meaning - What does "fag paper" mean in this context?


While reading this article, I was struck when one of the "sources" are quoted as saying



There is never more than a fag paper between them



I have always understood "fags" to either refer to cigarettes or homosexuals, but what does it mean in this context?



Answer



It means "cigarette paper". It is in Cassell's dictionary of slang, 2nd edition by Jonathon Green. The thickness of a cigarette paper is not a very large distance so the quoted sentence means they are always close. It's a metaphor.


Urban Dictionary provides a example of similar usage


"four foot and a fag paper" which is supposedly



Scottish slang to describe someone who is very short.



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