Meanings
plural fleabags · alternative flea bag · alternative flea-bag
- slangA bed or sleeping bag.
- slangA place of shabby lodging, particularly a filthy hotel or run-down apartment.
‘[E]veryone knows that Charlie […] takes little girls up to a room in that horrible flea-bag; but he's a respectable man just the same.’
1973, Christina Stead, The Little Hotel, Text Classics, published 2016, page 1841 more example
[W]hat Olin could do was take himself on out of the agent's office at a rapid hike and thank God all the way back to the fleabag where he worked that Mike Enslin had decided not to sue either the hotel or Olin for negligence.
1999, Stephen King, “1408”, in Everything's Eventual, published 2002
Origin
Translations
Bulgarian спален чувал, долнопробен хотел
- спален чувал (spalen čuval)bed or sleeping bag
- долнопробен хотелplace of shabby lodging
Finnish punkka, läävä
- punkkabed or sleeping bag
- lääväplace of shabby lodging
- kirppusäkkiunkempt mammal
- kirppusäkkimammal whom the speaker dislikes
French sac à puces
- sac à pucesunkempt mammal
Hungarian bolhafészek, bolhafészek
- bolhafészekplace of shabby lodging
- bolhafészekunkempt mammal
Portuguese pulgueiro, pulguento
- pulgueiroplace of shabby lodging
- pulguentounkempt mammal
Spanish pulguienta, pulguiento
- pulguientaunkempt mammal
- pulguientounkempt mammal
Cite this entry
fleabag. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fleabag
“fleabag.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fleabag. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fleabag,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fleabag.
Source: fleabag on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.