The Clue
[Awful!] (3 letter answer)
The Answer
GAG
Tags
Notes
The answer GAG is seen frequently, appearing about once every 190 puzzles.
Related Clues
[blech!]
Choke
Hoax
Joke
One-liner
Put-on
Silence
Wisecrack
Comic's bit
Comic's offering
Conversation stopper
Joke or choke
Kidnapper's accessory
Kind of gift
Kind of order
Kind of reflex
Kind of rule
Line for Gleason
Rib-tickler
Skit part
[That's awful!]
Youngman offering
Court-imposed order
Inhibiter of free speech
Kind of law or order
Kind of order or rule
Not swallow easily
(What an awful joke!)
Handkerchief stuffed in the mouth, e.g.
Pre-April 1 purchase
Squirting flower or dribble glass
Respond to a really bad joke, maybe
Definition
GAG as a noun:
1. (joke, gag, laugh, jest, jape) = a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter; "he told a very funny joke"; "he knows a million gags"; "thanks for the laugh"; "he laughed unpleasantly at his own jest"; "even a schoolboy's jape is supposed to have some ascertainable point"
2. (gag, muzzle) = restraint put into a person's mouth to prevent speaking or shouting
GAG as a verb:
1. (gag, muzzle) = prevent from speaking out; "The press was gagged"
2. (choke, gag, fret) = be too tight; rub or press; "This neckband is choking the cat"
3. (gag, muzzle) = tie a gag around someone's mouth in order to silence them; "The burglars gagged the home owner and tied him to a chair"
4. (gag, quip) = make jokes or quips; "The students were gagging during dinner"
5. (gag, choke, strangle, suffocate) = struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake; "he swallowed a fishbone and gagged"
6. (gag, choke) = cause to retch or choke
7. (gag, heave, retch) = make an unsuccessful effort to vomit; strain to vomit