Gags

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ɡæɡz/

Definitions

1. To prevent someone from speaking by placing a device over their mouth or by other means ; a short comedic performance or a humorous joke intended to provoke laughter ; a reflex action or sensation causing nausea or choking often due to sensory overload
2. An act of stopping speech by covering the mouth or binding it ; a brief, funny sketch or joke designed for entertainment ; a feeling of nausea or choking triggered by strong stimuli or blockage
3. The act of silencing a person using a physical device or method ; a small comedic bit or prank that amuses an audience ; an involuntary response causing retching or discomfort often linked to unpleasant sensations

Etymology: "Gags" is the plural of "gag," and the word's most striking feature is how far its senses have drifted from one another. The original idea was physical: a gag was something put in the mouth to stop someone speaking, and the figurative sense "repression of speech" dates from the 1620s. The verb's earliest sense was also bodily, "to retch," recorded from 1707, which suggests a throat being forced open or shut. The comic sense is much later. The "(practical) joke" meaning appears only from 1863, and its origin is unclear. Somewhere between a silenced mouth and a punchline, the word picked up a meaning of trickery, and then of the joke itself, which became the stage and comedy sense we use today. The verb's origin is also uncertain. It is probably imitative, or possibly connected with an old idea of a head thrown backwards, compared with Norwegian dialectal "gaga," meaning "bent backwards." The noun is recorded from the 16th century in Early Modern English as "gagge," so the object meaning is older than any of the comic uses.

Synonyms: jokes, pranks, jests, quips, funnies

Antonyms: seriousness, sincerity, earnestness, gravity, solemnity