blagn.1
/blaɡ/, U.S. /blæɡ/ slang.
Robbery (with violence); theft.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > robbery > [noun]
reiflockOE
reiflOE
robberya1200
rapea1325
reaveryc1325
robbing1340
ravinc1384
stouthreif1493
ravenya1500
bribery1523
reft1552
pillardise1598
involationa1680
mail robbery1797
hustling1823
push1874
blag1885
rolling1895
strong-arming1948
1885 Session Paper 30 July 471 There has been another blag down round here.
1936 ‘J. Curtis’ Gilt Kid 22 I don't want to say ‘O.K.’ and then find out that I've let myself in for..doing a blag on the crown jewels.
1960 Observer 24 Jan. 5/1 The top screwing teams, the ones who went in for the really big blags, violent robberies.
Derivatives
blag v.1 to rob (with violence); to steal.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > robbery > rob [verb (transitive)] > seize by robbery
reaveOE
robc1325
blag1933
1933 C. E. Leach On Top of Underworld x. 137 Blag, snatch a watch chain right off.
1938 F. D. Sharpe Sharpe of Flying Squad i. 329 ‘Johnny blagged the till’—Johnny took the till.
ˈblagger n.1 one who blags.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > [noun] > by snatching
snatch-thief1887
blagger1938
1938 F. D. Sharpe Sharpe of Flying Squad i. 15 Blaggers, screwsmen, [etc.]..abound in the Underworld of London.
1945 J. Henry What Price Crime? 93 Another is known as the ‘blagger’ or ‘snatcher’. These are usually young louts who specialize in snatching ladies' handbags and bolting off.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1972; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
blagn.2
/blaɡ/, U.S. /blæɡ/ British slang.
An attempt to obtain or achieve something by persuasive talk or plausible deception; a tall story, a bluff or pretence; a hoax or con.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > trickery, playing jokes > [noun] > false tale
bam1728
bronze1817
canard1843
bluff1846
sleigh-ride1931
blag1962
1962 R. Cook Crust on its Uppers Foreword This is no blag, then, morrie.
1988 P. Chippindale & C. Horrie Disaster! iv. 69 Raising the £6.5 million..had been either a heroic achievement by selfless, dedicated humanitarians or the blag of the century.
1994 M. Ripley Angel City 84 The blag of going in to ask about a job at least gave me the option of hanging around inside and chatting up the manager.
2000 J. Goodwin Danny Boy iii. 51 There didn't seem to be any point in trying to continue the blag, so the three of us nodded mutely.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2002; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
blagv.2
/blaɡ/, U.S. /blæɡ/ British slang.
1. transitive. To obtain or achieve by persuasive talk or plausible deception; to bluff, to dupe or deceive by bluffing; to scrounge, esp. by clever or deceitful talk. Frequently in to blag one's way into (or out of): to talk one's way into (or out of).
ΚΠ
1934 P. Allingham Cheapjack xiv. 177 A man..had blagged money from me as easily as a gipsy from a newly-married woman.
1937 ‘J. Curtis’ You're in Racket, Too xxvi. 264 ‘Cash me a cheque, dopey.’..‘Yourn?’ ‘No. A steamer's. I blagged it out of him.’
1962 R. Cook Crust on its Uppers iii. 37 His temper..is murderous if he thinks we're trying to blag him.
1968 Listener 3 Oct. 445/2 This irrational philosophy is responsible..for blaguing a miserable public into living in unpleasant New Towns or tall, unsafe structures.
1983 T. Hibbert Rockspeak 22 Kev tried to blag his way into the Boomtown Rats gig by putting on an Irish accent and saying he was Bob Geldof's dad.
1985 Internat. Musician June 56/3 I decided that sending tapes in was useless, so I'd get on the phone and try to blag an interview.
1996 M. Burgess Junk (1997) iv. 34 If I can't blag my way out of this, I'm better off dead.
2001 Mirror (Electronic ed.) 9 Mar. It was the biggest night in the British music calendar and yours truly blagged an invite.
2. intransitive. To talk persuasively, if disingenuously, in an attempt to obtain or achieve something; to bluff; to scrounge, esp. by clever or deceitful talk.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > trickery, playing jokes > practise trickery [verb (intransitive)] > using bluff
to play a game of brag1845
gas1847
bluff1854
to run a bluff on1887
four-flush1896
fluff1902
blag1991
1991 Face Feb. 39/2 In Amsterdam, the band weren't given any passes and had to blag furiously to get back into the club.
1993 J. Green It: Sex since Sixties 429 You ain't going to go for that—so you blag for your hostess fee.
1996 C. J. Stone Fierce Dancing xi. 169 The talk is of anarchy and freedom. What they mean is..the freedom to rip people off. Glastonbury had typified this. Everyone was blagging from each other.
Derivatives
blagged adj. obtained or achieved by persuasive talk or deception.
ΚΠ
1989 Rhythm Dec. 5 Dan Eccleston pays his dues for all those blagged tickets.
1993 Super Bike Jan. 28 (caption) Jon Doran, GPZ900 owner and so-called author, aboard his own Ninja, which features many blagged goodies.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2002; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
<
n.11885n.21962v.21934