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wag

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A witty or mischievous person; in archaic poetry, a figure of humor, cleverness, and trickery.

Detailed Definition
In poetic contexts, a wag is a source of humour and social disruption. Poets used the term to celebrate cleverness, irony, and playful subversion. Wags often expose pretension or rigidity, allowing poets to value wit as a form of intelligence and social critique.
Example
Example in poetry:
The wag pricks pomp with well-aimed jest; Poets cherish the wag who speaks sideways truth; His humour frees thought from fear; The wag laughs last and longest
Additional Notes
Wag denotes wit used as social critique. Poets value wags for their ability to puncture pretension through humour. The term often carries approval, suggesting intelligence rather than folly. Wags exemplify poetry’s tradition of using laughter as a tool of truth.
Also Known As
Jester Wit Merry Andrew
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