"Swag" and "Confidence"

Question

swag= very confident attitude or manner.

Does confident here mean that you trust yourself to achieve something? or what are they referring to exactly in this definition?

For example; I am confident(sure) that I will pass my English exam.

So can we go and define swag as a very sure attitude or manner to achieve something you want?

I think the word you mean is swagger, not swag. I have never encountered swag with that meaning, and OED 1 does not record it: the closest thing is "a big blustering fellow", which has been obsolete for 250 years. — StoneyB on hiatus, May 31 '17 at 20:28
Is your question about the use of the word confident, or is it about the use of the slang word swag? — Rob K, Aug 01 '17 at 17:51

Andrew · Answer 1 · 2017-05-31T21:39:20.780

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"Swag" (to mean "confidence") is slang, and the meaning and usage will vary with context. Because it is slang, I would recommend not using it in casual conversation until you fully understand all the nuances. Misuse of colloquialisms can be offensive in some contexts.

"Swag" is actually short for "swagger" which literally means "to walk with extreme confidence". Example:

He was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt and moved with the swagger of youth, someone without a care in the world.

edited May 31 '17 at 21:39

answered May 31 '17 at 20:26

Andrew

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So by google definition, they mean that it's just a confident walk nothing more nothing less? – Okama Ksakas May 31 '17 at 20:36
@OkamaKsakas In general, yes, but there can be many nuances, including "an annoying overconfidence". See http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=SWAG – Andrew May 31 '17 at 21:01
@OkamaKsakas In the current slang sense of the word, it means confidence in general. At present, the word is typically used by young people, who often (and probably all over the world) invent slang that is different from that of their parents. The word "swagger" does mean to walk with extreme confidence, probably to the point of overconfidence. To further complicate things, an older meaning of the word "swag" (again a slang word, and typical 50 years ago) is "loot." – BobRodes May 31 '17 at 21:02
@RobRhodes -- Defining the verb "swagger I'd add an attempt to impress others in the definition. Am I mistaken? BTW, the verb was often used by Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett in their novels. – Victor B. May 31 '17 at 23:45
Yes, but as I said, guys, I need confirmation what does confidence mean in that sentence. Does it mean a very sure attitude or manner to achieve something you want? Like I am very sure that I will pass my exam would mean I am very confident that I will pass my exam, does it mean the same thing with swag in that sentence? – Okama Ksakas Jun 01 '17 at 10:45
@OkamaKsakas This is exactly how I say you have to be careful to understand the nuance of slang before you try to use it. It would probably sound silly to use "swag" in the context of "passing an exam". From what I understand, someone with "swag" has extreme confidence when trying to pick up or impress women, or trying to intimidate or impress other men, sometimes to the point where most people would just call them "assholes". – Andrew Jun 01 '17 at 14:12
@BobRodes: It was as recently as 20 years ago that "swag" was used to mean "loot", in the sense of "free stuff given away at tech conferences". Actually, a quick search shows that it's still used that way in current parlance, as in "Emmy swag bag" for the bag of goodies given away to lucky attendees of the Emmy (TV) Awards. But yes, the current slang usage is different. – shoover Aug 01 '17 at 18:41
@shoover: I suspect that the older meaning of swag will be around for some time, especially since people my age are living longer. :) – BobRodes Aug 09 '17 at 03:05

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 16 '20 at 17:40

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Actually, swag is something stylish that you get for free like a sticker or a promotional music disk.

answered Jun 16 '20 at 17:40

Benjamin Godfrey

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"Swag" and "Confidence"

2 Answers2