• Original language: English
  • Original form and meaning: 'a humorous action or situation'


(Note: If the status is not specifically indicated then the word is stylistically neutral and generally used; if earlier meaning and status equals current use the former may be expressed by writing "dito". Cf. also the project guidelines.)


Language Form Date of Borrowing (and Obsolescence) Current Meaning and Status Earlier Meanings and Statusses Source
Catalan ... ... '...' '...' ...
Croatian geg mid20c the same as in English, see above, but esp. 'clever tricks in films and the circus, etc.', status: fully accepted but still marked as English dito DEA*
Czech ... ... '...' '...' ...
Danish ... ... '...' '...' ...
Dutch gag [= English] 1950s the same as in English, see above, but esp. 'clever tricks in films and the circus, etc.'; status: restricted use: colloquial, modish dito DEA*
English gag 1823 see above in the sense of 'joke': 1823, probably related to theatrical sense of 'matter interpolated in a written piece by the actor' (1847), or from slang verbal sense of 'to deceive, take in with talk' (1777), both on notion of 'stuff, fill' (from gag (v.) meaning 'to suffocate, choke' (15c) - perhaps imitating) CODEE**/[1]
Estonian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Finnish ... ... '...' '...' ...
French gag [gag] 1920s the same as in English, see above, but esp. 'clever tricks in films and the circus, etc.', status: fully accepted but still marked as English dito DEA*
Frisian ... ... '...' '...' ...
German gag [gek] 1930s the same as in English, see above, but esp. 'clever tricks in films and the circus, etc.', status: fully accepted but still marked as English dito DEA*
Hungarian gag/geg [= English] 1930/60s the same as in English, see above, esp. 'clever tricks in films and the circus, etc.', status: restricted use: technical, but becoming more and more fully accepted dito .DEA*
Irish ... ... '...' '...' ...
Italian gag [gεg] 1930s the same as in English, see above, but esp. 'clever tricks in films and the circus, etc.', status: fully accepted but still marked as English dito DEA*
Latvian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Lithuanian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Maltese ... ... '...' '...' ...
Norwegian gag [= English] 1960s the same as in English, see above, but esp. 'clever tricks in films and the circus, etc.', status: restricted use dito DEA*
Polish gag [gag] mid20c the same as in English, see above, but esp. 'clever tricks in films and the circus, etc.', status: not (or no longer) recognized as English dito DEA*
Portuguese ... ... '...' '...' ...
Rumantsch ... ... '...' '...' ...
Slovak ... ... '...' '...' ...
Slovenian ... ... '...' '...' ...
Spanish gag [gag] 1970s the same as in English, esp. 'clever tricks in films and the circus, etc.', status: restricted use: technical dito DEA*
Swedish ... ... '...' '...' ...
  • Annotations: * DEA = Dictionary of European Anglicisms by Manfred Görlach (2001), Oxford: OUP.; ** CODEE = The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology by T.F. Hoad (1986), Oxford: Clarendon.
  • Information on Other Languages: Romanian: gag [gag], mid20c, via French, meaning: the same as in English, esp. 'clever tricks in films and the circus, etc.', status: fully accepted but still marked as English; Russian: gég, end20c, meaning: the same as in English, esp. 'clever tricks in films and the circus, etc.', status: restricted use: rare, modish; Bulgarian: geg, end20c, meaning: the same as in English, esp. 'clever tricks in films and the circus, etc.', status: restricted use: journalese,