swag bag

Mid-19th century UK. From swag (“stolen goods”).

• IPA^(key): /swæɡ bæɡ/

swag bag (plural swag bags)

1. A bag used to carry stolen goods.
   • 2004, Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul, Magic Seeds:

     Except in old-fashioned thrillers and detective stories there doesn't seem to be much talk of thieves and break-ins. There might be a robbery in P. G. Wodehouse, but only as a bit of comic business, as in the modern cartoon, where eye-mask and swag-bag identify the comic neighbourhood burglar.

   • 2014 December 22, Jeremy Culley, “One of Bolton's most prolific criminals is caught after trying to leave bag of stolen goods with baffled neighbour”, in The Bolton News‎:

     A career criminal was caught by police as he attempted to leave a swag bag of stolen goods with a friend's next-door neighbour.

   • 2017 March 14, James Cartledge, “Bungling raider who dumped stolen cigarettes because swag bag was too heavy loses jail appeal”, in The Birmingham Mail‎:

     A bungling robber who had to abandon £9,000-worth of cigarettes because the swag bag was too heavy has been told he deserved every day of his four-and-a-half year sentence.

2. A bag containing free gifts or promotional material.
   • 2017 February 23, “See What Celebs Will Take Home in This Year's Oscar Swag Bag”, in Time‎:

     The Oscar swag bag has become a rite of passage for Academy Award nominees, where rich, good-looking celebrities are given thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of luxuries, for free.

• (bag of promotional gifts): goodie bag