GAGGING

GAG

gag, heave, retch

(verb) make an unsuccessful effort to vomit; strain to vomit

gag, choke

(verb) cause to retch or choke

gag, choke, strangle, suffocate

(verb) struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake; “he swallowed a fishbone and gagged”

gag, quip

(verb) make jokes or quips; “The students were gagging during dinner”

gag, muzzle

(verb) tie a gag around someone’s mouth in order to silence them; “The burglars gagged the home owner and tied him to a chair”

choke, gag, fret

(verb) be too tight; rub or press; “This neckband is choking the cat”

gag, muzzle

(verb) prevent from speaking out; “The press was gagged”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Verb

gagging

present participle of gag

Noun

gagging (plural gaggings)

A gag motion or reflex.

Source: Wiktionary


GAG

Gag, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Gagged; p. pr. & vb. n. Gagging.] Etym: [Prob. fr. W. cegio to choke or strangle, fr. ceg mouth, opening, entrance.]

1. To stop the mouth of, by thrusting sometimes in, so as to hinder speaking; hence, to silence by authority or by violence; not to allow freedom of speech to. Marvell. The time was not yet come when eloquence was to be gagged, and reason to be hood winked. Maccaulay.

2. To pry or hold open by means of a gag. Mouths gagged to such a wideness. Fortescue (Transl. ).

3. To cause to heave with nausea.

Gag, v. i.

1. To heave with nausea; to retch.

2. To introduce gags or interpolations. See Gag, n., 3. [Slang] Cornill Mag.

Gag, n.

1. Sometimes thrust into the mouth or throat to hinder speaking.

2. A mouthful that makes one retch; a choking bit; as, a gag of mutton fat. Lamb.

3. A speech or phrase interpolated offhand by an actor on the stage in his part as written, usually consisting of some seasonable or local allusion. [Slang] Gag rein (Harness), a rein for drawing the bit upward in the horse's mouth.

– Gag runner (Harness), a loop on the throat latch guiding the gag rein.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

2 July 2024

CIRCULATE

(verb) move through a space, circuit or system, returning to the starting point; “Blood circulates in my veins”; “The air here does not circulate”


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Coffee Trivia

The Boston Tea Party helped popularize coffee in America. The hefty tea tax imposed on the colonies in 1773 resulted in America switching from tea to coffee. In the lead up to the Revolutionary War, it became patriotic to sip java instead of tea. The Civil War made the drink more pervasive. Coffee helped energize tired troops, and drinking it became an expression of freedom.

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