory.
- servant
general word; this sense is narrower and tied to school life
- errand boy
focuses on the jobs done, not the school hierarchy
- junior helper
plain descriptive phrase without the historical school background
用法筆記
Historical British school term, especially in older memoirs and novels. Distinguish from sense 3: this sense names the junior helper, not the work.
fag — verb
- fagpresent simple I / you / we / they
- fags3rd person singular
- fagging-ing form
- faggedpast simple
1. to act as a junior helper in an older British school system, running errands for
to act as a junior helper in an older British school system, running errands for a senior pupil.
At fourteen, Sahil fagged for an older boy in the dormitory.
pattern: fag for + older boy
Before class, the new pupil fagged for the team captain.
In the memoir, Pedro fagged for a prefect during his first term.
The school once expected younger boys to fag for seniors.
- serve
broad verb; this sense is restricted to the school role
- run errands
describes the jobs without the social hierarchy
- wait on
suggests serving someone directly, often more personal
文法句型
fag for someone
用法筆記
Historical British school use. The verb is usually followed by 'for' plus the older boy receiving the help.
2. to keep doing tiring work for a long time with a lot of effort.
to keep doing tiring work for a long time with a lot of effort.
Salma fagged all weekend to finish the market report on time.
informal verb for sustained hard work
We fagged through the night before the science fair opened.
Isabela fagged for hours in the kitchen before lunch.
The workers fagged from dawn until rain stopped the harvest.
文法句型
fag all day
fag to finish something
用法筆記
Subject does the hard work in this sense. Distinguish from sense 3, where the work or strain makes someone tired.
3. to make someone extremely tired by forcing them through hard physical effort or
to make someone extremely tired by forcing them through hard physical effort or heavy strain.
The steep climb fagged the children before they reached the lake.
transitive: hard activity makes someone very tired
Two extra shifts fagged Nora so badly that she slept at noon.
The long rehearsal fagged the band before the evening concert.
Carrying wet boxes upstairs fagged me for the rest of the day.
- refresh
make someone feel energetic again
文法句型
something fagged someone
用法筆記
Usually takes an activity or period of strain as subject and a person as object. Distinguish from sense 2: here something tires you out.