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#147359 09/05/05 01:50 PM
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In deference to those who object to links to commercial sites, I will just post the relevant sentence from a site touting for subscriptions to a Canadian magazine:

In addition to some great articles, we have silliness, some schwag, and even a really long poll.

Now, is schwag a Canadianism or is it more widely used? I gather it refers to souvenir itemries one can purchase to indicate to the world at large one's support for a particular product.

Bingley


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#147360 09/05/05 02:06 PM
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I've never heard of it.


#147361 09/05/05 02:28 PM
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In reply to:

some schwag


It occurs often, but usually spelled (and pronounced) swag. It's the ephemeral toys one gets a conferences, like keycgains and t-shirts. At least that's what it means in Silicon Valley, Kaliforniens. I first noticed it a decade or so ago.



Ceci n'est pas un seing.
#147362 09/05/05 02:45 PM
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in some contexts schwag can be taken as a slang term for "bad weed". but here, it seems more in keeping with swag, a window dressing.


#147363 09/05/05 02:55 PM
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> ephemeral toys one gets a conferences

yep, that would be my take too, and I had always assumed a kind of backformation from 'swag bag' since there are always a plethora of kewl bags pre-stuffed with toys, gimmicks and publications. But that swag bag's a WAG so don't nag if negative!


#147364 09/05/05 02:59 PM
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'swag bag'

This page has some more meanings:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swag



Ceci n'est pas un seing.
#147365 09/05/05 03:02 PM
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>But that swag bag's a WAG so don't nag if negative!

but not a SWAG?!
-ron (prescience through foresight) obvious


#147366 09/05/05 03:17 PM
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from the wiki grab-bag:

Swag is actually an acronym for "Stuff We All Get", originated from the .com years where companies used these give-away items as promotional mechanisms.

Swag can also stand for "Stolen While At Gig"



hmmmm. not a wiki classic, I fear. This marketing device long predates the dot com bubble. It might be fairer to describe these as post-facto rationalisations (or folk etymology) unless they have decisive citations, since the natural meaning is long established and is a more natural leap (swag as booty, loot).

http://www.bartleby.com/61/97/S0929700.html


#147367 09/05/05 03:26 PM
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but mav. note that the foremost def'n from your link covers "window dressing", while the lattermost covers "bad weed".
-joe (tootles) f.


#147368 09/05/05 03:40 PM
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yep, I note that, but it still seems a more obvious connection to me: freebies > loot. There's a long history of visually based humour too of the swag-bag toting thief carting off his ill-gotten gains - that's international, isn't it, all-y'all?

But you could well be right, depending on the context of the site - mebbe they meant it to indicate 'pretty window dressing' in addition to other kinds of content. Come in Bing!


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