Plural of bagman; traveling salespeople, political operatives who collect money, or people who carry bags professionally.
From 'bag' plus 'man,' historically referring to people who carried bags of goods or money. Usage shifted to mean traveling sales representatives.
The slang term 'bagman' for someone collecting illicit money probably comes from actual traveling salesmen who literally carried bags of cash—the word morphed from job description to something shadier.
The term 'bagmen' defaults to masculine despite women historically working in similar commercial and political roles. This gendered language erases female bagmen, couriers, and political operatives from historical and contemporary contexts.
Use 'bagmen and bagwomen' when specificity is needed, or neutral 'bag carriers' or 'couriers' when gender is irrelevant.
["bag carriers","couriers","bagmen and bagwomen","commercial agents"]
Women served as couriers, political intermediaries, and commercial agents throughout history; gendered terminology obscures their economic and political participation.
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