A Dictionary of the English Language
                        A Digital Edition of the 1755 Classic by Samuel Johnson
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Nag

View Scan · View Transcription · from page 1346

View Scan · View Transcription · from page 1346

Nag. n.s. [nagge, Dutch.]

  1. A small horse. A horse in familiar language.

    A hungry lion would fain have been dealing with good horse-flesh; but the nag would be too fleet. L'Estrange.

    Thy nags, the leanest things alive,
    So very hard thou lov'st to drive.     Prior.

  2. A paramour; in contempt.

    Your ribauld nag of Egypt
    Hoists sails, and flies.     Shakespeare's Ant. and Cleopatra.

Sources: Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra (57) · L'Estrange, Roger (131) · Prior, Matthew (162)

Attributes: Dutch (90) · Noun Substantive (1269)

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Cite this page: Johnson, Samuel. "Nag." A Dictionary of the English Language: A Digital Edition of the 1755 Classic by Samuel Johnson. Edited by Brandi Besalke. Last modified: January 9, 2014. https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/nag/.

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