bagman en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Old Norse baggibor.? Old French baguebor.? Middle English bagge English bag Proto-Indo-European *mon- Proto-Germanic *mann- Proto-West Germanic *mann Old English mann Middle English man Middle English -man English -man English bagman From bag + -man.
Meanings
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(Australia, New-Zealand, US, informal) A person who collects, transports, or distributes illicit money, especially for the purpose of bribery, extortion, or the making of other improper payments.
The accused are only the latest in a string of alleged bagmen, vote-riggers and ward-heelers charged with wrongdoing.
2006 September 15, James Graff, “In France, a Vintage Chirac Scandal is Uncorked”, in Time:You're going to pick up seven million dollars of cartel money? […] Jimmy, you are an attorney, not a bagman.
2020 April 6, Gordon Smith, “Bagman” (9:17 from the start), in Vince Gilligan, director, Better Call Saul, season 5, episode 8, spoken by Kim Wexler (Rhea Seahorn):
- A caddy.
- (UK, dated) A staff assistant to a senior police officer such as a detective sergeant for a detective inspector.
- (UK) A secretary of (and keeper of equipment for) a Morris dancing side.
- (Australia, slang) A bookmaker.
- (Australia, dated, slang) A tramp, hobo.
- (UK, dated, slang) A travelling salesman.
-
(US, slang) An officer assigned to travel with the president and carry the "nuclear football".
The bagman clutching the nuclear football like an undertaker at a wedding. Cameras flashed and clicked, recording the scene. 'Good morning, Mr President,' they chorused.
2013, Richard Doyle, Executive Action:[…] in a locked metal suitcase carried on the President's travels by a warrant officer irreverently known as "the bagman."
1968, Newsweek, volume 72, numbers 10-18, page 28:
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(Canada, informal) A prominent fundraiser for a political party or similar cause.
2016, David Akin, "Tory 'bagman' boasts about party's bank account, Toronto Sun, 28 May, Proud to call himself the "bagman" of the Conservative Party, former senator Irving Gerstein boasted about the financial health of his party Friday.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| bagmen | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| bag man | alternative | lexicographic |