blag

Perhaps from French blague (“joke, tall story”), blaguer (“to joke”),[1] from Old Occitan blagar (“to chat”).

• IPA^(key): /blæɡ/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æɡ

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

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

   Synonyms: obtain, sponge; see also Thesaurus:scrounge

   Can I blag a fag?

   • 2023 January 25, Howard Johnston, “Peter Kelly: August 2 1944-December 28 2022”, in RAIL, number 975, page 46:

     He later recalled that blagging a cab ride to Warrington Dallam shed on Stanier '8F' 48531 was a life-changing experience.

2. (British, Ireland, 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. (UK, Ireland, informal, 1960s) To inveigle by persuasion.

   He's blagged his way into many a party.

5. (UK, Ireland, informal, 1940s) To deceive; to perpetrate a hoax on.
6. (UK, Ireland, informal) To obtain something desired, or avoid an undesired outcome, through luck or improvisation; To fluke or get away with something; To wing it.
   • 2022 January 7, Philip Barantini, James Cummings; Philip Barantini, director, Boiling Point, spoken by Freeman (Ray Panthaki), 12:18 from the start:

     CARLY (played by Vinette Robinson): Now we’ve got just about enough lamb? FREEMAN: No, we haven’t got enough lamb CARLY: We’ve got eno — - we’ve got enough. ANDY JONES (played by Stephen Graham): All right. I’m sorry, lad. What’s your fucking problem? FREEMAN: What’s my problem, Andy? It’s time and time a-fucking-gain. You’re not doing your job. CARLY: Freeman, Freeman. ANDY JONES: I can’t do them now, I didn’t do them last night, did I? I’m sorry, I apologise. I apologise. Have I said I’m sorry? Have I said I’m sorry? FREEMAN: We’ve blagged it. It’s fine. We’ve got a menu for tonight.

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?

blag (comparative more blag, superlative most blag)

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

   You’re wearing a blag designer shirt!

   Synonym: fake

• blagger

First attested in xkcd: "Mispronouncing".

blag (plural blags)

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

Tagalog blag

blag

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

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

• Glab

From French blague.

blag

1. joke

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

blag

1. Alternative spelling of blaag

From Proto-Slavic *bolgъ.

• IPA^(key): /blâːɡ/

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.

• blagost

• “blag” in Hrvatski jezični portal

From Proto-Slavic *bolgъ.

• IPA^(key): /bláːk/

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

1. mild, gentle, soft

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