mag
Preserved but no longer current.
A halfpenny.—Ancient Cant, MAKE. MEGS were formerly guineas.—B. M. Carew. MAKE, the old form, is still used by schoolboys in Scotland. "Not a blessed MAG!" would be the phrase of a cadger down on his luck to express his penniless state.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “mag” mean?
A halfpenny.—Ancient Cant, MAKE. MEGS were formerly guineas.—B. M. Carew. MAKE, the old form, is still used by schoolboys in Scotland. "Not a blessed MAG!" would be the phrase of a cadger down on his luck to express his penniless state.
Is “mag” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.