Some language trivia

I wonder how many of you think “wagging school” & “to play the wag” are peculiarly Australian expressions? I confess I did.

I’m currently reading Dickens’s novel Dombey and Son and recently encountered the following passage in Chapter XXII: A trifle of management by Mr Carker the manager.

 

“My misfortunes all began in wagging, sir; but what could I do exceptin’ wag?”

“Excepting what?” said Mr Carker.

“Wag, sir – wagging from school.”

“Do you mean pretending to go there and not going?” said Mr Carker.

“Yes, sir; that’s wagging, sir,” returned the quondam Grinder, much affected.

 

Incidentally, quondam was a new word for me. Here’s the Macquarie Dictionary online entry:

quondam
/?kw?ndæm/ (say 'kwondam)
adjective that formerly was or existed; former: his quondam partner.
[Latin: formerly]