stag Hear it!

stag Definition

stag (stag)

noun pl. stags or stag

  1. a full-grown male deer, esp. a hart or a caribou
  2. a male animal, esp. a hog, castrated in maturity
  3. ☆
    1. a man who attends a social gathering unaccompanied by a woman
    2. a social gathering attended by men only

Etymology: ME < OE stagga, akin to ON (andar)steggi, drake < IE base *stegh-, to stick, pierce

adjective

☆ for men only a stag dinner

transitive verb stagged, stag′·ging

Brit., Slang to observe or follow secretly or furtively; spy on

intransitive verb

☆ to go to a party, etc. as a stag (sense )

stag Idioms

go stag

☆ Informal
  1. to go as a stag (sense )
  2. to go unescorted by a man
stag Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • hunt: Both carry the powerful image of a hunted stag in water surrounded by hounds with the slogan Hunting is 100 % Cruel.
  • shoot: Crash the undergrowth, execute an ambush and shoot the stag - what could be more fun!
  • include: Other animals which occur occasionally include the stag, the dog and the crow.

Adjective modifier

  • Red: The next best eating is from an August shot, young or middle aged Red stag off the hill.
  • brilliant: A brilliant stag do facilitated by your good selves.
  • magnificent: Now wild animals, from the magnificent stag to the lowliest vole are protected from man's excesses.
  • perfect: Manchester was a perfect place for a perfect stag do.
  • red: The focal point is a royal red deer stag.
  • white: Whether this is a phantom white stag or a real one is not recorded.

Modifies a noun

  • beetle: The stag beetle is listed on Annex II of the EC Habitats Directive.
  • weekend: Top Five Pubs You Must Visit The quality of a stag weekend depends a lot on the quality of the pubs.
  • antler: He appears as a great man with stag antlers crowning his head, sometimes leading a pack of spectral hounds.
  • hunting: Autumn stag hunting: August to 3rd week in October; hind hunting.
  • night: The appeal of having your stag night abroad is obvious.
  • horn: The handle is made from natural stag horn and the sheath is made from leather which has been embossed with a lattice design.

Noun used with modifier

  • deer: The focal point is a royal red deer stag.
  • hunting: When hunting stags, the hunters will choose a deer with a fine set of antlers for trophies, whereas any hind will suffice.

Possessives

  • antler: When she came back to England she brought from Europe scores of stags ' antlers as souvenirs of the chase.
  • head: There is an excellent stag's head over the bar.

Preposition: with

  • antler: The red stags with the golden antlers come from the crest of Erith where they were a connection with Lord Eardley of Belvedere House.
stag Quotes

   The stag at eve had drunk his fill, Where danced the moon on Monan's rill.

—Scott, Sir Walter

When the pods went pop on the broom, green broom, And apples began to be golden-skinned, We harboured a stag in the Priory coomb.

—Davidson,John

A stag of warrant, a stag, a stag, A runnable stag, a kingly crop, Brow, bay and trayand three on top, A stag, a runnable stag.

—Davidson,John