Shag: Multiple Meanings – Slang, Hairstyle, Carpet & Dance

Shag is a polysemous word with distinct meanings across registers:

1. Slang (British/Australian, vulgar): To have sexual intercourse. "They shagged." Origin: 18th-c. cant, possibly from shag "rough, matted hair" → "rough copulation."
2. Hairstyle: Layered cut with feathered, textured ends; peak popularity 1970s–80s (Farrah Fawcett, Mick Jagger). Modern "wolf cut" is a descendant.
3. Carpet/Textile: Deep-pile carpet with long, loose yarns creating a plush, shaggy surface. 1960s–70s icon; revived in retro décor.
4. Verb (movement): To move with a rough, dragging, or jerky motion. "Shagging along the trail." Also: Carolina Shag – a smooth, slotted partner dance (swing family), state dance of South Carolina.
5. Noun (bird): Shag = cormorant species (Phalacrocorax aristotelis), coastal seabird. "Shag" = "tufted" (crest).
6. Tobacco (dated): Cut tobacco for hand-rolling.

Usage Caution

Sense 1 is vulgar in UK/Aus/NZ; neutral in US (often unknown). Context is critical.