wagging

Verb

wag (third-person singular simple present wags, present participle wagging, simple past and past participle wagged)

1. (ambitransitive) To swing from side to side, as an animal's tail, or someone's head to express disagreement or disbelief.
   • No discerner durst wag his tongue in censure.1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio)...
2. (Australia, New Zealand, UK, slang) To play truant from school.
   • "My misfortunes all began in wagging, Sir; but what could I do, exceptin' wag?" "Excepting what?" said Mr. Carker. "Wag, Sir. Wagging from school." "Do you mean pretending to go there, and not going?" said Mr. Carker. "Yes, Sir, that's wagging, Sir."1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, “chapter xxii”, in Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC
3. (intransitive, obsolete) To go; to proceed; to move; to progress.
   • "Thus we may see," quoth he, "how the world wags."c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
4. To move continually, especially in gossip; said of the tongue.
   • She's a real gossip: her tongue is always wagging.
5. (intransitive, obsolete) To leave; to depart.
   • I will provoke him to 't, or let him wag.1623, William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor
6. (intransitive, slang) Of the tail (lower order of the batting lineup): to score more runs than expected.
   • The tail wagged.

See all 9 meanings of wag