BadgeringNo one has asked me

Badgering

No one has asked me what "badger bag" means yet...

I really don't know!

In a couple of the P. O'Brian books someone dresses up as "Badger Bag" during the crossing the line ceremony. But I have never figured out what this character is supposed to be. Maybe in the O.E.D.? I don't have online access to it...

What I do know about crossing the line: it was a sort of Saturnalia where members of the crew dressed up as Neptune or King Poseidon and other weird characters. They get to shave and wash and dunk anyone who is crossing the equator for the first time. Or, if you were a passenger or high ranking person you could pay or stand the crew drinks, to get out of being shaved.

I also think that various scraps or mixed fiber are called "badger" in weaving or paper making. But I could be making that up. It is because the little scraps - like threads and shreds of rag - look rough and variegated like a badger's grizzled fur. (I am definitely making THAT up, but it sounds plausible enough.)

There was/is a British sport of badger baiting. You catch a badger, then put it in a bag or a barrel with a) another random animal b) a fierce dog. Then bet on who wins. A badger is very fierce when cornered and very tough - it can be almost dead and yet keep fighting for hours or days. Thus the word "badger" meaning "to pester incessantly" (as these people would continually torment the poor fierce badger). This information also is coming straight out of my ass, as usual.

Unfortunately when I consult my shorter OED (Thanks skh!) I see that there is no entry for badger bag... How about the 1911 Britannica ? (Thanks, in-laws!) There I find an entry for "badger" meaning a wandering huckster of butter or cheese or grain. In the 1500s they were strictly regulated and had to be licensed.

So, various theories.

Maybe a badger bag refers to a bag of fabric scraps or junk. People used to wander the streets buying rags and old clothes (ragpickers?) and then sell them to paper mills. Maybe they carry a big bag and thus the character of "Badger Bag" ?

Maybe a guy carrying a big bag of food to sell - the peddler or huckster?

Maybe the bag used in badger baiting - so a squirming lumpy bag? But then, how would this connect to the character in the crossing the line ceremony?

None of these theories seem even vaguely right.