gag

noun
/ˈɡæɡ/US/ˈɡeɪ̯ɡ/

Etymology

The noun is from Early Modern English gagge; the verb is from Middle English gaggen. Possibly imitative or perhaps related to or influenced by Old Norse gag-háls ("with head thrown backwards"; > Norwegian dialectal gaga (“bent backwards”)). The intransitive sense "to retch" is from 1707. The noun is from the 16th century, figurative use (for "repression of speech") from the 1620s. The secondary meaning "(practical) joke" is from 1863, of unclear origin.

  1. derived from gaghals
  2. inherited from gaggen

Definitions

  1. A device to restrain speech, such as a rag in the mouth secured with tape or a rubber…

    A device to restrain speech, such as a rag in the mouth secured with tape or a rubber ball threaded onto a cord or strap.

    • Blood may seep to the back of the throat and may clot, producing an “artificial gag” of clotted blood.
  2. An order or rule forbidding discussion of a case or subject.

  3. Any suppression of freedom of speech.

    • Civil Court blocks PM's gag on free speech
  4. + 17 more definitions
    1. A joke or other mischievous prank.

    2. a device or trick used to create a practical effect

      a device or trick used to create a practical effect; a gimmick

    3. A convulsion of the upper digestive tract.

    4. A mouthful that makes one retch or choke.

      • L. has recorded the repugnance of the school to gags, or the fat of fresh beef boiled, and sets it down to some superstition.
    5. Unscripted lines introduced by an actor into his part.

      • "The Critic" has long been known in the theatre as a "gag-piece;" that is, a play which the performers consider themselves entitled to treat with the most merciless licence.
      • The intelligent perfumer will evolve "gag" as he goes to suit the circumstances,[…]
    6. Any of species Mycteroperca microlepis of groupers.

    7. A shocking or surprising thing.

      • That’s why it was a surprise when Elecktra Bionic won instead of her. No queen in Drag Race history had ever won with no challenge wins before Elecktra, so to say it was a gag would be an understatement.
    8. To experience the vomiting reflex.

      • He gagged when he saw the open wound.
    9. To cause to heave with nausea.

    10. To restrain someone's speech by blocking his or her mouth.

      • They said no word to the landlord, they drank his ale instead, / But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow bed; / Two of them knelt at her casement, with muskets at their side!
    11. To pry or hold open by means of a gag.

    12. To restrain someone's speech without using physical means.

      • When the financial irregularities were discovered, the CEO gagged everyone in the accounting department.
      • The time was not yet come when eloquence was to be gagged, and reason to be hoodwinked.
      • Vaid blasted the Bush administration for gagging doctors from discussing abortion.
    13. To choke

      To choke; to retch.

    14. To deceive (someone)

      To deceive (someone); to con.

      • I endeavoured what I could to soften off the affectation of her sudden change of Disposition; and I gagged the Gentleman with as much ease as my very little ease would allow me to assume.
    15. To astonish (someone)

      To astonish (someone); to leave speechless.

    16. Abbreviation of group-specific antigen.

    17. Initialism of glycosaminoglycan.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for gag. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA