Swag Has Meant Loot, Decoration and Free Merchandise
Swag is stolen goods, a hanging garland, or promotional giveaways. All come from one idea.
Swag means stolen goods, a decorative hanging garland, or free promotional merchandise. The unifying idea is sagging under weight: the word comes from a Scandinavian root meaning to sway or hang heavily, which gives the drooping curtain garland, the bulging thief's bag and, in Australia, the *swagman*'s bundle of belongings. Each is something slung and heavy. The promotional sense is late twentieth-century American, sometimes wrongly explained as an acronym.
- Stolen goods. *A bag of swag.*
- A hanging garland. *A swag of greenery.*
- Free merchandise. *Conference swag.*
- A bundle (Australian). *A swagman's swag.*
- Scandinavian — to sway. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | swag | Swag. |
| Verb | swag | Swagging. |
| Agent | swagman | A swagman. |
| Related | swagger | To swagger. |
| Related | sway | To sway. |
- The thieves counted the swag.Loot.
- A swag of ivy over the door.Decoration.
- Free conference swag.Modern.
The Australian swagman
- A swag was a bedroll and bundle of possessions
- Swagmen walked between stations looking for work
- They were common during the depressions of the 1890s and 1930s
- Waltzing Matilda is about one
- Matilda was slang for the swag itself
Of Scandinavian origin, from a root meaning to sway or hang heavily; the loot sense is thieves' cant from the 1700s.
Is swag an acronym?
No. It comes from a Scandinavian root meaning to sway or sag, and the acronym explanations are later inventions.
What was a swagman?
An Australian itinerant worker who carried his belongings in a bundle, or swag, while walking between stations.