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Glite Dictionary
to have a jag on

to have a jag on

9.9
To feel angry or upset for a short time
  • idiom
  • Slang
translation icon : estar de mal humor
  • She tends to have a jag on when things don't go her way.

Examples

  • You’d better check on him—he seems to have a jag on this morning.

  • After hearing the disappointing news, she started to have a jag on at work.

  • Lately, he's been known to have a jag on for no clear reason.

  • Why does he have a jag on today?

  • After a long meeting, he began to have a jag on because of the constant delays.

  • When her favorite team lost the game, she started to have a jag on and didn’t want to talk.

  • It's common for him to have a jag on after a tough day at work.

Synonyms

to go moggy
vsto have a jag on
  • Slang
9.9

To become very sad and upset

is milder, a temporary bad mood rather than deep sadness

Antonyms

happy
∞ 1.0

Feeling pleased and content

cheerful
111 1.0

Happy in a way you show with a smile or friendly actions

Surface Forms

have a jag on infinitive
had a jag on past
had a jag on past participle
having a jag on present participle
has a jag on third person singular

Morphology

have + a + jag + on

The sense 'to be in a bad mood' is not transparently built from 'have' (to experience) + 'jag' (binge/spree) + 'on' (active); 'jag' in its literal senses does not denote mood and 'on' does not produce the required figurative reading. This is a relatively regional/idiomatic use whose meaning is unpredictable from the constituents, so a B1 learner knowing the words would likely not infer the intended sense.

Etymology

Have a jag on may come from the idea of a quick, sharp jag — a small pointed burst of feeling. So, to have a jag on means 'to be in a short bad or sulky mood'.