Insider jargon, beforehand generally known as cant, is designed to maintain outsiders out.
The burglars in cartoons are sometimes seen sporting a black masks over their eyes (like Robin in Batman however for a unique cause) and carrying a bulging sack over their shoulders.
[Of course, the burglar’s sack was rarely bulging. A robber would have to have the perfect haul to get the right mix of value, density and weight. You can’t fit a chest of drawers in the sack, and that much gold would be impossible to carry. But I digress.]
The cant for this was ‘swag’, which comes from an previous time period for swaying or bulging. Form of wishful considering.
And thus we get to the swag of enterprise promo and convention loot…
Establishing jargon is a key step in group id. It’s hardly ever dictated from the highest down, however allowing and celebrating it’s a sensible transfer should you’re searching for group cohesion.
