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# wag

«wag» in Mova's judaism dictionary: **To move quickly from side to side or up and down…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (wag, wags, wagged, wagging); noun (a wag — a wave of the tail; a joker, old-fashioned)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To move quickly from side to side or up and down, especially a dog's tail. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/W/wag/#m1)

2) To shake a finger at someone to show you disagree. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/W/wag/#m2)

3) "Wag" or "wag school" means skip school without permission (Australian and New Zealand slang). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/W/wag/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: In the Prophets, wagging the hand is a sign of scorn at a ruined city. The other verses use "wager" and mean a bet or a challenge. Interpretation: Zephaniah's picture of a city mocked by passers-by is read as a warning about the fall of Nineveh. In the primary lessons: In animal safety lessons, a wagging tail does not always mean a dog is friendly; a stiff or high wag can mean it is nervous or angry, so ask the owner before patting. In stories, a dog's wagging tail shows happiness. Phrases: wag its tail, tongues wag (people gossip), wag a finger.

### examples

- Every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand. (Prophets ZEP.2.15, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/W/wag/#x1)
- Now therefore, I pray thee, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them. (Prophets 2KI.18.23, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/W/wag/#x2)
- Now therefore, I pray thee, make a wager with my master, the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them. (Prophets ISA.36.8, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/W/wag/#x3)
- The puppy wagged its tail when I came home. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/W/wag/#x4)
- A wagging tail doesn't always mean a happy dog. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/W/wag/#x5)
- Grandma wagged her finger at me. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/W/wag/#x6)
- Tongues will wag if you do that. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/W/wag/#x7)
- The dog's whole body wagged with joy. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/W/wag/#x8)
- Always ask before you pat a dog. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/W/wag/#x9)

### note

Regular verb, double g: wagged, wagging. "Tongues wag" means people gossip. Safety: read the whole dog — ears, body and tail — not just the wag.

### In the corpora

- [For as often as thou speakest of him, thou waggest the head.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/jps/JER.1263/)
- [Every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/jps/ZEP.34/)
- [A loose wide tail wag usually means a happy dog, but a stiff high wag can mean the dog is tense.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/24-wolves-and-dogs/13/)
- [A tail held high and stiff, even if it wags, can mean the dog is tense or excited, not friendly.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/21-reading-a-dog/12/)
- [On Chloe's third visit, the lurcher sniffs her shoe and gives one tiny wag.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/459-the-dog-that-wags-at-last-and-the-one-that-never-does/17/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «wag» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/W/wag/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.