Secure the Bag
/suh-KYOOR thuh BAG/verb phrase · imperative phrase
Meaning
A casual phrase meaning to successfully obtain money, a rewarding opportunity, or something valuable you have been pursuing. It can describe closing a deal, landing a job, signing a contract, getting paid, or achieving a personal goal, with an approving or motivational tone.[4][6]
- 1. To earn or obtain money, especially through work, a deal, a contract, or another profitable opportunity.
- 2. To lock in a valuable opportunity or desired outcome, even when the reward is not strictly financial.
- 3. An encouraging command meaning to go after the payoff and make sure the opportunity does not slip away.
Examples
“I signed the offer today and managed to secure the bag.”
“Go secure the bag—you already did the hard part.”
“That sponsorship helped her secure the bag.”
“She took the better contract to secure the bag.”
“I studied all week; now it's time to secure the bag on this exam.”
Origin and spread
The phrase combines secure, meaning to obtain or make safe, with bag as a money metaphor associated with African American English and hip-hop. It was documented in hip-hop by November 2016, when a Lil Uzi Vert and Gucci Mane track titled “Secure The Bag” appeared; The LOX released a song with the same title that December. By February 2017, the phrase was also appearing in mainstream sports reporting about a professional athlete pursuing a contract. It later broadened from literal money to jobs, deals, goals, and other wins. Its exact coinage remains uncertain, so the 2016 records indicate documented circulation rather than a definitive origin point.[2][3][5]
How to use it
The phrase is informal, upbeat, and often slightly boastful. Use it in texts, captions, group chats, sports talk, or casual conversation when there is a real payoff or achievement involved. It can sound forced when applied to a trivial task, and in formal or professional writing, “secure the opportunity” or “close the deal” is clearer.
Sources
- 1. YouTube — Lil Uzi Vert & Gucci Mane - “Secure The Bag” (Official Audio)Supports: form.
- 2. Apple Music — Secure the Bag (feat. Gucci Mane & Infa-Red)Supports: origin.
- 3. The Washington Post — DeSean Jackson is on a mission to secure the bag this weekSupports: origin.
- 4. StreetSlang — Secure The Bag MeaningSupports: meaning.
- 5. DigitalCultures — Secure the bagSupports: earliest documented use, origin.
- 6. Slangary — Secure the BagSupports: meaning.
