Dictionary

grab bag en · NOUN

Pronunciation

(Australia) audio

Etymology

Literal sense

Meanings

A gift, purchase, etc. whose contents are concealed until after a selection is made; a bag as gift that comprises mystery prizes.
- Winners can choose a gift from the grab bags on the table.
A bag from which a gift or prize may be withdrawn (grabbed) unseen.
(figuratively) Any random assortment, selection or possibility.
- With that system, it's a grab bag which files we can find at any moment.
- There was no location, really — most of the convention took place in a Milwaukee of the mind. […] Instead, the teleconvention kept a few standards (like the Bruce Springsteen–soundtracked montage) and borrowed from a grab bag of other TV formats, from talk show to cable news to reality-TV reunion special. 2020 August 18, James Poniewozik, “A D.N.C. Opening Night for the New Abnormal”, in The New York Times:
- There were now a grab bag of southern country-rock units with a new wrinkle—Black Oak Arkansas, for one, combined psychedelia, fifties rock, Hindu spiritualism, and gospel into “psycho-boogie,” or “raunch 'n' roll.” 2015, Mark Ribowsky, Whiskey Bottles and Brand-New Cars:
- While this piece is less scattered than Hearne’s most recent major work, “Place,” a deeply personal reflection on gentrification, “Farming,” too, feels like a grab bag into which there’s always assumed to be room for yet one more idea. 2023 July 10, Zachary Woolfe, “Review: Ted Hearne’s Sweet, Sad American Elegy”, in The New York Times:
A moderately large bag of crisps or other snack, suitable for sharing.
A bag containing essential items, which can be easily picked up and taken in an emergency.

Forms

Spelling	Features	Labels	Source
grab bags	Number=Plur		lexicographic
grab-bag		alternative	lexicographic
grabbag		alternative	lexicographic

grab bag en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

Meanings

Forms

Coordinates

Hypernyms

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Synonyms