Definition

1. Noun:

   • A cigarette: (Chiefly British, informal) A cigarette.
   • A tedious or laborious task: A task that is tiring and unpleasant.
   • (Offensive slang) A homosexual man: An extremely offensive and derogatory term for a gay man.
   • (British school slang) A junior student who performs chores for a senior: In some traditional British public schools, a younger boy who acts as a servant for an older boy.

2. Verb:

   • To tire or exhaust someone: To make someone feel very tired.
   • To work hard at a tedious task: To toil or drudge.
   • (British school slang) To act as a fag for a senior student: To perform menial duties for an older student.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • He went outside for a quick fag. (He went outside for a quick cigarette.)
  • Cleaning the entire garage was a real fag. (Cleaning the entire garage was a really tiring chore.)
  • ⚠️ Using the term to refer to a person is highly offensive and unacceptable.
  • As a new boy, he was assigned as a fag to a prefect. (As a new boy, he was assigned to be a servant to a prefect.)

• Verb:

  • The long climb fagged us out completely. (The long climb exhausted us completely.)
  • She's been fagging away at that report all night. (She's been toiling at that report all night.)
  • He had to fag for one of the seniors in his first year. (He had to perform duties for one of the seniors in his first year.)

Advanced Usage

• "to fag out": to become extremely tired.
  • After the marathon, he was completely fagged out. (After the marathon, he was completely exhausted.)

Variants and Related Words

• Fagged (adj): Extremely tired.
  • I'm absolutely fagged after that journey.
• Fag end (n, chiefly British): The last and worst part of something; also the butt of a cigarette.
  • We stayed until the fag end of the party.

Synonyms

• Noun (cigarette): cig, smoke, cigarette.
• Noun (chore): drag, grind, slog.
• Verb (to tire): exhaust, wear out, fatigue.
• Verb (to work hard): toil, drudge, slog.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Fag out: (As shown in Advanced Usage) to exhaust.

Important Note

The use of "fag" as a noun referring to a person is a severe slur. It is critical to understand its offensive nature. The term's other meanings (cigarette, chore) are primarily British and may be considered informal or dated. The public school usage is very specific to a certain British context.

Noun

1. finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
2. offensive term for an openly homosexual man

Verb

1. exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
   • We wore ourselves out on this hike
2. work hard
   • She was digging away at her math homework
   • Lexicographers drudge all day long
3. act as a servant for older boys, in British public schools