fag as slang for cigarette

[ffantastik]

Story is set in an American summer camp for girls in the late 1980s, in New Hampshire. One of the characters is a British girl, about 17 years old, of significant wealth. Her mother went to this camp as a child, and arranges to send her there as a counselor; she wants her daughter to have a real American summer experience

Comments

[rainbowxgeek]

The online etymology dictionary lists it going back to the late 19th century, and it's still in use today, so it's not unreasonable that it would be used I'm guessing

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=fag

[emiliglia]

For the history of the word:

"Fag ‘cigarette’ (19th c.) is an abbreviation of fag-end (17th c.), which originally meant generally ‘extreme end’."
http://www.word-origins.com/definition/fag.html

I don't know if you're going to have her smoking at camp or just talking about it, but being from NH and going to girl scout camp growing up, these camps tend to be in the middle of nowhere and she wouldn't be able to leave, so I'm not sure how she'd get them if it's the former. And because of the leaf/pine litter and all the trees, the counselors probably wouldn't have them for her to bum one off of due to safety, forest fire prevention, litter, etc. If it's more like a YMCA camp instead of a Wet Hot American Summer-type camp, though, it would be different.

[ffantastik]

Good point. But she just got there, so the ones she snuck in with her are still available.

[squeakymonkey]

I knew English boys of that age at that time who would have, they were from a family that was well off --the dad built a successful business, but they were not 'old money.' (I'm American, they were family friends of ours, so I can't give you more than that.)

[smirnoffmule]

I'm British, and a smoker; fag for cigarette is very much common usage (now, as it was in the late 80s), and I wouldn't be surprised to hear it from anyone, though I think its usage might be slightly more self-conscious and less automatic from someone of a more upperclass background - this would be dependant on the individual, the kind of company they tend to keep, and whether or not they're a smoker themselves, though, obviously. I still wouldn't blink at hearing it, particularly from a young person. Most British people by the late 80s would be fully aware that fag has another meaning to Americans, though, so you're unlikely to have too many hilarious misunderstandings (though she might use it without thinking if it's a common enough part of her idiolect; I often do, talking to American friends - if I had a penny for every time I've typed "brb fag" and then had to delete it again in chat windows, I could buy a whole pack).

[thelilyqueen]

Seconded on the last part. I remember a (possibly apocryphal) story of a British exchange student in the US who was getting teased - not so nicely - by some of the boys in her class. One of them snatched the notebook she was carrying and she, irate enough to not be thinking things through by this point, yelled 'Give me back my bloody pad!' at the top of her voice...

[coloredink]

American here!

A few years ago, I worked briefly as an intern in a small office populated mostly by white, middle-class men (except for one other woman, who was American). They quite frequently "went out for a fag" or asked each other "got a fag?" or "want to join me for a fag?"

The punch line? This was GAY.COM UK. I was so confused.

[seekingnevada]

Further fun occurs when talking to Americans about "bumming a fag" off someone.

I said it. Aloud. And there was this long, pregnant silence afterwards.

[naughtydolphin]

People from the UK still use it now, so I'd assume so. I don't know whether it was used in the UK much, and my googling shows it's mostly an Aussie/NZ thing, but we'd call them durry/durrys. durries? I don't know about the spelling, we only ever said it :)

[smirnoffmule]

I've not heard that in the UK. We basically call them fags, or sometimes smokes, or rollies, if they're handmade, but that's about it.

[naughtydolphin]

From said googling, I finally learnt that it comes from the brand Bull Durham, which is rolling tobacco, but we'd use it for any sort of cigarette. Such as "oy Tommo, toss me a durry!" (best said in your best ocker accent for full effect)

[smirnoffmule]

That is cool to know :) We don't get that brand here, I don't think.