the.com/jag
A short burst of indulgence, like your emotions forgot to pace themselves.
means A spell of unrestrained activity or emotion — a crying jag, a drinking jag — intense, a little reckless, and over when it's over.
from Jag started out in English meaning a sharp, pointed thing — a notch, a spike, a prickle (think 'jagged'). Nobody's fully sure how it leapt from 'spike' to 'spree,' but one plausible path is through 'jag' meaning a small load carried on a cart or packhorse, which drifted into slang for a load of drink — getting a 'jag on' meant loading up. From there it widened to any emotional bender: crying jags, laughing jags, the whole binge of feeling.
- origin
- from 16th century word meaning sharp notch
- usage
- crying jag, shopping jag, drinking jag
- vibe
- intense, brief, mildly regrettable afterward
- not
- unrelated to jaguar despite sounding feline