blag

See also: Blag and bläg

English

Etymology 1

Perhaps from French blague (“joke, tall story”), blaguer (“to joke”), from Old Occitan blagar (“to chat”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /blæɡ/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æɡ

Verb

blag (third-person singular simple present blags, present participle blagging, simple past and past participle blagged)

1. (Britain, informal, transitive) To obtain (something) for free, particularly by guile or persuasion.

   Synonyms: obtain, sponge; see also Thesaurus:scrounge

   Can I blag a fag?

2. (Britain, informal, specifically) To obtain confidential information by impersonation or other deception.

   Synonym: pretext

   The newspaper is accused of blagging details of Gordon Brown's flat purchase from his solicitors.

3. (Polari) To pick up someone.
4. (Britain, informal, 1960s) To inveigle by persuasion.

   He's blagged his way into many a party.

5. (Britain, informal, 1940s) To deceive; to perpetrate a hoax on.

Translations

to obtain something for free

to pick up someone — See also translations at pick up

to persuade — See also translations at persuade

to perpetrate a hoax — See also translations at perpetrate

Noun

blag (plural blags)

1. (Britain, informal) A means of obtaining something by trick or deception.

   A good blag to get into a nightclub is to walk in carrying a record box.

2. (Britain criminal slang) An armed robbery.
   • 2014, Echo Freer, Diamond Geezers

     I know your old man's keen for you to learn the ropes an' all that, but let's not forget who's running this blag, shall we?

Adjective

blag (comparative more blag, superlative most blag)

1. (Britain, informal) Fake, not genuine.

   You’re wearing a blag designer shirt!

   Synonym: fake

Derived terms

• blagger

Translations

a means of obtaining something by deception

an armed robbery

• French: braquage (fr) m

fake, not genuine

Etymology 2

First attested in xkcd: "Mispronouncing".

Noun

blag (plural blags)

1. (humorous) Misspelling of blog. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Etymology 3

Tagalog blag

Interjection

blag

1. (Philippines) An onomatopoeia for the sound of a falling strike. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Further reading

• blag at The Septic's Companion: A British Slang Dictionary

Anagrams

• Glab

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Antillean Creole

Etymology

From French blague.

Noun

blag

1. joke

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German Low German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /blɔːx/, /blɒːx/ (more on the merger of monophthongal A and O)

Adjective

blag

1. Alternative spelling of blaag

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Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *bolgъ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /blâːɡ/

Adjective

blȃg (definite blȃgī, comparative blȁžī, Cyrillic spelling бла̑г)

1. mild, gentle, soft
2. (intensifier, colloquial) any, damn, faintest

   Nemam blage ideje o čemu pričaš!

   I don't have any idea what you're talking about.

Declension

positive indefinite forms

singular		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		blag	blaga	blago
genitive		blaga	blage	blaga
dative		blagu	blagoj	blagu
accusative	inanimate animate	blag blaga	blagu	blago
vocative		blag	blaga	blago
locative		blagu	blagoj	blagu
instrumental		blagim	blagom	blagim
plural		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		blagi	blage	blaga
genitive		blagih	blagih	blagih
dative		blagim(a)	blagim(a)	blagim(a)
accusative		blage	blage	blaga
vocative		blagi	blage	blaga
locative		blagim(a)	blagim(a)	blagim(a)
instrumental		blagim(a)	blagim(a)	blagim(a)

positive definite forms

singular		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		blagi	blaga	blago
genitive		blagog(a)	blage	blagog(a)
dative		blagom(u/e)	blagoj	blagom(u/e)
accusative	inanimate animate	blagi blagog(a)	blagu	blago
vocative		blagi	blaga	blago
locative		blagom(e/u)	blagoj	blagom(e/u)
instrumental		blagim	blagom	blagim
plural		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		blagi	blage	blaga
genitive		blagih	blagih	blagih
dative		blagim(a)	blagim(a)	blagim(a)
accusative		blage	blage	blaga
vocative		blagi	blage	blaga
locative		blagim(a)	blagim(a)	blagim(a)
instrumental		blagim(a)	blagim(a)	blagim(a)

comparative forms

singular		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		blaži	blaža	blaže
genitive		blažeg(a)	blaže	blažeg(a)
dative		blažem(u)	blažoj	blažem(u)
accusative	inanimate animate	blaži blažeg(a)	blažu	blaže
vocative		blaži	blaža	blaže
locative		blažem(u)	blažoj	blažem(u)
instrumental		blažim	blažom	blažim
plural		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		blaži	blaže	blaža
genitive		blažih	blažih	blažih
dative		blažim(a)	blažim(a)	blažim(a)
accusative		blaže	blaže	blaža
vocative		blaži	blaže	blaža
locative		blažim(a)	blažim(a)	blažim(a)
instrumental		blažim(a)	blažim(a)	blažim(a)

superlative forms

singular		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		najblaži	najblaža	najblaže
genitive		najblažeg(a)	najblaže	najblažeg(a)
dative		najblažem(u)	najblažoj	najblažem(u)
accusative	inanimate animate	najblaži najblažeg(a)	najblažu	najblaže
vocative		najblaži	najblaža	najblaže
locative		najblažem(u)	najblažoj	najblažem(u)
instrumental		najblažim	najblažom	najblažim
plural		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		najblaži	najblaže	najblaža
genitive		najblažih	najblažih	najblažih
dative		najblažim(a)	najblažim(a)	najblažim(a)
accusative		najblaže	najblaže	najblaža
vocative		najblaži	najblaže	najblaža
locative		najblažim(a)	najblažim(a)	najblažim(a)
instrumental		najblažim(a)	najblažim(a)	najblažim(a)

Related terms

• blagost

Derived terms

Derived terms

• Blagoje (Благоје)
• Blagojević (Благојевић, “Blagoyevich”)

Further reading

• “blag” in Hrvatski jezični portal

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Slovene

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *bolgъ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bláːk/

Adjective

blȃg (comparative blážji or blȃžji, superlative nȁjblážji or nȁjblȃžji)

1. mild, gentle, soft

Further reading

• “blag”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran