If I catch you shagging me again!

Post by **faceless** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 12:17 pm

I'm watching some old B+W movie on film4 just now and there's a private eye telling another P.I that 'If I ever catch you shagging me again I'll ram these down your throat!' - it seems that he means following, but it's quite a surprise to hear as I thought the word shagging had only got to america a few years back...

the film's called 'The Dark Corner'

nekokate · Post by **nekokate** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 12:23 pm

Haha! I think Rangers fans should adopt that and start shouting "Shag, shag!"

Bat · Post by **Bat** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 2:25 pm

So do you reckon it means the same as shafting?

Post by **faceless** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 2:31 pm

I'm sure it means 'following', maybe from 'shaggy dog' or something.

There was loads of strange phrases in the movie, but that was the funniest for sure...

nekokate · Post by **nekokate** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 2:45 pm

I'm pretty insterested in the origins of words, so I looked into it.

From an online etymology website:

shag (v.)

"copulate with," 1788, probably from obs. verb shag (c.1380) "to shake, waggle," which probably is connected to shake (cf. shake, shake it in U.S. blues slang from 1920s, ostensibly with ref. to dancing).

Also the name of a dance popular in U.S. 1930s and '40s. The baseball verb meaning "to catch" (fly balls) is attested from 1913, of uncertain origin or connection to other senses of the word.

So I looked up the dance, which turns out to be the "Carolina Shag" and, according to Wikipedia, is a dance where "[t]he man is the center of attention and the woman's steps are either mirror steps of the man's or a sort of marking time while he does spins and other gyrations." So I reckon the slang "shag" meaning to "follow" comes from the following or mirroring required in that 30s and 40s dance.

I have too much spare time.

nekokate · Post by **nekokate** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 2:57 pm

Sorry for the double post, but I've just found a website dedicated to people who still do this dance - and compete against each other.

The Competitive Shaggers Association

Apparently, if you want to learn the dance, one of their Shag instructors is called Susie Beaver...

Post by **faceless** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 2:58 pm

nekokate wrote:Sorry for the double post, but I've just found a website dedicated to people who still do this dance - and compete against each other.

The Competitive Shaggers Association

oh man, what a name for a site!

Twirley · Post by **Twirley** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 6:57 pm

Yeah, there are loads of clubs for shag round here. Even met an old couple last week who still do it. I laugh every time I hear it mentioned.