DCHP-2

bagman DCHP-2 (March 2016)

• n. — Politics

  a political fundraiser.

  Type: 3. Semantic Change — Bagman has several meanings, including traveling salesman and someone who collects money for criminal gangs (see OED-3, s.v. "bagman"). In Canada, the term may refer to a person who raises funds for a political party. Bagman is used in a somewhat depreciatory sense (see, e.g. the 1989 quotation), possibly because the term may have developed from the US usage, defined in the OED as "one who collects or administers the collection of money obtained by racketeering and other dishonest means" (see OED-3, s.v. bagman (2.b)). Bagman with the meaning 'fundraiser' is most prevalent in Canada (see Chart 1).
  See also Gage-3, s.v. "bagman" which is described as "esp. Cdn.", and ITP Nelson, s.v. "bagman" (1), which is marked "Canadian".