brown bag

See also: brown-bag

English

Alternative forms

• brown-bag

Etymology

(presentation): From the brown paper bag traditionally used to carry one's own lunch from home.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

brown bag (plural brown bags)

1. A brown paper bag.
2. (idiomatic) A short presentation or seminar on a given subject, especially one given at lunchtime.

   Did you attend the brown bag Tuesday on healthy exercise habits?

   • 1994 November 6, William Goss, “Interning For Pleasure And Profit”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     So what student would choose to work in Washington for zero compensation, with benefits listed as "brown-bags," "farewell reception" and "athletic and service opportunities"?

Usage notes

Particularly in US English, paperbag and brown bag both appear in a variety of idiomatic expressions concerning butterfaces, people considered attractive apart from their face.

Derived terms

• brown bag test, brown paper bag party
• brown-bagger

Verb

brown bag (third-person singular simple present brown bags, present participle brown bagging, simple past and past participle brown bagged)

1. To carry one's lunch from home, as in a bag, rather than purchase it from a cafeteria or restaurant.
2. To consume alcohol in public from the bottle or can, while it is held concealed inside a brown paper bag, so as to avoid attention e.g. from the police.
3. (agriculture) To plant seed saved from one's own harvest, as opposed to buying new seed from a seed company.

See also

• potluck