English
Etymology
From gas + bag.
Noun
en-noun
- A bag or bladder to hold a reservoir of gas, as in a hot-air balloon.
#*1914: Eric Henry Stuart Bruce, Aircraft in War 1
#*:By this method of construction a considerable amount of support can be imparted to the gasbag, though it does not dispense with the services of the ballonet, as does the entirely rigid type.
- Metaphorically, a person who is overly garrulous or prone to making empty, unsupportable statements.
#*1911: Edward Everett Hale, Dramatists of To-day: Rostand, Hauptmann, Sudermann, Pinero, Shaw, Phillips, Maeterlinck 2
#*:Not that the Reverend James is absolutely a pretentious gasbag any more than Marchbanks is an inspired prophet. He has a definite, a positive part in the world's work.
Synonyms
blowhard (sense 2)
windbag (both senses)
ru:gasbag
zh:gasbag
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