stag
Preserved but no longer current.
A term applied during the railway mania to a speculator without capital, who took "scrip" in proposed lines, got the shares up to a premium, and then sold out. Caricaturists represented the house of Hudson, "the Railway King," at Albert Gate, with a STAG on it, in allusion to this term.
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 “stag” mean?
A term applied during the railway mania to a speculator without capital, who took "scrip" in proposed lines, got the shares up to a premium, and then sold out. Caricaturists represented the house of Hudson, "the Railway King," at Albert Gate, with a STAG on it, in allusion to this term.
Is “stag” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.