grab bag
4
4.1
- noun
- /ɡræb bæg/
- Informal
:
sorpresa
- Also, at one time, I visited TiVo headquarters and got a grab bag of goodies.
- a grab bag of tricks
- grab-bag category
- the whole grab bag
When we come back, more Startalk Sports edition, grab bag, Cosmic Queries on Startalk.
- When we come back, more Startalk Sports edition, grab bag, Cosmic Queries on Startalk.
- It's about fiercely enforcing the upper limits on an office holiday grab bag gift.
- It's it's maybe we should do an Urban Dictionary grab bag one day.
Examples
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When we were told about our subjects, the dogs, I had expected a uniform breed: a beagle or some other compact, economical type typically used for experimentation, but the dogs were, in fact, a tumbled-up mix, a grab bag of animals from the pound.
Fiction book (2000) -
And it is a cute little box here that comes with sort of a little grab bag of Benefit products.
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Of course, I pick her name out of the grab bag.
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It's the little grab bag of items I'll keep next to me while I'm sick.
Blog text (27) -
Every office is a veritable grab bag of personalities, work types, and ethics.
Blog text (26) -
The same grab bag of tropes, trends, and marketing synergies.
Blog text (9) -
At the birthday party, each child received a grab bag filled with toys and candy.
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The charity event featured a grab bag containing various items donated by local businesses.
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I love to see what surprises await in a grab bag of random treats at the fair.
Synonyms
How Mixed
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal parts 'grab' (to seize quickly) + 'bag' (a container) hint at taking something from a bag, which gives a partial clue to the notion of a miscellaneous or surprise item. However, the conventional meaning 'a random or mixed collection' and the pragmatic sense of a lucky-dip style assortment are not fully predictable from the constituents without cultural exposure, so it is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Grab bag comes from old fairs and parties where people put many small prizes into a bag and each person would put their hand in and grab one without looking. That sudden surprise 'grab' — a prize 'picked at random' — is why grab bag now means any mix of different things.