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Chris -- 2018-04-11
First I heard a radio talk-jock claim that SWAG (a term for promotional items given away at trade shows, rock concerts, etc.) was originally an acronym used in police reports, “Stolen without a gun.” I was dubious. Searching for “swag acronym” with Google, I found several competing explanations on various blogs and message boards, making me even more dubious. Other alleged derivations:
Sealed With A Gift
Shit We Ain’t Getting
Something We All Get
Souvenirs, Wearables, and Gifts
Stolen while at Gig
Stolen without a Gun
Stuff We Acquired Gratis
Stuff We All Get
What is it about “swag” that makes people think it needs an explanation—and the explanation is likely to be an acronym—more than other words?
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Back-formation of acronyms (backronyms) are entertaining wordplay. Unfortunately, they do tend to take on the patina of authenticity, vide POSH and FUCK.
The SWAG as acronym I know from my Physics classes stands for “scientific wild-ass guess.” But it’s not presented as connected to the usual meaning of “swag” as loot or plunder. It’s just a set of initial letters that spells a word.
I wonder if someone half-heard this, thought it related to the original meaning, and back-formed the acronym from there?
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For the benefit of other regarding POSH, Wikipedia states:
A popular but false etymology states the expression originated from the phrase “Port Out, Starboard Home”, which, before air-conditioning, were allegedly the most desirable cabin locations on ships travelling to and from British colonies in the Far East because they were shaded from the sun in both directions. However, extensive searching of shipping company records and tickets from that period has failed to reveal any evidence for explicit “Port Out, Starboard Home” reservations. [1][2][4].
There is a similar situation with the word TIP (i.e., the gratuity left after a meal at a restaurant). Wikipedia states:
An urban legend states that the word “tip” is an acronym for terms such as “to insure prompt service”, “to insure proper service”, “to improve performance”, and “to insure promptness”. However, this etymology contradicts the Oxford English Dictionary [7] and is probably an example of a backronym or apronym.
As for SWAG, I have heard it associated with “scientific wild-ass guess” and “stolen without a gun.” The other formulations sound like the work of amateurs.
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