Hopping the wag

[difish]

meaning of the phase

[Bongo79]

It means truanting from school (although had heard it used to describe pulling a sicky at work too). Not sure of the origins, though.

[DavidGreely]

A wag is the tattered and disgarded end to a piece of rope and thrown into a basket (known as a wag). A light duty among ropemakers in Kent was carrying (hopping) the wag when full back for re-spinning, which was the other end of the factory upto a quarter of a mile away.

David Greely