handbag
n
1 (Also called)
bag, purse U.S. and Canadian
pocketbook chiefly U.S., a woman's small bag carried to contain personal articles
2 a small suitcase that can be carried by hand
3 a commercial style of House music ((for sense 3) C20: humorous allusion to the trend for groups of women to dance round their handbags in discos, nightclubs, etc.)
air bag
n a safety device in a car, consisting of a bag that inflates automatically in an accident and prevents the passengers from being thrown forwards
bag
n
1 a flexible container with an opening at one end
2 (Also called)
bagful the contents of or amount contained in such a container
3 any of various measures of quantity, such as a bag containing 1 hundredweight of coal
4 a piece of portable luggage
6 anything that hangs loosely, sags, or is shaped like a bag, such as a loose fold of skin under the eyes or the bulging part of a sail
7 any pouch or sac forming part of the body of an animal, esp. the udder of a cow
8 (Hunting) the quantity of quarry taken in a single hunting trip or by a single hunter
9 Derogatory slang an ugly or bad-tempered woman or girl (often in the phrase old bag)
10 Slang a measure of marijuana, heroin, etc., in folded paper
11 Slang a person's particular taste, field of skill, interest, activity, etc.
blues is his bag
12 ♦
bag and baggage
Informal
a with all one's belongings
13 ♦
a bag of bones a lean creature
14 ♦
in the bag
Slang almost assured of succeeding or being obtained
15 ♦
the (whole) bag of tricks
Informal every device; everything
vb , bags, bagging, bagged
17 to bulge or cause to bulge; swell
18 tr to capture or kill, as in hunting
19 tr to catch, seize, or steal
20 intr to hang loosely; sag
21 tr to achieve or accomplish
she bagged seven birdies
22 tr (Brit)
informal to reserve or secure the right to do or to have something
he bagged the best chair
23 tr (Austral)
slang to criticize; disparage
See also →
bags
(C13: probably from Old Norse baggi; related to Old French bague bundle, pack, Medieval Latin baga chest, sack, Flemish bagge)
bag lady
n a woman who is homeless and wanders city streets with all her possessions in shopping bags, (Also called (in full))
shopping bag lady
bag moth
n (N.Z.) a moth, the larvae of which develop in bags or cases
blue bag
n (in Britain)
1 a fabric bag for a barrister's robes
2 a small bag containing blueing for laundering
body bag
n (Military) a large heavy plastic bag used to contain and transport human remains, esp. those of battle casualties
carrier bag
n (Brit) a large paper or plastic bag for carrying shopping
coffee bag
n a small bag containing ground coffee beans, infused to make coffee
cool bag , box
n an insulated container used to keep food cool on picnics, to carry frozen food, etc.
dilly bag
n (Austral) a small bag, esp. one made of plaited grass, etc., often used for carrying food, (Sometimes shortened to)
dilly
(from native Australian dilly small bag or basket)
diplomatic bag
n a container or bag in which official mail is sent, free from customs inspection, to and from an embassy or consulate
ditty bag
n a sailor's cloth bag for personal belongings or tools. A box used for these purposes is termed a ditty box
(C19: perhaps from obsolete dutty calico, from Hindi dhoti loincloth, dhoti)
doggy bag
n a bag into which leftovers from a meal may be put and taken away, supposedly for the diner's dog
duffel bag
n a cylindrical drawstring canvas bag, originally used esp. by sailors for carrying personal articles
Gladstone bag
n a piece of hand luggage consisting of two equal-sized hinged compartments
(C19: named after W. E. Gladstone)
grab bag
n
1 a collection of miscellaneous things
2 (U.S., Canadian, and Austral) a bag or other container from which gifts are drawn at random
grow bag
n a plastic bag containing a sufficient amount of a sterile growing medium and nutrients to enable a plant, such as a tomato or pepper, to be grown to full size in it, usually for one season only
(C20: from Gro-bag, trademark for the first ones marketed)
ice bag
n
1 a waterproof bag used as an ice pack
2 a strong bag, usually made of canvas and equipped with two handles, used for carrying blocks of ice
jelly bag
n a muslin bag used to strain off the juice from the fruit in making jelly (the preserve)
Jiffy bag
n Trademark a thickly padded but light envelope in which articles such as books are placed for protection in the post
lavender bag
n a small fabric bag filled with dried lavender flowers and placed amongst clothes or linen to scent them
mixed bag
n
Informal something composed of diverse elements, characteristics, people, etc.
musette bag
n (U.S) an army officer's haversack
nunny bag
n (Canadian) a small sealskin haversack, used chiefly in Newfoundland
(C19 nunny, probably from Scottish dialect noony luncheon, from noon)
red bag
n (in Britain) a fabric bag for a barrister's robes, presented by a Queen's Counsel to a junior in appreciation of good work in a case
See also →
blue bag
sag bag
n another name for →
bean bag →
2
sea bag
n a canvas bag, closed by a line threaded through grommets at the top, used by a seaman for his belongings
shopping bag lady
n another name for →
bag lady
sleeping bag
n a large well-padded bag designed for sleeping in, esp. outdoors
sponge bag
n a small bag made of plastic, etc., that holds toilet articles, used esp. when travelling
sugar bag
n (Austral. and N.Z) a small hessian bag occasionally still used, esp. in rural areas, as a rough-and-ready measure for dry goods
survival bag
n a large plastic bag carried by climbers for use in an emergency as protection against exposure
tea bag
n a small bag of paper or cloth containing tea leaves, infused in boiling water to make tea
tote bag
n a large roomy handbag or shopping bag
tucker-bag , tuckerbox
n (Austral)
informal, old-fashioned a bag or box used for carrying food
vanity bag , case, box
n a woman's small bag or hand case used to carry cosmetics, etc.
water bag
n a bag, sometimes made of skin, leather, etc., but in Australia usually canvas, for holding, carrying, and keeping water cool