1
[ noun ] a humorous anecdote or remark

Used in print

(Evan Esar, Humorous English; a guide to comic ,...)

The `` wooden-leg '' gag of vaudeville , another standby of this sort , had endless variations .

Another stock vaudeville gag ran : `` Mother is home sick in bed with the doctor '' .

The double meaning in the anatomical made it a familiar vaudeville device , as in the gags of Weber and Fields .

Apart from journalese and vaudeville gags , the anatomical is also found in jocular literature .

2
[ verb ] prevent from speaking out

Synonyms

muzzle

Examples

"The press was gagged"

Used in print

(Cliff Farrell, Trail of the Tattered Star....)

He and Dean tied and gagged the man , using his belt and shirt for the purpose .

Related terms

hush

3
[ verb ] tie a gag around someone's mouth in order to silence them

Synonyms

muzzle

Examples

"The burglars gagged the home owner and tied him to a chair"

Related terms

tie

4
[ verb ] struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake

Examples

"he swallowed a fishbone and gagged"

Related terms

suffer asphyxiation

5
[ verb ] cause to retch or choke

Synonyms

choke

Related terms

sicken

6
[ verb ] make jokes or quips

Synonyms

quip

Examples

"The students were gagging during dinner"

Related terms

joke wisecrack

7
[ verb ] be too tight; rub or press

Synonyms

choke fret

Examples

"This neckband is choking the cat"

Related terms

compress choker

8
[ verb ] make an unsuccessful effort to vomit; strain to vomit

Synonyms

retch heave

Related terms

vomit heave

9
[ noun ] restraint put into a person's mouth to prevent speaking or shouting

Synonyms

muzzle

Related terms

restraint

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