dial. and U.S. Forms: 6–9 jagg, 9 Sc. jaug, 8– jag. [Origin unknown.]
1. A load (usually a small cart-load) of hay, wood, etc.
1597. 1st Pt. Return fr. Parnass., II. i. 747. You shall have my carte to carrie home a iagg of haye when you wonn.
1636. Plymouth Col. Rec. (1855), I. 40. The quantity of two loade or jaggs of hey at the Iland Creeke.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, III. 73/1. A Jagg of Hay is a small Load of Hay.
1700. in Sir J. Cullum, Hist. Hawsted, etc. (1813), Voc. s.v., Carried the widow Smith one jagg of thorns—12s.
a. 1825. Forby, Voc. E. Anglia, Jag, an indefinite quantity, but less than a load, of hay or corn in the straw.
1828. Craven Dial., Jag, a large cart load of hay. In Cheshire, however,… jag or jagg means a parcel, a small load of hay or corn.
a. 1862. Thoreau, Cape Cod, x. (1894), 326. Their companion a cow, their wealth a jag of drift-wood.
1893. Essex Rev., II. 125.
b. A load for the back; a pedlar’s wallet.
(According to Jamieson, A leather bag or wallet; a pocket; a saddle-bag.)
1787. Grose, Prov. Gloss., Jag, a parcel or load of any thing, whether on a man’s back, or in a carriage. Norf.
1824. Scott, St. Ronan’s, ii. There’s nae room for bags or jaugs here.
c. As much liquor as a man can carry; a ‘load’ of drink, U.S.
1891. Pall Mall Gaz., 15 Sept., 6/3. A ‘saccharine jag’ appears to be the latest thing in the way of Yankee intoxication.
1892. Voice (N.Y.), 4 Aug. Others with the most picturesque ‘jags’ on, hardly able to keep their feet.
2. A train of trucks in a coal-mine.
1900. Daily News, 9 Feb., 3/1. I crept rapidly alongside the moving ‘jag.’ Ibid., 14 Feb., 3/1, The work of the driver is to hook the pony to the ‘jags’ or trains of loaded little trucks, marshalled by the putters.
3. A portion or quantity; a ‘lot.’ U.S.
1834. C. A. Davis, Major Downing’s Lett., 167–8 (Bartlett). As there was very little rale mony in the country, the Bank went and bo’t a good jag on’t in Europe.
1888. Missouri Republican (Farmer, Amer.). One broker … caught a jag of 2,000 or 3,000 shares.
1890. Boston Jrnl., 10 May, 2/2. Farmer (to new hand)—‘Hans, you may give the roan critter a jag of feed.’
