drag

[kershawj]

why do we say that men are in " drag " when they dress up as womwn

[Quizmonster]

In 18th century slang one meaning of a �drag' was  the train of a woman's dress, based on the idea that it acted as a brake on her movement, in the same way as the �drag' or brake on a coach.  That reference to female attire made the connection with male cross-dressing. By the late 19th century, going �on the drag' or being �in drag' meant men wearing women's clothing in order to solicit other men.  More recently still, it has come to mean a performer - or �drag artiste' - generally a comedian, who does this in order to entertain.