swag

[Benjamin Barrett]

I first heard this word between one and three years ago. Writers use it to describe give-aways they use to promote their books. For one example, see http://noveldog.com/2011/02/22/make-your-own-author-swag/.

Benjamin Barrett
Seattle, WA

On Nov 10, 2011, at 1:53 AM, Victor Steinbok wrote:

> Wilson may correct me on this, but is one of Obama's aides Australian?
> 
> http://goo.gl/NSFEq
>> Internal Revenue Service mugs and Homeland Security sweatshirts may
>> soon become collector‚s items.
>> 
>> President Obama is set to unveil an executive order on Wednesday aimed
>> at cutting wasteful spending on excess travel, printing, cell phones
>> and government „swag.‰
>> 
>> The swag under fire includes plaques, clothing, mugs and other
>> agency-identified items distributed to employees.
> 
> The closest I see in OED is
> 
>> 11. A great quantity of something (now chiefly Austral. and N.Z.); a
>> large draught of liquor (dial.). (Cf. Sc. swack.)
> 
> The next closest is
> 
>> 10. Austral. and N.Z. The bundle of personal belongings carried by a
>> traveller in the bush, a tramp, or a miner. Freq. in colloq. phrases
>> to hump the swag: see to hump one's swag (bluey, drum) at hump v. 2;
>> on the swag: on one's travels.
> 
> Indeed, the WH PR refers to "swag".
> 
> http://goo.gl/E5dyb
>> This morning, President Obama will sign an Executive Order that will
>> cut waste and promote more efficient spending across the federal
>> government. With this Order, the President is directing agencies to
>> reduce spending on travel; limit the number of information technology
>> devices (e.g. cell phones, smartphones, tablets, laptops) that can be
>> issued to individual employees; stop unnecessarily printing documents
>> that can be posted online; shrink the executive fleet of the federal
>> government; and *stop using taxpayer dollars to buy swag -- the
>> plaques, clothing, and other unnecessary promotional items that
>> agencies purchase*.
>> ...
>> Within 45 days, agencies will develop plans to reduce combined costs
>> in the following areas to 20 percent below Fiscal Year 2010 levels by
>> Fiscal Year 2013.
>> ...
>> 5) Stop Swag ˆ or Government Promotional Handouts: The Executive Order
>> directs agencies to stop wasting taxpayer money on non-essential items
>> used for promotional purposes, such as clothing, mugs, and non-work
>> related gadgets.
>> 
>> * For instance, several months ago the Department of the Treasury
>> issued a directive to all of its bureaus to avoid purchasing any goods
>> that could be considered frivolous or unnecessary, and to ensure that
>> all purchases have a clear nexus with the Department‚s mission and
>> operations.
> 
> The corresponding WH blog post by Janet Napolitano contains similar
> language, but no mention of swag can be found in the EO itself (
> http://goo.gl/IU0Ua ).
> 
> AHD lists largely the same categories as the OED, although in a somewhat
> different order and grouping.
> 
>> 1.a. An ornamental drapery or curtain draped in a curve between two
>> points.
>> b. An ornamental festoon of flowers or fruit.
>> c. A carving or plaster molding of such an ornament.
>> 2. Slang Stolen property; loot.
>> 3. Australian The pack or bundle containing the personal belongings of
>> a swagman.
> 
> MWOLD is even more curt--nothing but "sway" and "festoon".
> 
> Not so Wiktionary:
> 
>> Handouts, freebies, or giveaways, such as those handed out at conventions.
> 
> Unlike most Wiktionary entries, this one comes with a quote:
> 
>> 2011, Mark Henry, Battle of the Network Zombies
>> „Make sure to take some swag on your way out!‰ I called.
>> He stooped a bit in mid-trot and snatched a small gold bag out of the
>> basket at the door. The contents were mostly shit, a few drink tickets
>> to the Well of Souls, VIP status at Convent, that sort of thing.
> 
> The fact that both the White House and The Hill needed to explain what
> "swag" is also speaks to its relative recency.
> 
> VS-)
> 
> PS: Wilson usually uses a completely different "swag" (and less
> frequently than "wag").

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