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Wag vs Nag - What's the difference?

wag | nag |

As verbs the difference between wag and nag

is that wag is to swing from side to side, especially of an animal's tail while nag is to repeatedly remind or complain to someone in an annoying way, often about insignificant matters.

As nouns the difference between wag and nag

is that wag is an oscillating movement while nag is a small horse; a pony.

wag

English

Verb

  • To swing from side to side, especially of an animal's tail
  • * Shakespeare
    • No discerner durst wag his tongue in censure.
  • * Bible, Jer. xviii. 16
    • Every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head.
  • (UK, Australia, slang) To play truant from school.
  • * 1848 , Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, xxii
    • "My misfortunes all began in wagging,'' Sir; but what could I do, exceptin' ''wag''?" "Excepting what?" said Mr. Carker. "''Wag,'' Sir. ''Wagging'' from school." "Do you mean pretending to go there, and not going?" said Mr. Carker. "Yes, Sir, that's ''wagging, Sir."
  • * 1901 , William Sylvester Walker, In the Blood, i. 13
    • They had "wagged it" from school, as they termed it, which..meant truancy in all its forms.
  • (obsolete) To be in action or motion; to move; to get along; to progress; to stir.
  • * Shakespeare
    • "Thus we may see," quoth he, "how the world wags ."
  • (obsolete) To go; to depart.
  • * Shakespeare
    • I will provoke him to 't, or let him wag .

    Derived terms

    * (to not go to school) play the wag; hop the wag; wag it * to finger-wag

    See also

    * waggle (frequentative) * wiggle

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An oscillating movement.
    • The wag of my dog's tail expresses happiness.
  • A witty person.

    • See also

    * skivitis

    References

    * The Oxford English Dictionary, (1989) Accessed 23 Feb. 2006. * Jonathon Green, "wag," The Cassell Dictionary of Slang, (1998) p. 1257.

    Anagrams

    * ----

    nag

    English

    Etymology 1

    (etyl) nagge'', cognate with Dutch ''negge

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A small horse; a pony.
  • An old useless horse.
  • (obsolete, derogatory) A paramour.
  • * 1598 , , III. x. 11:
    • Yon ribaudred nag of Egypt – Whom leprosy o'ertake!
    Synonyms
    * (old useless horse) dobbin, hack, jade, plug
    Coordinate terms
    * (old useless horse) bum (racing )

    Etymology 2

    Probably from a (etyl) source; compare Swedish .

    Verb

    (nagg)
  • To repeatedly remind or complain to someone in an annoying way, often about insignificant matters.
  • To act inappropriately in the eyes of peers, to backstab, to verbally abuse.
  • To bother with persistent memories.
    • The notion that he forgot something nagged him the rest of the day.
  • Other sorts of persistent annoyance, e.g.:
    • A nagging pain in his left knee
    A nagging north wind

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One who .

    • Anagrams

    * * * * ----