See, now I just feel like getting all stubborn and onery about it. If I were to actually be that way, I'd say something like, "Who cares and the OE defined origins, I'm sticking with my definition because I think it's funnier. Besides who decided the OE was 'the expert.'" [insert silly hand gesture here] "Pshaw!" But then, maybe stubborn and onery isn't the way to go in this case. Cheers, Shannon "Mark A. Mandel" <thnidu at yahoo.com> wrote: --- Shannon Wimberly wrote: > An aside: My gaming merchandizer husband tells me that in the promotional > sense, swag is actually an acronym. It's short for (S)hit (W)e (A)ll (G)et. Unlikely. That's a popular kind of made-up etymology, like For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and Port Out, Starboard Home (both false). OK, now I have checked the Oxford English Dictionary online. Here's their definition #9 for the noun "swag": >>>>> 9. A thief's plunder or booty; gen. a quantity of money or goods unlawfully acquired, gains dishonestly made. slang. 1794 Sessions Papers Central Criminal Court Jan. 341/1 There are very few gentlemen here on the jury but what know what a swag is; the meaning is, a bundle of clothes that are stolen from any place. 1812 J. H. VAUX Flash Dict. s.v., The Swag is a term used in speaking of any booty you have lately obtained..except money. 1827 SCOTT Let. to Croker in Lockhart, I have been stealing from you, and..I send you a sample of the swag. 1838 DICKENS O. Twist xix, ‘It's all arranged about bringing off the swag, is it?’ asked the Jew. 1862 CALVERLEY Charades VI. v. in Verses & Transl. (ed. 2) 95 While one hope lingers, the cracksman's fingers Drop not his hard-earned ‘swag’. 1891 Newcastle Daily Jrnl. 18 Mar. 5/3 This genial gentleman went off to America with the swag. <<<<< I think that pretty much puts the kibosh on that supposed origin. -- Dr. Whom, Consulting Linguist, Grammarian, Orthoepist, and Philological Busybody a.k.a. Mark A. Mandel [This text prepared with Dragon NaturallySpeaking.] __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Helps protect you from nasty viruses. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! – Get yours free!