Fag

A nickname for a cigarette. First used in 1888 to describe a partially burned cigarette, it worked under the 1400s' definition of the word, meaning a loose piece or a remainant of cloth. The definition expanded to include whole cheap cigarettes, and has expanded to any cigarette.

"Say, pal, one of my best men got rubbed out to-day, could I bum a fag?"

by Vintage Translator August 18, 2020