brown bag
See also: brown-bag
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
edit(presentation): From the brown paper bag traditionally used to carry one's own lunch from home.
Pronunciation
editAudio (General Australian): (file)
Noun
editbrown bag (plural brown bags)
- A brown paper bag.
- (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?
Usage notes
editParticularly 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
editVerb
editbrown bag (third-person singular simple present brown bags, present participle brown bagging, simple past and past participle brown bagged)
- To carry one's lunch from home, as in a bag, rather than purchase it from a cafeteria or restaurant.
- 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.
- (agriculture) To plant seed saved from one's own harvest, as opposed to buying new seed from a seed company.