ragn.²

Brit.

/raɡ/, U.S.

/ræɡ/

Forms: Middle English–1500s rage, Middle English–1600s ragge, Middle English–1700s (1800s– English regional (Devon)) ragg, Middle English– rag, 1800s reg (English regional (Yorkshire)); Scottish pre-1700 radg, pre-1700 rage, pre-1700 1700s– rag, pre-1700 1900s– ragg, 1700s raigg, 1800s– raag (Shetland).

Origin: Probably a borrowing from early Scandinavian.

Etymology: Probably < early Scandinavian (compare Old Icelandic rǫgg tuft, shagginess, strip of fur, Norwegian ragg , Old Swedish rag (Swedish ragg ), Old Danish rag coarse, shaggy animal hair), probably (with the operation of Holtzmann's Law) < an ablaut variant (o -grade) of the same Indo-European base as classical Latin ruere to churn or plough up, dig out (see roo v.¹). Compare rag n.¹ Compare earlier raggy adj.¹ and also ragged n.The difference in sense between this noun and the Scandinavian forms cited above probably reflects semantic influence from the adjectives raggy adj.¹ and ragged adj.¹; compare also Scandinavian forms cited at those entries. The origin of sense 10 is uncertain; it may have arisen as a miscopying of rage (see rage n. 7), the more common form in this context, understood semantically as alluding to the colt's shaggy coat (compare raggy adj.¹, ragged adj.¹ 1b) and perhaps reinforced by proverbial use of ragged colt n. at ragged adj.¹ 1b, which appears to predate this sense. Compare also rake n.⁵ and discussion at that entry. Sense 13 may perhaps show a different word, reflecting an unattested by-form of Old English ragu lichen (see staneraw n. and compare earlier hazel rag n. at hazel n. and adj. Compounds 2c). Apparently attested earlier as a surname, as Galfridus Rag de Bamburg (1222), Willelmus Ragge (1230), William Ragges (1275). Earlier use (in Old English as an early borrowing from Scandinavian) in a sense relating to animal hair is perhaps implied in raggy adj.¹; compare also ragged adj.¹ 1.

I. Senses relating to cloth or clothing.

a. In plural. Tattered or ragged clothes. Frequently in in rags.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > ragged or tattered

ragsa1350

dud1508

jag1555

shred1615

rillin1900

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > wearing clothing > [adverb] > in specific way

to (also into, unto) one's (also the) shirtc1300

in or of (a) suitc1325

in ragsa1350

in (also on) one's shirtc1380

in suit of or with1389

thinlya1400

in suit with1488

finely?1552

raggedly1552

smoothly1579

garish1590

briskly1592

in one's waistcoat1607

in mourning1621

in cuerpoa1640

in gala1757

airily1768

plain1808

in mufti1816

in, on one's stocking-soles1827

seedily1837

in beaver1840

back to front1869

dowdily1887

dossily1903

head-to-toe1946

sharp1951

sharply1965

understatedly1972

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > refuse or rubbish > [noun] > textile material

ragsa1350

pelt1567

tat1839

the world > the earth > structure of the earth > constituent materials > stone > [noun] > piece of coarse stone

ragsa1350

ragstone?c1425

society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > stone or rock > [noun] > other stone used in industry or construction

ragsa1350

ragstone?c1425

touchstone1482

hardstone1549

tarso1662

weather-stone1686

rumlar1829

ballast1839

bluestone1849

workstone1906

a1350 in R. H. Robbins Hist. Poems 14th & 15th Cent. (1959) 8 (MED) Þus we beþ honted from hale to hurne; þat er werede robes, nou wereþ ragges.

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. 1723 (MED) As he hire couthe best adresce, In ragges, as sche was totore.

a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 78 Honest ȝemen..Ar now arrayit in raggis.

1549 H. Latimer 2nd Serm. before Kynges Maiestie 5th Serm. sig. Sii Another poore womanne was hanged for stealynge a fewe ragges of a hedge.

1620 tr. G. Boccaccio Decameron II. x. x. f. 186^v The Ladies..attending on Grizelda to her Chamber..tooke off her poor contemptible rags, and put on such costly robes, which..she vsed to weare before.

1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 9 In Life Hee is a true Actor..that lives his part Sutably, to strut in Rags, or Crawle in Robes, equally transgresse Decorum.

1722 D. Defoe Moll Flanders 10 I went very Neat, and always Clean; for that I would do, and if I had Rags on, I would always be Clean.

1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson ii. v. 187 He was..all in rags, being but just got out of Paita goal.

1835 C. J. Latrobe Rambler in N. Amer. II. xii. 222 They land upon the wharfs of New York in rags and open-knee'd breeches.

1898 Argosy Aug. 170 For the last year he had kept himself, he scarce knew how, a beggar in rags, with a little dole of pesos now and again.

1933 Amer. Mercury May 65/2 The staff of white doctors and nurses is kept busy by sick natives, who in their dirt-caked rags may be seen asleep on the parched earth outside.

1958 I. Fleming Dr. No i. 11 The three men were dressed in rags and wore dirty jippa-jappa baseball caps with long peaks.

1990 R. Giroux Deed of Death iv. 54 He was forced to wear rags and tatters a beggar would scorn.

b. figurative and in figurative contexts.

ΚΠ

a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) II. 226 (MED) Cristene men shulden þenke shame to cloþe hem above wiþ raggis, and foule þe worþi suyt of Crist.

1602 S. Nicholson Serm. ii. B. 6^v Let the Papistes cloath themselues in the rags of their owne Righteousnes.

1659 J. Pearson Expos. Apostles Creed iv. 373 To put on the raggs of our infirmity before the robe of majesty and immortality?

1700 J. Dryden Chaucer's Wife of Bathe's Tale in Fables 495 I begin In Virtue cloath'd, to cast the Rags of Sin.

1739–40 D. Hume Human Nature iii. 584 Virtue in rags is still virtue.

1807 G. Crabbe Parish Reg. iii, in Poems 132 My Moral-Rags, defile me every one.

1843 T. Carlyle Past & Present ii. xvii. 172 The superannuated rags and unsound callosities of Formulas.

1924 R. Campbell Flaming Terrapin iii. 45 Their spirits shed their gross Rags of despair.

1947 B. Feller Strikeout Story iv. 32 They see..a Cleveland team wearing baseball's purple robes after 16 years in the rags of the underdog.

2000 Guardian 9 Mar. ii. 3/4 Meanwhile, Hullonians show little dramatic inclination to leave their city, which is indeed a princess emerging from rags.

c. colloquial (originally U.S.). An article of clothing or garment of any kind (not in poor condition); (in plural) clothing, clothes.See also glad rags at glad adj. 4f.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > [noun]

clothesc888

hattersOE

shroudc1000

weedOE

shrouda1122

clothc1175

hatteringa1200

atourc1220

back-clout?c1225

habit?c1225

clothingc1275

cleadinga1300

dubbinga1300

shroudinga1300

attirec1300

coverturec1300

suitc1325

apparel1330

buskingc1330

farec1330

harness1340

tire1340

backs1341

geara1350

apparelmentc1374

attiringa1375

vesturec1385

heelinga1387

vestmentc1386

arraya1400

graitha1400

livery1399

tirementa1400

warnementa1400

arrayment1400

parelc1400

werlec1400

raiment?a1425

robinga1450

rayc1450

implements1454

willokc1460

habiliment1470

emparelc1475

atourement1481

indumenta1513

reparel1521

wearing gear1542

revesture1548

claesc1550

case1559

attirement1566

furniture1566

investuring1566

apparelling1567

dud1567

hilback1573

wear1576

dress1586

enfolding1586

caparison1589

plight1590

address1592

ward-ware1598

garnish1600

investments1600

ditement1603

dressing1603

waith1603

thing1605

vestry1606

garb1608

outwall1608

accoutrementa1610

wearing apparel1617

coutrement1621

vestament1632

vestiment1637

equipage1645

cask1646

aguise1647

back-timbera1656

investiture1660

rigging1664

drapery1686

vest1694

plumage1707

bussingc1712

hull1718

paraphernalia1736

togs1779

body clothing1802

slough1808

toggery1812

traps1813

garniture1827

body-clothes1828

garmenture1832

costume1838

fig1839

outfit1840

vestiture1841

outer womana1845

outward man1846

vestiary1846

rag1855

drag1870

clo'1874

parapherna1876

clobber1879

threads1926

mocker1939

schmatte1959

vine1959

kit1989

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > [noun] > garment or article of

raileOE

i-wedeOE

reafOE

shroudc1000

weedOE

back-cloth?c1225

hatter?c1225

clouta1300

coverturec1300

garment1340

vesturec1384

clothc1385

vestmentc1386

jeryne?a1400

clothinga1425

gilla1438

raiment1440

haterella1450

vestimenta1500

indumenta1513

paitclaith1550

casceis1578

attire1587

amice1600

implements1601

cladment1647

enduement1650

vest1655

body garment1688

wearable1711

sledo1719

rag1855

number1894

opaque1903

daytimer1936

1855 Knickerbocker 45 502 Oh! the robe was of moire antique, (a very expensive ‘rag’).

1883 ‘M. Twain’ Life on Mississippi iii. 43 I stood up and shook my rags off and jumped into the river.

1903 Notes & Queries Dec. 513/1 ‘Raggie’ is of course diminutive or fond for ‘rag’, i.e. coat, tunic. I remember my uncle, writing to congratulate me on passing into the R.M. Academy, Woolwich, many years ago, asking me if I was ‘going to sport the blue rag or the red one’—R.A. or R.E.

1942 E. Langley Pea Pickers vii. 87 The crumbling flat irons were pressed to every rag we possessed.

2001 C. Glazebrook Madolescents 210 I throw on the nearest rags, hotfoot out the back door,..and jump on a Metro into town.

2. A piece of old cloth, esp. one torn from a larger piece; (in early use) esp. any of the scraps to which a garment is reduced by wear and tear.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > [noun] > piece of > rag > a rag

clout?c1225

rata1250

ragc1390

shrag?a1400

tatter-wagc1400

tatter1402

jag1555

libbet1627

tatter-wallop1808

tat1839

tag1840

trollopa1843

fent1844

raggle1888

lappie1892

c1390 Talkyng of Love of God (Vernon) (1950) 42 (MED) Ihesu..Þer weore þou wounden and swaþeled in Ragges.

a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Jer. xxxviii. 11 He took fro thennus elde clothis and elde ragges.

c1480 (a1400) St. Alexis 411 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 453 His clathis in ragis he rafe.

a1500 (a1400) Ipomedon (Chetham) (1889) 6571 (MED) A thredbare tabard full of raggis..He on his armore caste.

?1548 J. Bale Comedy Thre Lawes Nature ii. sig. Bviij^v Ragges, rotten bones, and styckes.

1609 P. Holland tr. Ammianus Marcellinus Rom. Hist. 400 [A coat] over-rotten and run to ragges and tatters.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iii. 491 Cowles, Hoods and Habits..tost And flutterd into Raggs .

1737 S.-Carolina Gaz. 28 May 4/1 Ready Money for old Raggs may be had of the Printer hereof.

1769 W. Buchan Domest. Med. ii. 227 Mustard whey..is made by tying in a linen rag a table-spoonful of common mustard bruised [etc.].

1820 P. B. Shelley Vision of Sea in Prometheus Unbound 174 The rags of the sail Are flickering.

1887 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 1 28/1 We believe that rags are frequently disinfected by the owners of paper mills.

1938 N. Streatfeild Circus is Coming 206 Nobody who was not mad was going to curl their hair in rags every night.

1956 Marriage & Family 18 4/2 He..used a rag to dry himself with, instead of his shirt-tail.

1997 Classic Boat May 72/3 Dampen a clean rag with thinners and carefully wipe any remaining dust from the timber.

3. Chiefly in negative contexts (frequently with of).

a. The smallest scrap of cloth or clothing. Also figurative.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > [noun] > fragment of

shred?a1400

rag?1536

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > [noun] > piece of > other pieces

piece?c1430

fasel1440

speckc1440

pane1459

rag?1536

remnant1571

fag end1607

swatch1647

cut1753

rigg1769

hag's teeth1777

bias1824

spetch1828

shredlet1840

bias tape1884

short end1960

?1536 R. Copland Hye Way to Spyttell Hous sig. A.iii^v Lowsy and scalde and pylled lyke as apes With scantly a rag for to couer theyr shapes.

1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. x. sig. Y4 Without or robe, or rag, to hide his shame.

a1630 Faithful Friends (1975) iv. iv. 2695 I prize poore Vertue with a ragg better than vyce with both the Indies.

1663 S. Butler Hudibras: First Pt. i. i. 43 He had First Matter seen undrest..Before one Rag of Form was on.

1742 H. Fielding Joseph Andrews II. iv. xiv. 283 Parson Adams..jumped out of Bed, and without staying to put a rag of Clothes on [etc.] .

1782 F. Burney Cecilia III. v. i. 22 Won't leave him a rag to his back, nor a penny in his pocket.

1836 N. P. Willis Inklings of Adventure II. 146 I had not a rag of clothes dry or clean.

1873 Routledge's Young Gentleman's Mag. May 366/1 The ‘week's wash’ had disappeared. Every rag of it.

1918 G. E. Griffin Ballads of Regiment 39 What in blazes do you mean By sounding off and beefing, not a rag upon you clean.

1966 Delta Democrat-Times (Greenville, Mississippi) 30 Dec. 6/5 She had scarcely a rag to her back.

2006 Canberra Times (Nexis) 18 Mar. b6 Women attending hospital to give birth have nothing—not even a rag of cloth—to wrap their newborn baby.

b. Nautical. The smallest scrap of sail.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > masts, rigging, or sails > sail > [noun] > very small or light sail

rag1653

pocket handkerchief1892

1653 H. Cogan tr. F. M. Pinto Voy. & Adventures xiii. 40 We passed that night..without bearing so much as a rag of sail.

1741 Amer. Traveller 159 Thus they run on without a Rag of Sail, but with bare Masts.

1788 J.-N. de Sauseuil tr. J. Bourdé de Villehuet Manœuverer vi. 96 Those most violent and sudden shifts of wind, when ships generally loose every rag of canvas they have set.

1804 Naval Chron. 11 258 Steering after them with every rag of sail set.

1846 Sci. Amer. 5 Dec. 83/2 One hour later she could not have been rescued, for by the time she reached her anchorage no vessel could have carried a rag of sail in the open bay.

1894 Indiana (Pa.) Democrat 6 Sept. There wasn't another rag of sail out but our'n.

1910 H. de V. Stacpoole Blue Lagoon viii. 56 Sure, they are lyin' to—divil a rag of canvas on her.

1934 Mariner's Mirror 20 317 Soon shü'll no' staand a rag ipon her.

2002 Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Nexis) 16 Aug. a1 Lord knows what it [sc. the phrase ‘tall ship’] means except anything that's got a rag of canvas on it.

4. spec.

a. Originally: a piece of cloth used by women to absorb menstrual flow. In later use (chiefly U.S. slang): a sanitary towel. to have the rag on: to be menstruating. See also to be on the rag, Phrases 7(a). Cf. jam-rag n. (c) at jam n.² Additions.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > cleaning or cleanliness of the person > [noun] > sanitary protection > sanitary towel

rag1606

jam-rag1869

napkin1873

pad1881

sanitary towel1881

towel1896

sanitary napkin1917

sanitary pad1926

bloodclaat1956

bumboclaat1967

1606 R. Field Of Church i. xviii. 35 The Prophet Esay pronounceth, that all our righteousnesse is like the polluted and filthy ragges of a menstruous woman.

1699 T. Edwards Paraselene dismantled of her Cloud 284/3 Even all our own Righteousness and Righteousnesses, which are as an unclean thing, as a menstruous Rag.

c1890 Stag Party Her month being over she took off the rag.

?1939 ‘Justinian’ Americana Sexualis 34 She's got the rag on... She's wearing the rag.

1970 G. Greer Female Eunuch 51 Male disgust [for menstruation] expressed in terms like having the rags on.

2003 Bitch Summer 50/2 As he brags about the encounter to his friends, a spot of blood appears on the boy's pants and his friends rib him, asking, ‘Did you get her rag, too?’

†b. colloquial (mildly derogatory). A flag. Obsolete.Recorded earliest in rag carrier n. at Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > indication > insignia > standard > [noun] > flag

fanea1000

pennon1404

thane1496

flag1530

rag1698

whiffler1760

flourisher1834

pennant1863

1698 T. D'Urfey Campaigners i. i. 10 May the next Poll of Ling choak me, if one of those Poltroons, a Redcoat Ragg-Carrier of a Regiment..had not like to have snapp'd her away t'other day.

1746 New-Year's Verses 1 Jan. (single sheet) He'll then display the..Flag O'er the French Sheet and Spanish Rag.

1832 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Jan. 117/1 Under their tri-color—the rascally rag.

1878 B. Howard Banker's Daughter in Banker's Daughter & Other Plays (1941) iii. 116 Count de Carojac needs neither the American rag nor the American petticoat to protect him.

1892 R. Kipling Widow at Windsor in Coll. Verse (1907) 281 You won't get away from the tune that they play To the bloomin' old rag over'ead.

5. As a mass noun: material (esp. paper) made from or consisting of a rag or rags. Cf. rag paper n. at Compounds 1a(b) and Compounds 1b(a).The use of cotton rag in papermaking is now typically restricted to higher-quality paper.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > [noun] > piece of > rag

rag1676

1676 Earl of Monmouth & W. Brent tr. G. Gualdo Priorato Hist. France x. 522 The Women, Children, and all others, took some white mark, and who had nothing else, got a piece of Rag, or white Paper.

1739 S. Sharp Treat. Operations Surg. ii. ⁋xxvii. A sore should never be wiped by drawing a piece of tow or rag over it, but only by dabbing it with fine lint.

1799 I. Weld Trav. N. Amer. viii. 67 The grease and the bits of rag, which are called patches, are carried in a little box.

1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 375 Compressing the fibres of rag together, for the purpose of making them cohere, and thereby giving tenacity to the paper.

1880 J. Dunbar Pract. Papermaker 24 The rags must..be..drawn out into fibre without having the smallest particle of rag unreduced to half-stuff.

1922 Handbk. Quality-standard Papers (Amer. Writing Paper Co.) 360 Onion Skin. A thin, transparent, highly glazed paper made of rag and sulphite.

1941 J. Agee & W. Evans Let us now praise Famous Men 157 They are drawn shut and secured, one by a leather strap over a nail, the other by a piece of rag over a nail.

1990 Artist's & Illustrator's Mag. May (verso front cover) As you would expect, the paper is 100 per cent rag.

II. Senses relating to something compared to a torn piece of cloth.

a. A torn or irregularly shaped piece of something, esp. a shred of flesh; a fragment, a scrap, a remnant.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > a separate part > a fragment

shreddingc950

brucheOE

shredc1000

brokec1160

truncheonc1330

scartha1340

screedc1350

bruisinga1382

morsel1381

shedc1400

stumpc1400

rag?a1425

brokalyc1440

brokeling1490

mammocka1529

brokelette1538

sheavec1558

shard1561

fragment1583

segment1586

brack1587

parcel1596

flaw1607

fraction1609

fracture1641

pash1651

frustillation1653

hoof1655

arrachement1656

jaga1658

shattering1658

discerption1685

scar1698

twitter1715

frust1765

smithereens1841

chitling1843

?a1425 MS Hunterian 95 f. 104 Ȝif it be a canker..þer gone oute þerof as þer were foule ragges & rotennesse.

a1450 York Plays (1885) 271 (MED) All to ragges schall ye rente hym and ryue hym.

1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boece Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) 6675 Quhill mony targe and scheild Raif into raggis, and mony speiris brak.

1555 W. Waterman tr. J. Boemus Fardle of Facions ii. ix. 207 Then take thei the dead mannes heade, and pike the braine oute cleane, with all other moistures and ragges.

1650 T. Fuller Pisgah-sight of Palestine i. ii. 6 Some proud Geographer will scarce stoop to take up so small a Ragge of land into his consideration.

1667 K. Philips Poems Pref. sig. A2^v Some infernal Spirits or other have catch'd those rags of Paper.

1753 T. Smollett Ferdinand Count Fathom I. xxiv. 156 I could get no eatables upon the ruoad, but what they call Bully, which looks like the flesh of Pharaoh's lean kine stewed into rags and tatters.

1762 Ann. Reg. 1761 ii. 7 Where meat is plentiful they boil the offal to rags.

1820 P. B. Shelley Sensitive Plant in Prometheus Unbound 169 A murderer's stake, Where rags of loose flesh yet tremble on high.

1873 W. Black Princess of Thule i. 1 Volumes and flying rags of cloud.

1922 J. Joyce Ulysses i. iii. [Proteus] 46 The dog yelped running to them,..a rag of wolf's tongue redpanting from his jaws.

1956 R. Sutcliff Shield Ring iv. 45 The last pale rags of the mist were rolling away among the high fell corries as they came though the pass.

1996 Observer 31 Mar. (Life Suppl.) 57/1 The flowers are tender, often being caught by late frosts and reduced to sad rags.

b. figurative. Of immaterial things.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > a separate part > a fragment > specifically of something immaterial

rag1528

1528 J. Skelton Honorificatissimo: Replycacion agaynst Yong Scolers sig. Aii A lytell ragge of Rethorike A lesse lumpe of Logyke.

1579 E. K. in E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Ep. Ded. They patched vp the holes with peces and rags of other languages.

a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1953) VI. 170 First and last are but ragges of time.

1707 tr. P. Le Lorrain de Vallemont Curiosities in Husbandry & Gardening 29 The Belief..is a Rag of the Peripatetick Philosophy.

1791 T. Jefferson Let. 15 Apr. in Papers (1982) XX. 215 The least rag of Indian depredation will be an excuse to raise troops.

1807 Salmagundi 16 May 193 One of our furious looking little fiddlers, flourishing his fiddlestick at the rate of one hundred and fifty bars in a minute, tearing an honest, portly, peaceable semibreve ‘to tatters, to very rags’.

1893 Times 22 Apr. They have no rag of evidence to uphold them.

1922 E. Sitwell Façade 14 Limp in bright crackling rags of laughter.

1957 ‘A. Bannon’ Odd Girl Out vii. 67 Her excitement burned the last rags of Laura's reserve.

1990 C. R. Johnson Middle Passage (1991) v. 111 He knew lots of queer arcana too—rags of dubious learning, like how many divisions were in Hell (four).

†c. A small or the smallest possible amount of money; (cant) a farthing. Chiefly in negative contexts (cf. sense 3). Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > English coins > [noun] > farthing

farthingc950

ferlingc1000

quadransOE

quarter1389

quadrantc1450

quatrinc1470

Q1530

quadrine1557

rag1592

qua1631

grig1657

Jack?c1690

fadge1789

daddler1900

1592 T. Lodge Euphues Shadow sig. M^v They wright good tales, and reape much taunts, and are answered with, oh it is a proper man: but neuer a rag of money.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) iv. iv. 87 Monie by me? Heart and good will you might [send], But..not a ragge of Monie.

a1625 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Captaine iv. ii, in Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Hh4/1 Jac. 'Twere good she had a little foolish money... Host. Not a rag, Not a Deniere.

1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Rag, a Farthing.

1741 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 3 Dec. (1906) 315 Here is the most profound peace and unbounded plenty that it is to be found in any corner of the universe; but not one rag of money.

1799 Sketches Mod. Life I. x. 258 She had not a rag of money, or she mought have been let out by now.

1819 J. H. Vaux New Vocab. Flash Lang. in Memoirs II. 160 Bug over the rag , hand over the money.

a. colloquial. A newspaper or magazine, esp. one regarded as inferior or worthless.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > journalism > journal > newspaper > [noun]

intelligencer1598

courant1621

coranto1624

paper1642

mercury1643

newsletter1665

newspaper1667

slip1688

raga1734

news1738

gazetteer1742

sheet1754

news sheet1841

spread1848

linen-draper1857

newsprint1897

blat1932

linen1955

mimeo newspaper1973

1645 Mercurius Britanicus No. 100. 889 Not an Aulicus, nor a Declaration, nor a Proclamation, nor a tel-tale Epistle, nor so much as a Royall ragge of Intelligence or Slander to be met with.]

a1734 R. North Examen (1740) ii. v. §14 323 Would any one expect in Print, upon tolerable Paper, and a clear Character, such Malice and Knavery as lies here, scarce fit for Midnight Grubstreet Rags.

1885 Sporting Times 11 Apr. 1/4 Too bad, too bad! after getting fourteen days or forty bob, the bally rag don't even mention it.

1889 Spectator 23 Nov. 712/1 Every rubbishy rag now contains the ‘news’.

1927 Amer. Mercury Feb. p. xl This rag never chucks slang in this here editorial colyum, where we wise-crack in schmoos as legit as the three-shell racket.

1977 J. I. M. Stewart Madonna of Astrolabe i. 27 A fugitive rag put out by one of our junior members.

2005 Word Feb. 47/1 Did you know that your competitors are paying sales reps to go round taking your magazine off display and replacing it with their inferior rags?

b. slang. A banknote, paper money, spec. counterfeit money; (also) money in general. Cf. sense 6c and rag money n. at Compounds 2. In later use chiefly U.S. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > [noun]

paper money1669

bank paper1696

paper1704

rag1797

scrieve1800

rag money1808

soft1809

soft currency1837

stamps1872

scratch1914

folding money1930

ready1937

society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > [noun] > small coins collectively > a small coin

orkyn1542

liarda1549

solda1549

scute1594

orkey1648

sock1688

styca1705

dump1821

scuddick1823

bit1829

posh1830

rag1866

tosser1935

1797 T.B. Pettyfogger Dramatized 27 Dam'me! couldn't one get a few of his rags?

1811 Lexicon Balatronicum (at cited word) The cove has no rag; the fellow has no money.

1846 ‘Lord Chief Baron’ Swell's Night Guide (new ed.) 14 The pleasure-seeker may gain admission, if his appearance proclaim that he is in possession of the rag—the tin to defray the unavoidable demands upon his purse.

1866 Night Side N.Y. 63 The counterfeiter..usually selects the approach of falling night as the time for putting his worthless ‘rags’ in circulation.

1904 Life in Sing Sing xiii. 258 Gloss. Getting the rags from a greaser, buying counterfeit money from an Italian.

1955 D. W. Maurer in Publ. Amer. Dial. Soc. No. 24. 115 That working stiff had over two C's in rag on him.

c. Theatre slang. A stage curtain.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > theatrical equipment or accessories > [noun] > curtain

curtain1598

drop1781

iron curtain1794

green curtain1805

greeny1821

tableau curtain1830

drop-curtain1832

rag1848

hipping1858

cloth1881

safety curtain1881

asbestos curtain1890

olio1923

tab1929

sail curtain1941

iron1951

swag1959

1848 G. G. Foster N.Y. in Slices 120 Hyst der rag!

1859 J. W. Cole Life & Times C. Kean I. i. 8 Our old friends of the Dublin gallery, who, in days of yore, never failed to cry, ‘Up with the rag!’ even before the act-drop, so classically designated, had time to reach the ground.

1885 J. K. Jerome On Stage 76 The ‘rag’ went up unexpectedly, and discovered the following scene.

1920 J. Ferguson Northern Numbers 101 The lights are lowered and the ‘rag’ divides.

2007 C. B. Gloman & R. Napoli Scenic Design & Lighting Techniques i. 43 These curtains..have several names: main drape, grand drape, and even main rag.

8. slang. With the and capital initial. In full the Rag and Famish. The Army and Navy Club in London, established in 1837. [Apparently originally with allusion to the Rag and Famish, the nickname of a cheap gambling den off Cranbourne Alley: see C. W. Firebrace Army & Navy Club (1934) 16–17.]

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > social relations > an association, society, or organization > specific societies or organizations > [noun] > specific clubs

Hell Fire Club1721

mug-house1827

rag1858

The ‘In’ and ‘Out1925

1858 A. Trollope Three Clerks II. i. 5 He delighted in the Rag and Famish, and there spent the most of his time.

1908 R. H. Nevill & C. E. Jerningham Piccadilly to Pall Mall vi. 235 The familiar name of the ‘Rag’, by which it is generally known, was invented by Captain William Duff, of the 23rd Fusiliers... Coming in to supper late one night, the refreshment obtainable appeared so meagre that he nicknamed the club the ‘Rag and Famish’.

1941 E. Nash I liked Life I Lived iv. 33 Cairnes, who was a most hospitable man, invited me to dine with him once a week at the Rag.

2003 Daily Mail (Nexis) 29 Apr. 15 Some at the ‘Rag’, as the Army and Navy is known, are purple with rage.

9. Poker. A (low) card which is of little value in a hand.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > poker > [noun] > type of card

openers1889

kicker1892

hole-card1908

rag1978

river1978

1978 D. Brunson How I made over $1,000,000 playing Poker 369 I have to be careful not to get very involved on the turn, if Rags fall, unless I flop a fairly strong hand.

1999 J. May Shut up & Deal i. 23 Rags flop, but a jack hits the turn and I bet and he raises.

2005 Online Gambler No. 3. 31/2 If the flop comes and it's all inconsequential rag cards—make another strong bet.

III. Other extended senses.

10. A group (of colts).One of many alleged group names found in late Middle English glossarial sources, but not otherwise substantiated. Apparently revived in the 17th cent., although subsequently chiefly historical.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > horse defined by gender or age > [noun] > male > colt > group of

rag?1478

rake1486

?1478 Lydgate's Horse, Goose & Sheep (Caxton) (1822) 31 A Stode of mares, a Ragg of coltes.

1486 Bk. St. Albans sig. fvi A Ragg of coltis or a Rake.

1677 E. Coles Eng. Dict. (new ed.) Rag (or Rake) of Colts, a great company of them.

1844 W. Goodman Social Hist. Great Brit. II. 65 When beasts went together in companies, there was said to be..a harrass of horses, a rag of colts, a stud of mares, [etc.].

1938 Ironwood (Mich.) Daily Globe 9 July 4/4 Three or more colts in a field were referred to as a ‘rag of colts’ instead of a herd.

1976 Lebende Sprachen 21 102/2 A group of colts was referred to as a rag.

2001 Western Morning News (Plymouth) (Nexis) 20 Mar. 26 Horses are known as a stable or harras (stud) with a group of mares known as a stud, and colts as a rag.

11. A disreputable or contemptible person; a person of a low social class. Cf. rag-tag n. 2, tag-rag n. a. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > goodness and badness > inferiority or baseness > inferior person > [noun] > held in contempt

thingOE

cat?c1225

geggea1300

fox-whelpc1320

creaturea1325

whelp1338

scoutc1380

turnbroach14..

foumart1508

shit1508

get?a1513

strummel?a1513

scofting?1518

pismirea1535

clinchpoop1555

rag1566

huddle and twang1578

whipster1590

slop1599

shullocka1603

tailor1607

turnspit1607

fitchewa1616

bulchin1617

trundle-taila1626

tick1631

louse1633

fart1669

insect1684

mully-grub-gurgeon1746

grub-worm1752

rass1790

foutre1794

blister1806

snot1809

skin1825

scurf1851

scut1873

Siwash1882

stiff1882

bleeder1887

blighter1896

sugar1916

vuilgoed1924

klunk1942

fart sack1943

fart-arse1946

jerkwad1980

the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > condition of being held in contempt > [noun] > state or quality of being contemptible > contemptible person

wormc825

wretchOE

thingOE

hinderlingc1175

harlot?c1225

mixa1300

villain1303

whelpc1330

wonnera1340

bismera1400

vilec1400

beasta1425

creaturec1450

dog bolt1465

fouling?a1475

drivel1478

shit1508

marmoset1523

mammeta1529

pilgarlica1529

pode1528

slave1537

slim1548

skit-brains?1553

grasshopper1556

scavenger1563

old boss1566

rag1566

shrub1566

ketterela1572

shake-rag1571

skybala1572

mumpsimus1573

smatchetc1582

squib1586

scabship1589

vassal1589

baboon1592

Gibraltar1593

polecat1593

mushroom1594

nodc1595

cittern-head1598

nit1598

stockfish1598

cum-twang1599

dish-wash1599

pettitoe1599

mustard-token1600

viliaco1600

cargo1602

stump1602

snotty-nose1604

sprat1605

wormling1605

brock1607

dogfly?1611

shag-rag1611

shack-rag1612

thrum1612

rabbita1616

fitchock1616

unworthy1616

baseling1618

shag1620

glow-worm1624

snip1633

the son of a worm1633

grousea1637

shab1637

wormship1648

muckworm1649

whiffler1659

prig1679

rotten egg1686

prigster1688

begged fool1693

hang-dog1693

bugger1694

reptile1697

squinny1716

snool1718

ramscallion1734

footer1748

jackass1756

hallion1789

skite1790

rattlesnake1791

snot1809

mudworm1814

skunk1816

stirrah1816

spalpeen1817

nyaff1825

skin1825

weed1825

tiger1827

beggar1834

despicability1837

squirt1844

prawn1845

shake1846

white mouse1846

scurf1851

sweep1853

cockroach1856

bummer1857

medlar1859

cunt1860

shuck1862

missing link1863

schweinhund1871

creepa1876

bum1882

trashbag1886

tinhorn1887

snot-rag1888

rodent1889

whelpling1889

pie eatera1891

mess1891

schmuck1892

fucker1893

cheapskate1894

cocksucker1894

gutter-bird1896

perisher1896

skate1896

schmendrick1897

nyamps1900

ullage1901

fink1903

onion1904

punk1904

shitepoke1905

tinhorn sport1906

streeler1907

zob1911

stink1916

motherfucker1918

Oscar1918

shitass1918

shit-face1923

tripe-hound1923

gimp1924

garbage can1925

twerp1925

jughead1926

mong1926

fuck?1927

arsehole1928

dirty dog1928

gazook1928

muzzler1928

roach1929

shite1929

mook1930

lug1931

slug1931

woodchuck1931

crud1932

dip1932

bohunkus1933

lint-head1933

Nimrod1933

warb1933

fuck-piga1935

owl-hoot1934

pissant1935

poot1935

shmegegge1937

motheree1938

motorcycle1938

squiff1939

pendejo1940

snotnose1941

jerkface1942

slag1943

yuck1943

fuckface?1945

fuckhead?1945

shit-head1945

shite-hawk1948

schlub1950

asswipe1953

mother1955

weenie1956

hard-on1958

rass hole1959

schmucko1959

bitch ass1961

effer1961

lamer1961

arsewipe1962

asshole1962

butthole1962

cock1962

dipshit1963

motherfuck1964

dork1965

bumhole1967

mofo1967

tosspot1967

crudball1968

dipstick1968

douche1968

frickface1968

schlong1968

fuckwit1969

rassclaat1969

ass1970

wank1970

fecker1971

wanker1971

butt-fucker1972

slimeball1972

bloodclaat1973

fuckwad1974

mutha1974

suck1974

cocksuck1977

tosser1977

plank1981

sleazebag1981

spastic1981

dweeb1982

bumboclaat1983

dickwad1983

scuzzbag1983

sleazeball1983

butt-face1984

dickweed1984

saddie1985

butt plug1986

jerkweed1988

dick-sucker1989

microcephalic1989

wankstain1990

sadster1992

buttmunch1993

fanny1995

jackhole1996

fassyhole1997

fannybaws2000

fassy2002

society > society and the community > social class > the common people > low rank or condition > low or vulgar person > [noun]

gadlinga1300

geggea1300

churlc1300

filec1300

jot1362

scoutc1380

beggara1400

carla1400

turnbroach14..

villainc1400

gnoffc1405

fellowc1425

cavelc1430

haskardc1487

hastardc1489

foumart1508

strummel?a1513

knapper1513

hogshead?1518

jockeya1529

dreng1535

sneakbill1546

Jack1548

rag1566

scald1575

huddle and twang1578

sneaksby1580

companion1581

lowling1581

besognier1584

patchcock1596

grill1597

sneaksbill1602

scum1607

turnspit1607

cocoloch1610

compeer1612

dust-worm1621

besonioa1625

world-worma1625

besognea1652

gippo1651

Jacky1653

mechanic1699

fustya1732

grub-worm1752

raff1778

person1782

rough scuff1816

spalpeen1817

bum1825

sculpin1834

soap-lock1840

tinka1843

'Arry1874

scruff1896

scruffo1959

society > morality > moral evil > evil nature or character > lack of magnanimity or noble-mindedness > [noun] > worthlessness > good-for-nothing person

brethelingc1275

filec1300

dogc1330

ribald1340

waynouna1350

waster1352

lorel1362

losel1362

land-leaper1377

triflera1382

brothelc1390

javelc1400

leftc1400

lorerc1400

shackerellc1420

brethel1440

never-thrift1440

vagrant1444

ne'er-thrifta1450

never-thrivinga1450

nebulona1475

breelc1485

naughty pack?1534

brathel1542

carrion1547

slim1548

unsel155.

pelf1551

shifterc1562

rag1566

wandrel?1567

land-loper1570

nothing-worth1580

baggage1594

roly-poly1602

bash-rag1603

arrant1605

ragabash?1609

flabergullion1611

hilding1611

hard bargain1612

slubberdegullion1612

vauneant1621

knick-knacker1622

idle-pack1624

slabberdegullion1653

thimble-maker1654

whiffler1659

never-do-well1664

good-for-nought1671

ne'er-be-good1675

shack1682

vagabond1686

shabaroon1699

shag-bag1699

houndsfoot1710

ne'er-do-well1737

trumpery1738

rap1742

hallion1789

scamp1808

waffie1808

ne'er-do-good1814

vaurien1829

sculpin1834

shicer1846

good-for-nothing1847

wastrel1847

scallywag1848

shack-bag1855

beat1865

toe-rag1875

rodney1877

toe-ragger1896

low-lifer1902

punk1904

lowlife1909

ringtail1916

git1939

no-hoper1944

schlub1950

piss artist1962

dead leg1964

1566 T. Drant tr. Horace Medicinable Morall sig. Aviij The..rabblement Of ragges and raskals all Be pensife.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) iv. ii. 171 You Witch, you Ragge, you Baggage.

a1657 G. Daniel Trinarchodia: Richard II lxxvii, in Poems (1878) III. 156 For not the lowest Ragge of Human race, But in a change will seeke to mend his place.

1826 R. Sharp Diary 30 Dec. (1997) 95 It was a beautiful morning the Sun shining clear, and many horsemen in Scarlet, with all the Shale Rag in the town and neighbourhood to gaze into the bargain.

1875 J. Ruskin Fors Clavigera V. lv That rubbishy rag of a girl.

1882 R. L. Stevenson New Arabian Nights II. 108 The poet was a rag of a man.

1901 Shetland News 5 Oct. A raag 'at spends ivery doit 'at he can git his fingers apon.

1986 Sunday Mail (New Delhi) 21 Sept. 5/3 They are a group of lumpens, rags and parasites.

12. A sharp or jagged projection, esp. a small irregularity on the edge of a piece of cast metal or cut wood. Now chiefly as mass noun: such projections collectively.Recorded earliest in rag wheel n. 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > sharp unevenness > [noun] > a sharp prominence > uneven or accidental

snag1586

snub1590

tooth1612

rag1683

tit1884

1656 Rep. Petition W. Potter (P.R.O. SP 18/124/100) f. 170 An engine for Raysing of water by Tankards Barrells Buckits or other vessells..hanging upon a chayne and turning about with a continuall motion upon a Ragge wheele and lying shaft.]

1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 155 He Rubs every side of them on the Stone..to take off the small Rags that may happen on the Shanck of the Letter.

1691 J. Evelyn Kalendarium Hortense (ed. 8) 14 Cut off slanting above the Bud, with a very sharp Knife, leaving no Rags.

1872 Routledge's Every Boy's Ann. 536/1 File off the rags left by the saw.

1909 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. Rag,..a fin or burr on cast metal.

1989 Which? July 345/1 One of the problems of cutting on the upstroke is that the ‘rag’—the rough edge and splintering where the blade breaks the surface—is on the top of whatever you're cutting.

1999 Clocks Dec. 33/3 It is interesting that the crossings still bear casting rag—obviously Mr Weir did not consider it worthwhile to highly finish the wheels of a clock which very few people would see.

†13. Botany. plural. The lichen Lobaria pulmonaria. Cf. hazel rag n. at hazel n. and adj. Compounds 2c. English regional. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > lichen > [noun] > other lichens

cup-moss1597

ground liverwort1597

Usnea1597

perelle1712

oak moss1728

necklace moss1759

rag1759

thrush-lichen1759

Iceland lichen1777

Iceland moss1785

map lichen1796

scripture-wort1835

letter lichen1846

dog lichen1853

fairy cups1855

velvet moss1858

manna lichen1864

tree-hair1866

famine-bread1887

old man's beard1888

sea ivory1966

1759 Philos. Trans. 1758 (Royal Soc.) 50 683 The people in Herefordshire, where this moss is called rags, dye their stockings of a brown colour with it.

14. Short for ragworm n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > phylum Annelida > [noun] > class Chaetopoda > order Polychaeta > suborder Nereidiformia > member of family Nereidae

sea-forty-legs1750

Nereid1774

nereidean1835

palolo1847

sea-centipede1858

nereidian1860

ragworm1865

rag1881

1881 St. James's Budget Aug. 12/1 Lastly, there are the two species of mud-worms, the ‘lug’ and the ‘rag’, equally nasty to look at.

1900 Cornhill Mag. Nov. 625 Our cross-eyed gillie..encourages us with accounts of a beautiful lot of ‘rags’ that he has got over from Weymouth.

1976 Southern Evening Echo (Southampton) 6 Nov. 8/2 (advt.) Fishing. Live rag in controlled temperatures (sandeels and lug). Always available.

1990 Angler's Mail 28 July 30/5 Best baits peeler crab, ragworm and king rag.

15. Botany. The fibrous or membranous material surrounding the segments of a citrus fruit or the stone of a date.

ΚΠ

1895 Yearbk. U.S. Dept. Agric. 1894 196 The fruit resulting is usually of poor quality, inclined to be large and rough, with a thick rind and abundant rag.

1910 Missouri Bot. Garden Ann. Rep. 112 The inner zone of the mesocarp [of a date] is composed of..disorganized parenchyma, which, in the ripe fruit is conspicuous as loose, shining, fibrous masses (the ‘rag’).

1950 V. L. S. Charley Recent Adv. in Fruit Juice Production viii. 113 The fruits are fed to some form of automatic juice extractor which obviates contact of the juice with air or rag from the fruit.

1996 A. Theroux Secondary Colors 67 Oranges are relatively dryish with a thick albedo or ‘rag’ (the white part of the skin).

Phrases

P1. all to rags: to smithereens, to pieces (literal and figurative); completely and utterly. Now rare.

ΚΠ

1631 W. Lisle Faire Æthiopian v. 77 Good father; can you tell a man..Of some good Inne here by? They all to rags Were broke (quoth he) against some hidden crags.

a1763 J. Byrom Dulces ante Omnia Musæ in Poems (1894) I. 167 Plots against ye vanish all to Rags!

1798 C. Stearns Wooden Boy i. ii, in Dramatic Dialogues for Use in Schools 328 We shall joke him all to rags.

1802 ‘P. Pindar’ Middlesex Election iii, in Wks. (1816) IV. 193 Mob wanth to tear un all to rags, And pent ‘No bastille’ 'pon their flags.

1841 R. E. Landor Ferryman iv. 280 His wits have blown his wisdom all to rags.

1889 ‘M. Twain’ Connecticut Yankee xxxiii. 432 The blow came crashing down and knocked him all to rags.

1911 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald 7 Dec. 8/3 They..tear my temper all to rags.

1972 D. Barthelme Sadness 91 The cops decided to show the four black kids at a press conference to demonstrate that they weren't really beat all to rags.

†P2. slang. the Order of the Rag: professional military service. Obsolete. rare.

ΚΠ

1752 H. Fielding Amelia I. ii. iv. 121 Young Gentlemen, of the Order of the Rag.

P3. U.S. colloquial to take the rag off (the bush): to excel, surpass all; to ‘take the biscuit’ (now often used ironically or as an expression of surprise). Also to take the rag off (someone or something): to beat, outshine (now rare).

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > outdoing or surpassing > outdo or surpass [verb (intransitive)] > surpass everything

to bear (also have, carry) the pricea1275

it passes1549

to cap the climax1804

to take the rag off (the bush)1810

to beat cockfighting1821

to beat (or bang) Banagher1830

to beat the band1890

1810 Norfolk (Va.) Gaz. 19 Sept. 2/3 This ‘takes the rag off the bush’ so completely, that we suppose we shall hear no more..about the Chesapeake business.

1833 New Eng. Mag. 5 81 I don't allow no man to take the rag off of you nor me.

1843 T. C. Haliburton Attaché II. xxviii. 250 Nothin' was ever seen so fine..since creation. It takes the rag off quite.

1858 Harper's Mag. Jan. 281/1 A number of farmers were..telling stories about their work,..when one of them took the rag off the whole of them by relating their experience.

1903 Dial. Notes 2 333 She takes the rag offen anything in our settlement.

1977 R. Coover Public Burning 105 You do take the rag off the bush, boy.

1999 A. Proulx Close Range 56 We had a pay [sic] two million dollars in estate taxes... That took the rag off the bush.

P4.

a. colloquial (originally English regional (Yorkshire)). to get (someone's) rag out: to make (someone) angry. to get one's rag out: to become angry [origin uncertain; perhaps compare red rag n. 2 or rag v.³] .

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > anger > [verb (intransitive)] > become angry

wrethec900

wrothc975

abelghec1300

to move one's blood (also mood)c1330

to peck moodc1330

gremec1460

to take firea1513

fumec1522

sourdc1540

spitec1560

to set up the heckle1601

fire1604

exasperate1659

to fire up1779

to flash up1822

to get one's dander up1831

to fly (occasionally jump, etc.) off (at) the handle1832

to have (also get) one's monkey up1833

to cut up rough, rusty, savage1837

rile1837

to go off the handle1839

to flare up1840

to set one's back up1845

to run hot1855

to wax up1859

to get one's rag out1862

blow1871

to get (also have) the pricker1871

to turn up rough1872

to get the needle1874

to blaze up1878

to get wet1898

spunk1898

to see red1901

to go crook1911

to get ignorant1913

to hit the ceiling1914

to hit the roof1921

to blow one's top1928

to lose one's rag1928

to lose one's haira1930

to go up in smoke1933

hackle1935

to have, get a cob on1937

to pop (also blow) one's cork1938

to go hostile1941

to go sparec1942

to do one's bun1944

to lose one's wool1944

to blow one's stack1947

to go (also do) one's (also a) dingerc1950

rear1953

to get on ignorant1956

to go through the roof1958

to keep (also blow, lose) one's cool1964

to lose ita1969

to blow a gasket1975

to throw a wobbler1985

the mind > emotion > anger > [verb (transitive)] > make angry

wrethec900

abelgheeOE

abaeileOE

teenOE

i-wrathec1075

wratha1200

awratha1250

gramec1275

forthcalla1300

excitea1340

grieve1362

movea1382

achafea1400

craba1400

angerc1400

mada1425

provokec1425

forwrecchec1450

wrothc1450

arage1470

incensea1513

puff1526

angry1530

despite1530

exasperate1534

exasper1545

stunt1583

pepper1599

enfever1647

nanger1675

to put or set up the back1728

roil1742

outrage1818

to put a person's monkey up1833

to get one's back up1840

to bring one's nap up1843

rouse1843

to get a person's shirt out1844

heat1855

to steam up1860

to get one's rag out1862

steam1922

to burn up1923

to flip out1964

1862 C. C. Robinson Dial. Leeds & Neighbourhood 76 He hed awal wur regs art.

1914 D. H. Lawrence Prussian Officer & Other Stories 185 An' that got your rag out, did it?

1938 G. Greene Brighton Rock vii. vii. 329 ‘I've told you before how I won't stand...’ ‘You needn't get your rag out,’ the Boy said.

1960 L. Cooper Accomplices i. vi. 60 Roger was definitely shirty about that... He really got his rag out.

1992 J. Symons Something like Love Affair (1993) iv. iv. 162 It's Carl see, when he gets his rag out, like if anything goes wrong, he don't mind what he does.

b. British colloquial. to lose one's rag: to become angry, lose one's temper.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > anger > [verb (intransitive)] > become angry

wrethec900

wrothc975

abelghec1300

to move one's blood (also mood)c1330

to peck moodc1330

gremec1460

to take firea1513

fumec1522

sourdc1540

spitec1560

to set up the heckle1601

fire1604

exasperate1659

to fire up1779

to flash up1822

to get one's dander up1831

to fly (occasionally jump, etc.) off (at) the handle1832

to have (also get) one's monkey up1833

to cut up rough, rusty, savage1837

rile1837

to go off the handle1839

to flare up1840

to set one's back up1845

to run hot1855

to wax up1859

to get one's rag out1862

blow1871

to get (also have) the pricker1871

to turn up rough1872

to get the needle1874

to blaze up1878

to get wet1898

spunk1898

to see red1901

to go crook1911

to get ignorant1913

to hit the ceiling1914

to hit the roof1921

to blow one's top1928

to lose one's rag1928

to lose one's haira1930

to go up in smoke1933

hackle1935

to have, get a cob on1937

to pop (also blow) one's cork1938

to go hostile1941

to go sparec1942

to do one's bun1944

to lose one's wool1944

to blow one's stack1947

to go (also do) one's (also a) dingerc1950

rear1953

to get on ignorant1956

to go through the roof1958

to keep (also blow, lose) one's cool1964

to lose ita1969

to blow a gasket1975

to throw a wobbler1985

1928 H. Lauder Roamin' in Gloamin' iv. 59 Finally, losing his rag completely, he extended his fingers to his nose and challenged any three men in the audience to come up on the platform and fight him!

1934 ‘L. G. Gibbon’ Grey Granite i. 95 Ma had fair lost her rag at that and told him she didn't care a twopenny damn.

1959 I. Opie & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolchildren x. 178 They taunt the person [who is easily provoked]:..‘Don't lose your bait’ (‘rag’, ‘rise’, ‘wool’).

1975 G. Hill & J. Thomas Give Little Whistle x. 95 Allison lost his rag with me over two goals by Leicester's Mike Stringfellow, both of which he considered were offside.

2004 S. Hall Electric Michelangelo 334 Occasionally Cy lost his rag, and yelled at her to shut up.

†P5. U.S. colloquial. to drop the rag: to give a signal; to give notice. Obsolete. rare.

ΚΠ

1880 ‘M. Twain’ Tramp Abroad xx. 194 I've got to stay here, till the old man drops the rag and gives the word,—yes, sir, right here in this——country I've got to linger till the old man says Come!

P6. (from) rags to riches: (from) extreme poverty to great wealth. Frequently attributive.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > advancing or progressing [phrase] > rising in prosperity, power, or rank > sudden rise in prosperity

(from) rags to riches1897

a1753 J. S. Some Acct. Irish (1753) 34 Once in the quiet Possession of that Island, they would soon turn their Rags into Riches, their Corn and Cattle into Coin.]

1897 Fitchburg (Mass.) Daily Sentinel 4 May 5/3 Tonight the play, ‘From rags to riches’ by E. E. Rose will be given.

1947 R. de Toledano Frontiers of Jazz 148 Goodman was the first real rags-to-riches success in the swing-jazz field.

1977 Cornish Times 19 Aug. 9/2 Last week's Cornish Times spelt out a success story with the rare theme of rags to riches by sheer hard labour.

2004 Nation (N.Y.) 5 Jan. 17/1 Over the past generation upward mobility has fallen drastically... This goes along with other studies indicating that rags-to-riches stories have become increasingly rare.

P7. slang (originally and chiefly U.S.). to be on the rag: (a) to be menstruating (cf. sense 4a); (b) (of either sex) to be irritable or angry, to be in a bad mood.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > anger > irascibility > irritability > irritable [adjective]

sharpc1000

impatient1377

out-sharpinga1382

teethya1500

fumish1523

testy1526

crabbed1535

tettish1567

peevish1577

kickish1589

splenetic1593

spleenful1594

tetchy1596

wasp-stung1598

touchy1602

spleeny1604

pruriginous1609

teety1621

splenitive1633

peltish1648

irritable1662

splenatic1663

splenetive1678

unheer1691

rusty1694

nettlesome1766

stingy1781

snarly1798

tutty1809

spleenical1818

rileya1824

nettly1825

edgy1837

porcupinal1846

shirty1846

raspish1854

peckish1857

streaky1860

owly1864

teasy1866

fussy1869

raspy1869

spiky1881

chippyc1885

tetchous1890

narky1895

snarky1906

ringy1907

snarkish1912

Scot1916

crooked1945

niggly1952

snooty1959

kvetchy1965

to be on the rag1967

sandpaper1976

gribble1984

splenous-

1967 Current Slang (Univ. S. Dakota) 2 i. 5 On the rag, in a bad mood.—College males, Arizona. I had a lousy time last night because she was on the rag.

1974 S. King Carrie (1975) 12 She herself had begun menstruation shortly after her eleventh birthday and had gone to the head of the stairs to yell down excitedly: ‘Hey, Mum, I'm on the rag!’

1984 R. N. Boyd Sex behind Bars 68 What's the matter with you, John? Are you on the rag? Hit it, girl!

2001 R. Nicoll White Male Heart (2002) 255 She lets you fuck her when she's on the rag?

Compounds

C1.

a. General attributive.

(a) With sense ‘relating to, containing, or dealing in or with rags’.

rag basket n.

ΚΠ

1797 R. Clifford tr. D. Diderot in A. Barruel Mem. I. iv. 66 That detestable crew..converted this pretended digest of science into a gulph, or rather a sort of rag-basket, where they..threw every thing half examined.

1849 Times 5 Feb. 2/4 (advt.) Finishing table, cutting bench, paper boxes, stools, rag baskets, layboards, felts.

1911 Coshocton (Ohio) Morning Tribune 4 May 6/4 To their seats either side of the rag basket hurried the twins, thimbles and needles ready.

2002 N.Z. Herald (Nexis) 1 June Cheaper clothes that move quickly into the rag basket.

† rag machinery n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1843 A. Ure Dict. Arts (ed. 3) 845 Messrs. Charles Cowan and Adam Ramgage, papermakers, patented, in 1840, improved rag machinery.

rag tank n.

ΚΠ

1903 N.E.D. at Rag sb.¹ Rag tank.

(b) With sense ‘consisting or made of rags’.

rag ball n.

ΚΠ

1867 ‘T. Lackland’ Homespun i. 19 The smooth cedar tray, with rag-balls for the new home-made carpet, will now be kicked about under everybody's feet.

1946 M. McLaverty in R. Greacen Irish Harvest 103 And you'll have..a real ball to kick on the grass, and never again will you be kicking a rag-ball between the lamp-posts in the street.

2006 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 18 Nov. 3 Puskas had played barefoot with his friend Jozsef Bozsik, using a rag ball made from his mother's stockings.

rag carpet n.

ΚΠ

1830 C. M. Sedgwick Clarence II. iii. 57 His help-meet..assorting shreds and patches for a rag carpet.

1904 M. E. Waller Wood-carver 72 I have begged Aunt Lize to take up the rag-carpet.

2006 Times (Nexis) 11 Nov. 14 Ripped fabric is transformed into school bags, classroom mats and rag carpets that are sold to raise funds.

rag carpeting n.

ΚΠ

1813 Weekly Reg. 3 329/1 24 yards rag carpeting.

1910 M. T. Priestman Handicrafts in Home xv. 125 Worn-out clothing..was torn into strips..which were woven ‘hit or miss’ into rag carpeting.

1984 Christian Sci. Monitor (Nexis) 20 June 30 Our parlor had allover rag carpeting made of three-foot strips sewn together.

rag mop n.

ΚΠ

1730 Scheme for New Lottery for Ladies 35 At the Three live Taylors and Rag-Mop, in the High Street.

1733 Ld. Blunder's Confess. ii. iii. 42 All the cloaths you had to your Back would scarce have made a Rag-Mop.

1834 Chambers's Edinb. Jrnl. 3 149/2 It may be..converted into a rag-mop, to be scrubbed into nothingness on hackney-coach wheels.

1934 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 232 476 The diamonds were held against a rag-mop polisher rotating fairly fast.

1993 S. Stewart Ramlin Rose ix. 98 I'd save every little bit of rag I could fish oop for Moy-chap to make a rag-mop.

rag paper n.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > material for making paper > paper > [noun] > paper made from cloth

rag paper1727

linen-paper1738

cotton paper1752

1727 D. Defoe Gen. Hist. Discov. (new ed.) xvii. 226 Printing was invented by Koster in 1428..Rag Paper in 1452.

1831 Foreign Q. Rev. 8 380 Rag-paper..was also invented in Germany some hundred and fifty years before.

1922 J. J. Sudborough Bernthsen's Text-bk. Org. Chem. (new ed.) xiv. 337 Such paper is termed rag paper.

1990 Opera Now May 102 (advt.) Signed Limited Edition Lithoprints (850) on highest quality ‘Artlaid’ rag paper.

rag puppet n.

ΚΠ

1869 Harper's Mag. Sept. 593/1 I thought to bring home a child to sit upon my knee and play with her rag-puppets, and here instead is a strapping wench as tall as I am.

1912 Newark (Ohio) Advocate 22 Feb. 1/2 High buildings served to form canyons, through which the winds swept in a vortex, hurling pedestrians about as though they were rag puppets.

1992 Guardian (Nexis) 10 Nov. 8 Little Else, and her father, who first appears as a rag puppet manipulated by sinister men in top hats.

rag rug n.

ΚΠ

1858 Baraboo (Wisconsin) Republic 23 Sept. 1/5 Rag rug.

1895 Publ. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 4 227 A woman, nearly blind and knotted with rheumatism, braids rag rugs.

1969 M. Harris Kind of Magic 30 By the fire stretched a lovely rag rug.

2006 Scotl. on Sunday (Nexis) 24 Dec. 13 An artist who makes hand-crafted rag rugs of great beauty, appeared with a new rug to replace the one that had succumbed to the fire.

rag torch n.

ΚΠ

1894 R. Kipling in To-day 6 Jan. 5/1 The doolie-bearers lit the noisome, dripping rag-torches.

1944 G. E. Sen Voiceless India (rev. ed.) iii. xvii. 395 Behind her a man held a rag torch, fed with oil from a slimnecked, fat-bellied bottle.

1996 St. Petersburg (Florida) Times (Nexis) 16 June 3 The family burned rag torches at night to keep mosquitoes away.

b. Objective.

(a) With reference to pieces of old cloth, esp. as used in the papermaking industry.

rag boiler n.

ΚΠ

1835 Times 18 Dec. 2/1 (advt.) Sizing coppers, glazing cylinders, lifting pumps, rag boilers, iron railway, forges..and miscellaneous effects.

1952 Times 15 Sept. 12/1 (advt.) Nearly New Spherical Rag Boilers.

2001 Independent (Nexis) 23 June 10 Spaik lives in the rag-boiler's district with Lieschen.

† rag cleansing n. Obsolete

ΚΠ

1873 Pract. Mag. 1 147 Sanitary arrangement adopted in rag cleansing.

rag cutter n.

ΚΠ

1840 Times 10 Mar. 8/5 (advt.) A Davy's patent rag cutter.

1904 Econ. Jrnl. 14 236 Many of the rag-cutters are middle-aged, married women.

1997 PIMA's North Amer. Papermaker (Nexis) Oct. 58 This method reduces contaminant and fiber degradation and eliminates some material handling equipment such as junk towers, raggers and rag cutters.

rag cutting n.

ΚΠ

1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 939 A rag-cutting and lacerating machine was patented by Mr. Henry Davy, of Camberwell, in September, 1833.

1917 Fitchburg (Mass.) Daily Sentinel 15 Oct. 2/4 His first employment was in the Snow mill... He was placed in the rag cutting room.

2003 Evening Standard (Palmerston, N.Z.) (Nexis) 12 Nov. 13 She described rag-cutting as perhaps not the most glamorous job going, but there was a satisfaction to the work.

rag duster n.

ΚΠ

1858 Whitewater (Wisconsin) Reg. 21 Aug. 1/6 They [sc. the rags] are carried thence by machinery into a rag duster, a box ten feet long by three feet wide, through the center of which revolves a cylinder with spiral arms.

1918 Times 3 Aug. 12/5 (advt.) Paper-making plant, including seven vats, rag dusters and cutters, two rag boilers, washing and beating engines..and other effects.

1942 G. S. Witham Mod. Pulp & Paper Making (ed. 2) ii. 46 Rag dusters are generally built of hardwood boards firmly bolted together.

rag grinder n.

ΚΠ

1833 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus i. viii, in Fraser's Mag. Dec. 676/1 I, the dust-making, patent Rag-grinder, get new material to grind down.

1939 Times 8 Mar. 9/1 Weavers, burlers, menders, rag sorters, and rag grinders are going back to work.

2004 Batley Today (Nexis) 18 Aug. Men maintained the rag grinders, spinning machines, weaving looms and engines and oversaw the general functioning of the mills.

rag grinding n.

ΚΠ

1836 G. Head Home Tour 147 The smell of the rag-grinding process.

1898 Nebraska State Jrnl. 4 Dec. 13/2 If the materials were submitted to the rag-grinding machine in their raw state, the result would be a kind of thread-like appearance.

1992 C. Giles & I. H. Goodall Yorks. Textile Mills iii. 105/1 These sheds also housed..rag grinding, a common process in woollen mills in the Heavy Woollen area.

rag-sifter n.

ΚΠ

1903 N.E.D. at Rag sb.¹ Rag-sifter.

rag sorter n.

ΚΠ

1831 Times 12 Jan. 3/6 The prisoner had been a rag-sorter, and sometimes worked for the witness.

1940 Pacific Affairs 13 99 Her ability to extract information from such diverse persons as tailors and rag sorters, midwives and fortune tellers, policemen and artists, is quite remarkable.

2003 Dewsbury Reporter (Nexis) 7 Feb. Lisa..worked as a rag sorter at Beaumont's.

rag sorting n.

ΚΠ

1850 Times 8 June 12/1 It consists of spacious rag sorting rooms, engine room, a superior range of buildings.

1904 Econ. Jrnl. 14 240 Wood-pulp has been largely substituted for rags, and rag-sorting and cutting consequently are no longer needed.

2004 Batley Today (Nexis) 18 Aug. The many rag sorting factories employed women who sorted hundreds of different kinds of rags, amid the dust that billowed as rags were torn up by hand.

rag stitcher n.

ΚΠ

1853 W. J. Hickie tr. Aristophanes Comedies II. 574 You gossip-gleaner, and drawer of beggarly characters, and rag-stitcher.

1997 Providence (Rhode Island) Jrnl.-Bull. (Nexis) 29 June The rag stitchers and braiders have production goals.

rag washer n.

ΚΠ

1903 N.E.D. at Rag sb.¹ Rag-washer.

1952 F. H. Norris Paper & Paper Making xiv. 222 Water derived from boiler washings and the rag washers is not recoverable.

rag weaving n.

ΚΠ

1902 Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) 22 Feb. 12/4 Both girls..have developed the possibilities of the rag weaving industry to an extent that would surprise the weaver of colonial days, when rag carpets were the property of poor folks.

2006 Dominion Post (Morgantown, W. Va.) (Nexis) 3 Nov. Rag weaving involves cutting old clothing and other fabric items into strips, then weaving them into rugs, totes, table runners and other household items.

(b) With reference to the collection and resale of old clothing and other items that have been discarded (cf. rag-and-bone adj.).

rag collector n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > clearing of refuse matter > refuse disposal > [noun] > rag-collecting or dust-heap picking > one who

kennel-raker1570

finder1607

rag-raker1631

rag-picker1680

bunter1706

rake-kennel1707

rag collector1820

rag gatherer1851

chiffonier1856

gutter-snipe1869

picker1884

tatter1890

totter1891

dumpster diver1985

1820 T. Hodgskin Trav. N. Germany I. v. 173 He wanted to hinder other people, such as rag-collectors,..from seeking their interest.

1935 H. E. Stearns Street I Know i. 24 I know—though now I shiver with shame when I think of it—that I..made it always a point to..to taunt the Jewish rag-collector.

2006 News of World (Nexis) 9 July The bullet-riddled bodies of six Shi'ite rag collectors were found yesterday in a Sunni district of Baghdad.

rag dealer n.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > trader > traders or dealers in specific articles > [noun] > in textiles, clothing, or yarns

mercerc1230

clothier1362

draper1362

woolman1390

yarn-chopper1429

line-draper1436

Welsh drapera1525

telerc1540

purple-seller1547

linen-draper1549

staplera1552

silkman1553

woollen-draper1554

wool-driver1555

woolster1577

linener1616

woolner1619

linen-man1631

ragman1649

rag merchant1665

slop-seller1665

bodice-seller1672

piece-broker1697

wool-stapler1709

cloth-man1723

Manchester-man1755

fleece-merchanta1774

rag dealer1777

man's mercer1789

keelman1821

man-mercer1837

cotton-broker1849

slopper1854

shoddyite1865

costumier1886

cotton-man1906

1777 F. Bottarelli New Ital., Eng. & French Pocket-dict. III. Drillier, cenciajuolo, a rag-dealer.

1884 Cassell's Family Mag. Feb. 156/2 In New York..there are more than 800 rag-dealers.

1930 Jrnl. Amer. Folk-lore 43 202 The devil cries out, ‘I refuse to marry the king's daughter,’ and a rag-dealer substitutes and is cast into the sea.

2004 Express (Nexis) June 24 44 Her father, the manager of a gentlemen's outfitters, did not approve of his daughter associating with a rag dealer.

rag gatherer n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > clearing of refuse matter > refuse disposal > [noun] > rag-collecting or dust-heap picking > one who

kennel-raker1570

finder1607

rag-raker1631

rag-picker1680

bunter1706

rake-kennel1707

rag collector1820

rag gatherer1851

chiffonier1856

gutter-snipe1869

picker1884

tatter1890

totter1891

dumpster diver1985

1635 H. G. Heavens Speedie Hue & Cry 16 Advising all poor simple women to marry an honest man, though but a Ragge-gatherer, rather than a lewd man or a Theefe.

1704 Visits from Shades iii. 21 Rag-gatherers, Cynderwomen, and Oyster Wenches wou'd disclaim her Acquaintance.

1851 H. Mayhew London Labour II. 139/1 The bone-pickers and rag-gatherers are all early risers.

1933 C. S. Braden Mod. Tendencies World Relig. iv. 148 She was an ignorant rag-gatherer, left a widow with eight children to support.

2005 Ventura County (Calif.) Star (Nexis) 29 July 6 Mrs. Wigglesworth spoke of the city's bone pickers, rag gatherers and sewer scavengers.

rag-picker n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > clearing of refuse matter > refuse disposal > [noun] > rag-collecting or dust-heap picking > one who

kennel-raker1570

finder1607

rag-raker1631

rag-picker1680

bunter1706

rake-kennel1707

rag collector1820

rag gatherer1851

chiffonier1856

gutter-snipe1869

picker1884

tatter1890

totter1891

dumpster diver1985

1680 Earl of Rochester et al. Poems 14 Unto this All-sin-sheltring Grove..Great Ladies Chamber-Maids, Drudges; The Rag-picker; and Heiresse trudges.

1771 T. Deletanville New French Dict. (at cited word) Chiffonnier,..a rag-picker.

1829 Times 21 Nov. 2/6 On Sunday night, as the agents of police in Paris were going their rounds, they arrested..a rag picker, who was lying under a gateway.

1932 Jrnl. Royal Statist. Soc. 95 537 Scrap metal buyers and rag-pickers, etc. are an equally large group who make their living from collecting disused material from the public.

2005 V. Swarup Q & A 132 Mounds of filthy garbage lie on every corner, from which rag-pickers still manage to find something useful.

rag-picking adj. and n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > clearing of refuse matter > refuse disposal > [noun] > rag-collecting or dust-heap picking

rag-picking1782

totting1910

tatting1926

1782 W. O'Brien Lusorium 103 Rag-picking blear-ey'd Ciss, And squinting Jack, the bruiser.

1849 Sci. Amer. 22 Sept. 3/3 The same sight..can be seen in New York City, with the exception of the women loading carts, and the entailment of the rag picking business.

1923 H. A. Franck Wandering N. China vi. 192 The peanut-man, the delicatessen wagon,..even the rag-picking women, all have their own cries.

1999 Catholic Herald 30 July 5/6 (advt.) They earn their food by rag-picking..or by washing dishes in hotels.

rag-raker n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > clearing of refuse matter > refuse disposal > [noun] > rag-collecting or dust-heap picking > one who

kennel-raker1570

finder1607

rag-raker1631

rag-picker1680

bunter1706

rake-kennel1707

rag collector1820

rag gatherer1851

chiffonier1856

gutter-snipe1869

picker1884

tatter1890

totter1891

dumpster diver1985

1631 B. Jonson Bartholmew Fayre i. iii. 4 in Wks. II None but..one of these Rag-rakers in dung-hills..would haue beene vp, when thou wert gone abroad.

1849 H. Melville Redburn xxxvi. 227 The rag-rakers, and rubbish-pickers in the streets, sally out bright and early; for then, the night-harvest has ripened.

1882 G. Macdonald Gifts of Child Christ II. 154 Go along, Daddy-devil! Pick yer own bones, an' ha' done. Rag-raker! Skin-cat! Bag o' nails!

1963 E. Dahlberg Because I was Flesh (1965) i. 3 She slopped about the rooms in greasy aprons and dressed more like a rag raker or a chimney sweep.

rag-seller n.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > selling > seller > sellers of specific things > [noun] > sellers of other specific things

soaper?c1225

oilman1275

smear-monger1297

upholder1333

basket-seller?1518

broom-seller?1518

upholster1554

rod-woman1602

starchwoman1604

pin manc1680

colour seller1685

potato-woman1697

printseller1700

rag-seller1700

Greenwich barber1785

sandboy1821

iceman1834

umbrella man1851

fly-boy1861

snuff-boxera1871

pedlar1872

snake-boy1873

bric-a-brac man1876

tinwoman1884

resurrectionist1888

butch1891

paanwallah1955

1700 T. Brown Amusem. Serious & Comical iii. 37 I..was mortally frighted..by the Impudent Ragsellers.

1854 C. Norton Eng. Laws for Women in 19th Cent. 112 The chief witness was a drunken discarded groom, who was then a rag-seller in Monmouth-street.

1935 M. R. Anand Untouchable 17 Although he couldn't buy all the things in the rag-seller's shop he wished to, he had been able to buy the jacket, the overcoat, the blanket he slept under, and have a few annas left over.

1993 USA Today (Nexis) 19 Mar. 1 d Men who passed by the white picket fence—the postman, the rag seller, the iceman—were sometimes startled by the strong scent of flowers.

c. Instrumental.

rag-carpeted adj.

ΚΠ

1843 C. M. Kirkland Half-lengths from Life iv, in New World 21 Oct. 474/1 I led the young gentleman through the shop into the rag-carpeted sitting-room.

1924 News (Frederick, Maryland) 4 Mar. 6/1 Our favorite book, ‘Beyond th' Mississippi’,..would be spread out on th' ole rag carpeted floor.

1960 V. Williams Walk Egypt iv. v. 305 It was rag-carpeted, holes here and there, and smelled of damp wood, cooking, and people.

rag-made adj.

ΚΠ

1854 Sci. Amer. 22 Apr. 251/4 We have no doubt, however, but future improvements will make it equal to common rag-made paper.

1915 Washington Post 31 Dec. 6/5 The golden girl just sighed and sighed Across the rag-made brat, ‘The lucky girl! I wish that I'd A lovely doll like that!’.

1998 Hartford (Connecticut) Courant (Nexis) 1 Mar. 9 The look is..not schoolmarmish like the round bun, severe like the chignon or tacky like the rag-made scrunchie.

C2.

rag baby n. chiefly U.S. in later use = rag doll n. 1.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > toy or plaything > doll > [noun] > rag-doll

mop1440

moppet1682

rag baby1707

rag doll1752

Raggedy Ann1918

Raggedy Andy1920

1707 J. Stevens tr. F. de Quevedo Comical Wks. 277 Do but behold the figure made up of Clouts like a rag Baby.

1840 Knickerbocker Mag. 15 508 For all the world like one of those rag-babies just from the hands of a raw student.

1918 W. Cather My Ántonia v. i. 373 Two girls were washing dishes..and a little one..sat on a stool playing with a rag baby.

2006 Pittsburgh Post-Gaz. (Nexis) 13 Dec. c1 Toys were seldom given as presents, although occasionally a new and exceptionally charming ‘rag baby’ might go into the stocking of a small girl.

rag book n. a book made from cloth, designed for babies and young children.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > book > kind of book > [noun] > children's book

toy book1797

nursery book1818

juvenile1849

rag book1903

1903 Manitoba Free Press 10 Dec. 5/4 (advt.) Dean's Rag Books.

2003 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 10 June 19 He could read already, had taught himself from the golden syrup label and a rag book his mother bought.

† rag-boot n. Obsolete rare a piece of rag tied round the foot of a hen to prevent it from straying.

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1879 A. G. Richey Anc. Laws Ireland IV. Introd. p. cxxix The trespasses of hens may involve negligence on the part of the owner, for by proper rag-boots fowl may be restrained from wandering.

rag box n. (a) (now chiefly North American) a box used for storing rags, esp. worn-out clothes; (b) slang the mouth (rare).

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1766 Proc. Old Bailey 16 Jan. 74/1 I found some of the linen in an old rag-box in the garret.

1801 D. Wordsworth Jrnl. 12 Nov. (1941) I. 79 I put the rag-boxes into order.

1890 R. Kipling in Scots Observer 28 June 149/1 Now all you recruities what's drafted to-day, You shut up your rag-box an' 'ark to my lay.

1902 J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley Slang V. 361/2 Rag-box,..the mouth.

1929 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald 15 May 16/ Let them cut up the garments to make costumes... What used to be the contents of a rag box can be turned into a treasure chest.

1997 Columbian (Vancouver, Washington) (Nexis) 28 Sept. 1 I dive into our laundry-room rag-box, churn through all the pieces of old blue jeans, all the ripped T-shirts and all the toeless socks.

rag bush n. a bush on which rags are hung for ritual or superstitious purposes; cf. rag offering n.

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society > faith > worship > sacrifice or a sacrifice > kinds of sacrifice > [noun] > of rags > that on which rags are fixed

rag-well1777

rag bush1834

rag-tree1880

1834 E. Moor Oriental Fragments i. 52 The rag-bush at Killarney is in keeping with the rag-trees and rag-wells of other parts—India, Persia, England, &c.

1882 C. Elton Orig. Eng. Hist. 285 There is usually a ‘rag-bush’ by the well on which bits of linen or worsted are tied as a gift to the spirit of the waters.

1998 Irish Times (Nexis) 1 Oct. 2 Sixty-five holy wells and a number of sacred trees or rag-bushes and sacred rocks, all bearing saints' names, have been recorded across Co. Offaly.

† rag carrier n. Obsolete slang (chiefly derogatory) an ensign; cf. sense 4b.In quot. 1731 also (punningly): a valet.

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1698Ragg-Carrier [see sense 4b].

1731 H. Fielding Letter-writers i. iii. 10 I must tug along the empty Portmanteau of this shabby No-Pay Ensign... What can a Man expect who is but the Rag-Carrier of a Rag-Carrier.

1807 W. H. Ireland Stultifera Navis lv. 242 'Tis brave to form a noble barrier, And guard the ensign, a rag carrier.

rag-castle n. rare a haunt of beggars.

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1828 T. Carlyle in Edinb. Rev. Dec. 285 The scene is at once a dream, and the very Ragcastle of ‘Poosie-Nansie’.

1859 T. N. Brown Life & Times Hugh Miller (ed. 3) iv. 67 Burns knew its every aspect,..and whether in the halls of the noble, carrying duchesses off their feet, or careering on the crest of riot in the rag-castle of Poosie Nancy, seemed equally at home.

1937 E. Sitwell I live under Black Sun i. xiii. 158 Rag castle after rag castle, the world of beggars was swept along, and night fell upon the two nations who alone inhabit the earth, the rich and the poor.

rag chawing n. U.S. (now rare) = rag chewing n.

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the mind > language > speech > conversation > [noun] > topic of or subject for conversation or gossip > discussion > type of discussion

causerie1827

rag chawing1885

jobation1916

panel discussion1934

wash-up1961

teach-in1965

talk-in1967

rap session1968

whataboutery1974

whataboutism1978

1885 Santa Fé Weekly New Mexican 1 Oct. 1/3 After a few minutes rag-chawing a verdict of ‘came to his death from unknown causes’, is promptly rendered.

1903 Atlanta Constit. 18 Feb. 5/3 For two hours tonight the local legislators had a rag chawing match of a vigorous and enthusiastic character.

rag chewing n. protracted discussion or argument; talking, chatting, (now) esp. among CB radio users; cf. to chew the rag at chew v. 3h.

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1889 Trenton (New Jersey) Times 8 June There has been a great deal of ‘rag chewing’ going on here since June made its appearance.

1937 G. Frankau More of Us xii. 130 Great work Lord Bubbles put in presently Over their teas and pastries and rag-chewing.

2005 Richmond (Va.) Times Dispatch (Nexis) 13 Apr. b2 Within an hour, familiar rag chewing among amateur radio operators would turn into a coordinated effort to save a man's life.

rag content n. the proportion of rag used to make a particular paper; (also attributive) designating paper containing a proportion of rag.

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society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > material for making paper > paper > [noun] > proportion of rag

rag content1919

1919 Wall St. Jrnl. 28 Oct. 8/3 (advt.) This rag-content paper possesses the crisp ‘feel’ and firm fibrous toughness that bespeaks the high grade, quality bond.

1925 Mansfield (Ohio) News 8 Mar. The paper varied in composition from all wood pulp to 35 per cent. rag content.

1967 R. R. Karch & E. J. Buber Graphic Arts Procedures: Offset Processes xi. 479 Rag content is usually 25 percent, 50 percent, 75 percent, or 100 percent.

2004 Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois) (Nexis) 16 July a1 Rag-content paper tends not to get as brown or brittle.

rag dust n. minute particles of rag, originally as used to make papier mâché.

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1847 Sci. Amer. 9 Jan. 128/2 The fibrous material to be used is rag dust, obtained from makers of fine paper.

1910 C. V. Chapin Sources & Modes of Infection v. 180 Among the diseases mentioned are smallpox,..cholera, and a disease peculiar to rag dust, called ‘flock cough’.

1970 Paper Maker Sept. 7 No rags were used in the process—hence the mill's claim to the insurance firms that there was no fire hazard from rag dust.

rag end n. the last part or remnant of something; = fag end n. 1.

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the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > end or conclusion > [noun] > the latter part > mere

butt end1597

fag endc1600

faga1627

tag-end1807

rag enda1869

a1869 R. Leighton Reuben (1875) 76 Into yon wood An owl pass'd like the rag-end of a cloud.

1917 E. Pound Lustra 192 And the booths Were scattered align, the rag ends of the fair.

1991 BOMB Summer 74/1 Sounds stretch out in the station—footsteps, crackling announcements, rag ends of instructions and goodbyes echo and balloon.

rag engine n. Papermaking (now historical) a machine for reducing rags to pulp.

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society > occupation and work > equipment > paper-making equipment > [noun] > for pulping

beater1825

beating-engine1825

rag engine1825

stuff engine1839

poacher1866

poaching engine1870

breaking-enginea1877

Hollander1878

breaker1880

kollergang1890

pulp stone1892

1825 London Jrnl. Arts & Sci. 10 128 The material is again washed..when it is considered fit to be introduced to the ordinary rag-engine, employed in making paper.

1853 A. Ure Dict. Arts (ed. 4) II. 346 The improvements in paper making, for which T. W. Wigley..obtained a patent in 1842, relate to the rag engine.

2001 Jrnl. Amer. Inst. Conservation 40 154/2 One of the great technical innovations in the late 17th century is the Hollander beater or rag engine.

† rag engineer n. Obsolete a person who operates a rag engine.

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society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > producer > maker of paper > [noun] > involved in specific process

hot-presser1621

coucher1751

vat-man1839

sizer1863

rag engineer1875

beater-man1880

paper-glosser1882

1875 E. Young Labor in Europe & Amer. 263 (table) Average Earnings of Operators... Paper making... Rag-engineers... 5 80.

rag-footed adj. now archaic and rare having rags for shoes, badly shod; chiefly figurative.

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1606 W. Birnie Blame of Kirk-buriall xix. sig. F1 Some rag-footed resons that we must refute.

1836 Huron Reflector (Norwalk, Ohio) 23 Aug. The Whigs are about to demolish their golden-headed and rag-footed idol and to scatter its dust to the four winds.

1983 Road & Track Apr. 163/2 It has been unfashionable since the late days of the French Revolution, to be transported through city streets by ragfooted knaves and varlets while you inhale snuff from an engraved silver wrist container.

rag frame n. Mining an inclined table for partially concentrating slimes.

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society > occupation and work > equipment > equipment for treating ores > [noun] > for washing ore > table or frame

frame1778

sleeping table1839

sweeping-table1839

sweep-table1839

bumping table1877

rag frame1904

1904 Eng. Dial. Dict. Rag frame.

1920 Conquest Nov. 17/1 The stream is dammed and the sludge or slime settles, and is allowed to flow through launders which feed automatically-tilting tables of the most ingenious structure... These tables are called rag frames.

1964 A. Nelson Dict. Mining 358 Rag frame, a broad, slightly inclined wooden frame for the rough concentration of slimes.

rag front n. rare a facade or banner of painted canvas displayed at a carnival or circus.

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society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > circus performance > [noun] > pieces of equipment

hoop1793

bed of nails1798

garter1854

safety net1888

net1905

rag front1926

1926 Variety 29 Dec. 7/4 The outdoor show game with its ‘rag front’, ‘silver men’, [etc.].

1980 Carolina Comments Sept. 142 Hunter once worked as a musician in a band with a ‘rag front’ carnival.

raghead n. originally and chiefly U.S. slang (derogatory and offensive) a person who wears a head cloth or turban; a native or inhabitant of a country where such items are customarily worn, esp. a Middle Eastern person (also in extended use).

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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > wearing clothing > [noun] > wearing headgear > one who

redcap1550

flat cap1599

sash1657

black cap1856

white hat1872

shawlie1914

raghead1917

hijabi1986

1917 H. M. Rideout in Saturday Evening Post 1 Sept. 74/4 Before we go any further, I want to own that when you stood talkin' with your raghead friend, Ghanda Singh, last night—well, I could understand part of what you two was sayin'.

1921 P. Casey & T. Casey Gay-cat vi. 70 It's the Ragheads all right—a whole army of Hindoo laborers.

1947 J. Steinbeck Wayward Bus 107 The god-damned rag heads... Whyn't they learn English before they start running around?

2003 A. Swofford Jarhead 16 I'm proud of our president standing up to the evil. Them ragheads is gonna go down.

rag house n. now historical (in the papermaking industry) a building in which rags are stored or prepared.

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1828 Times 3 Nov. 2/6 A fire was discovered in the rag-house at a mill called Hedge-mill, belonging to Mr. Freeman Gage Spicer, paper-manufacturer.

1904 Econ. Jrnl. 14 238 Hours in the rag-house and salle seldom exceed 8 to 5, or 5.30, and in winter are even shorter.

1974 A. G. Thomson Paper Industry in Scotl. p. xiii Illustration of rag house showing cutting and sorting.

rag knife n. Papermaking (now historical) a knife used for cutting rags.

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1770 Proc. Old Bailey 5 Dec. 11/2 I am a paper-maker, and live at Drayton. The prisoner worked with me a great many years. On the 26th of October I found three hundred pounds of white linen rags..and five rag-knives.

1853 Times 1 Jan. 8/2 (advt.) Two tons of rag knives.

1903 G. W. Alling Points for Buyers & Users of Tool Steel xi. 90 Should you be manufacturing rag knives or barking knives..the grades of the best tool steel..will be found to give quite satisfactory results.

1987 J.A. McGaw Most Wonderful Machine ii. 40 For all these tasks they used long rag knives or scythes fixed on posts.

rag-lamp n. U.S. (now historical) a lamp with a rag wick.

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the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > artificial light defined by light-source > [noun] > oil-lamp > types of

lampion1848

rag-lamp1889

bitch1898

chirag1899

Phoebe lamp1935

diya1964

Toc H lamp1977

1889 ‘M. Twain’ Connecticut Yankee xlii. 531 He had re-instituted the ancient rag-lamp.

1916 W. D. Howells Leatherwood God xxi. 211 She did not light the little rag-lamp which she and Jane sometimes sat by with their belated sewing or darning.

2006 D. Bowles Spring House ix. 91 Adam pulled on his pants in the dark and Elizabeth lit a rag lamp.

rag-mannered adj. now historical bad-mannered, rude.

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the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > [adjective] > ill-mannered

unthewedc1175

ill-mannered1422

unmannerlya1425

mannerlessa1500

unmannered?1518

inhonest1534

ungraciousa1535

unrude?1552

misnurtured1553

menseless1568

misleared1578

mismannered1615

unmanneredly1650

rag-mannered1698

1698 J. Collier Short View Immorality Eng. Stage v. 220 This Young Lady swears, talks smut, and is..just as rag-manner'd as Mary the Buxsome.

1710 London's Medicinal Informer 55 If Martin himself be a Quack, he is certainly the most rag-manner'd Quack on Earth.

1939 C. Lederer Eagle’s Quest xiv. 206 He felt more comfortable now, seated beside his rag-mannered host.

1995 J. Feather Valentine vi. 91 Defeated by a stubborn, self-willed, spoiled, rag-mannered young gypsy who refused to look beyond blind prejudice and see what was good for her.

† rag-manners n. Obsolete bad manners, rude behaviour.

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the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > [noun] > unmannerliness > ill-breeding

ungentilesse1390

ungentleness1470

rag-manners1672

under-breeding1673

ungenteelness1706

ill breeding1800

ungentility1822

ungentlemanliness1828

ungentlemanlikeness1848

1672 G. Downing Disc. 50 Their ingratitude, incivility and rag-manners.

1731 Gentleman's Mag. 1 350 Why charge ye Rag-manners thus upon the clergy?

rag market n. a market selling rags; (now also) a market selling various second-hand articles, a flea market.figurative in quot. 1610.

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1610 T. Bell Catholique Triumph v. 174 I will not deny but the Minister hath some skill in botching togeather of old endes of Diuinitie, gathered out of the Ragge market of Caluin.

1645 J. Howell Epistolæ Ho-elianæ i. vii. 11 The Dog and Rag Market is hard by.

1742 Ann. Europe III. ix. 504 A Dozen of Persons..came into the Bezestein of the Friperie, or Rag-Market, with an Emir at their Head.

1852 Times 18 Oct. 5/3 They were followed by the representatives of the rag-market, but their banner did not quite correspond to their name; it was the most tastefully formed of all.

1924 Bull. Metrop. Mus. Art 19 306/1 Years later M. Orville, by rare accident, picked up the companion spur in a rag market for eighty francs.

1998 Independent 9 May i. 11/2 Not for them the run-down streets of the balti belt, or the rag market.

rag merchant n. a rag dealer; (formerly also, derogatory) †a banker or a draper (obsolete).

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society > trade and finance > trader > traders or dealers in specific articles > [noun] > in textiles, clothing, or yarns

mercerc1230

clothier1362

draper1362

woolman1390

yarn-chopper1429

line-draper1436

Welsh drapera1525

telerc1540

purple-seller1547

linen-draper1549

staplera1552

silkman1553

woollen-draper1554

wool-driver1555

woolster1577

linener1616

woolner1619

linen-man1631

ragman1649

rag merchant1665

slop-seller1665

bodice-seller1672

piece-broker1697

wool-stapler1709

cloth-man1723

Manchester-man1755

fleece-merchanta1774

rag dealer1777

man's mercer1789

keelman1821

man-mercer1837

cotton-broker1849

slopper1854

shoddyite1865

costumier1886

cotton-man1906

1665 R. Head Eng. Rogue I. v. 39 Our Vestments look'd like the Gleanings of a Rag-merchants Yard.

1790 Times 5 Feb. 4/3 A Substantial Freehold Brick-Built Dwelling House..let to Mrs. Agnes Steel, Rag Merchant..at Thirty Pounds Per Annum.

1821 W. Cobbett Rural Rides in Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 17 Nov. 1199 The country rag-merchants have now very little to do. They have no discounts. What they have out, they owe; it is so much debt.

1862 ‘F. G. Trafford’ Too much Alone II. ii. 42 Rag merchant. [Note] The above expression does not refer to a marine-store dealer, but simply to a dealer in Manchester goods, who is frequently thus designated in the City.

1939 F. Thompson Lark Rise vii. 133 A few worn-out garments..would be sold to the rag merchant.

2006 Irish Times (Nexis) 8 Nov. 17 There has been an increase in door-to-door collections carried out by commercial rag merchants asking for unwanted clothing.

rag money n. U.S. derogatory (now historical) paper money, banknotes; esp. (during the American Revolutionary period and in the early 19th cent.) banknotes actually or presumed to be depreciated or irredeemable against hard currency; cf. sense 7b.

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society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > [noun]

paper money1669

bank paper1696

paper1704

rag1797

scrieve1800

rag money1808

soft1809

soft currency1837

stamps1872

scratch1914

folding money1930

ready1937

1808 Pittsfiled (Mass.) Sun 1 Oct. 3/4 Cider, Rye, or Indian Corn, will be received in payment—Rag money will not be refused.

1878 N. Amer. Rev. 126 166 The complete disuse and actual repulsion of silver by rag-money.

1932 A. M. Sakolski Great Amer. Land Bubble xi. 235 He [sc. President Jackson] and his cabinet soon realized that the land was paid for in ‘rag money’, i.e., in bank notes that were in many cases irredeemable and worthless.

1999 H. M. Ward War for Independence & Transformation Amer. Society ii. 31 In all the legislatures ‘rag-money’ groups were successful or struck fear among those who championed sound fiscal measures.

rag offering n. a piece of clothing or other rag hung up at a place of religious or superstitious importance (typically a well or standing stone) as a ritual offering, esp. for the cure of disease.

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society > faith > worship > sacrifice or a sacrifice > kinds of sacrifice > [noun] > of rags

rag offering1777

1777 J. Brand Observ. Pop. Antiq. 85 These Rag-offerings are the Reliques of the then prevailing popular Superstition.

1853 B. St. John Village Life in Egypt Contents p. vii Rites performed at Tombs—Alms-giving—Sacrifice—Rag-offerings.

1923 Folk-lore 34 341 St. Enda's well..cures sick persons if their friends pray at it, and has rag offerings hung on the ivy and brambles.

2006 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 16 Sept. 25 First came a limpid, dimpling run of water under mossy trees festooned with ‘clooties’, rag offerings tied to the branches, including a capacious bra and a pair of black lace pants.

rag running n. [in reference to the former method of racing in which the dogs ran along a track to their owners who were waving a rag] slang rare whippet racing.

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1927 Daily Express 25 May 12 A little more foresight and push..might have made ‘rag running’ a very popular entertainment.

ragsackman n. a ragman carrying a sack.Apparently an isolated use.

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1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xv. [Circe] 415 A sackshouldered ragman bars his path. He steps left, ragsackman left.

rag shop n. a shop selling old clothes and other second-hand or discarded articles; also figurative.

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society > trade and finance > trading place > place where retail transactions made > [noun] > shop > shops selling clothes, cloth, or accessories > second-hand

frippery1598

flipperya1625

rag shop1674

old clothes shop1729

rag store1849

tagarene shop1855

1674 Proc. Old Bailey 9 Sept. 4 And coming two days after to a Rag-Shop, being next Door, he was taken upon Suspicion.

1746 R. Skelton in Proc. King’s Comm. Peace ii. ii. 42/2 We have a Rag-Shop in our Cellar, and opposite to that we keep a Green Shop.

1810 Times 3 Nov. Mr. Smith..obtained a warrant to search an old rag-shop..where he suspected his lead had been sold.

1894 G. B. Shaw Let. 23 Apr. (1965) I. 427 You have a perfect rag shop of old ideas in your head.

1927 F. M. Thrasher Gang ii. ix. 153 In the summertime they..work about the ragshops for the junk dealers.

2006 Daily Miner & News (Kenora, Ont.) (Nexis) 1 Apr. 19 Their clothes look like they were bought at a designer's boutique while yours look like they came from a new and used rag shop.

rag store n. chiefly U.S. and Scottish = rag shop n.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > trading place > place where retail transactions made > [noun] > shop > shops selling clothes, cloth, or accessories > second-hand

frippery1598

flipperya1625

rag shop1674

old clothes shop1729

rag store1849

tagarene shop1855

1849 in J. Pagan Glasgow, Past & Present (1851) I. 76 On one side of the court is a vast rag-store, and on the other the dense dwellings of the Irish.

1869 ‘M. Twain’ Innocents Abroad xvi. 157 Filthy dens on first floors, with rag stores in them (the heaviest business in the Faubourg is the chiffonier's).

1958 J. Kesson White Bird Passes ii. 16 Right Laners used the lavatory by the causeway, and Left Laners used the one up beside the rag-store.

1991 A. Blair More Tea at Miss Cranston's viii. 81 When he was making a suit I had to pick up all the clippings... that was called ‘the woollen’ and my mother sold it at the rag store for a few pence.

ragtop n. U.S. slang (a) a convertible car with a soft hood; (also) the hood itself; (b) a trailer or van with a tarpaulin top.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > motor car > [noun] > car with folding top

cabriolet1896

convertible1916

soft-top1940

ragtop1952

drophead1959

1952 Athens (Ohio) Messenger 11 Apr. 14 (advt.) 1940 Buick... Black rag top.

1974 D. Westheimer Olmec Head xvii. 235 Get a ragtop trailer. That's one with a fabric cover instead of a solid top.

1994 Arena Sept. 50/3 What fun, having the coupé converted into a ragtop for the summer and then back again for the winter.

rag-tree n. a tree on which rags are hung for ritual or superstitious purposes; cf. rag bush n.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > worship > sacrifice or a sacrifice > kinds of sacrifice > [noun] > of rags > that on which rags are fixed

rag-well1777

rag bush1834

rag-tree1880

1880 M. J. Walhouse in Jrnl. Anthropol. Inst. 9 106 The Christmas Trees..are but changed survivals of the Pagan rag-trees.

1934 Geogr. Jrnl. 84 476 It reminded me of the rag-trees of Turkistan to which passers-by tie shreds from their garments.

2005 Belfast Tel. (Nexis) 3 Nov. There's an ancient rag-tree, where, from time immemorial, families have tied ribbons to a scrub of a bush.

rag turnsole n. turnsole dye stored in linen rags impregnated with it and then dried; cf. turnsole n. 1a.

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1903 N.E.D. at Rag sb.¹ Rag turnsole.

rag-well n. a well at which rags are hung for ritual or superstitious purposes; cf. rag offering n.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > worship > sacrifice or a sacrifice > kinds of sacrifice > [noun] > of rags > that on which rags are fixed

rag-well1777

rag bush1834

rag-tree1880

1777 J. Brand Observ. Pop. Antiq. 85 A Well in the road to Benton..called The Rag Well.

1855 F. K. Robinson Gloss. Yorks. Words 137 Ragwells, certain springs in the neighbourhood, held sacred in former days for curing diseases... Rags from the garments of those who recovered, were torn off and hung up as offerings to the patron saint of the well.

1957 E. E. Evans Irish Folk Ways (1967) xxi. 302 A rag-well at Clonmel is visited by mountain farmers who hang rag offerings on briars at lambing and calving times.

2000 K. Dowden European Paganism ii. 38 Sometimes the rag-well is associated with healing and the cloth with which the wound was bound and then bathed is hung, complete with the illness, in the tree.

rag wick n. a wick made of rag; (formerly also) †a candle with such a wick (obsolete).

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1529 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Edinb. (1871) II. 6 At thai sell the pund thairof [sc. candle]..for vj d. the rag weyk and v d. the lib. the hardis weyk.

1633 Dumbarton Burgh Rec. (1860) 42 Candill 4^sh pound, when maid with tow wik, and fourtie pennies when rag wik.

1882 Decatur (Illinois) Daily Republican 1 Mar. An old fashioned lard lamp with a rag wick.

1927 C. M. Russell Trails plowed Under 159 In the long winter nights their light was coal oil lamps or candles—sometimes they were forced to use a ‘bitch’, which was a tin cup filled with bacon grease and a twisted rag wick.

2001 Bristol Evening Post (Nexis) 5 Sept. 5 A beer bottle with petrol inside and a rag wick was found in a women's toilet.

rag woman n. a woman who gathers or deals in rags; cf. ragman n.² 3.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > trader > traders or dealers in specific articles > [noun] > in textiles, clothing, or yarns > woman

purpuressc1384

purpurarec1425

silk-womanc1440

paste-wife1550

rag woman1653

merceress1840

draperess1854

linendraperess1868

1653 Mercurius Democritus No. 72. 576 A Grindling Piece of the damnation, daughter to an old Ragg-woman in Golden-lane.., lately took upon her to separate two faithfull Lovers.

1707 J. Stevens tr. F. de Quevedo Comical Wks. 262 The old Woman, who gather'd them [sc. rags] twice a Week about the Streets, as the Rag-women do for the Paper-Mills.

1786 Times 26 Aug. 3/2 The act to oblige drunken tinkers and naked old-cloaths and rag women, to pay 1l. 1s. a year.

1853 Harper's Mag Mar. 491/2 Our old rag woman, though no beauty, is a person of consequence and respectability compared with the last profession in the social chain, that of the ‘chiffonnier’.

1915 Pointer (Dolton, Illinois) 14 May Ever on the lookout for treasure, for money or trinkets, the rag woman resembled some famished ferret on the scent of blood.

2002 St. John's (Newfoundland) Telegram (Nexis) 17 Nov. b2 I like clothes, I always did; not at the moment, if you could see me. I look like the rag woman.

rag wool n. wool obtained by tearing rags into shreds; coarse woollen yarn made from this; cf. shoddy n. 1a.

ΚΠ

1851 Democratic State Reg. (Watertown, Wisconsin) 15 Apr. 1/7 A great demand has arisen for rag wool.

1902 Jrnl. Royal Statist. Soc. 65 121 Cotton, wool, worsted, rag-wool, silk are worked together in various combinations.

2006 Bangor (Maine) Daily News (Nexis) 2 Mar. c1 Such shoes, made from rag wool, have been worn for decades in Eastern Europe and Russia.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	rag
释义	ragn.¹ Brit. /raɡ/, U.S. /ræɡ/ Forms: early Middle English ragghe, Middle English 1600s– rag, Middle English–1700s ragg, Middle English–1800s ragge, 1800s wrag. Origin: Of uncertain origin. Etymology: Origin uncertain; perhaps originally the same word as rag n.² (see discussion at that entry). Compare ragstone n.Apparently attested earlier as a field name: Rages (13th cent.), West Riding of Yorkshire. 1. †a. A piece or mass of hard or rough stone (cf. sense 2). Cf. ragstone n. 2a. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > mass > [noun] > of stone rag1278 1278 Bursar's Rolls, Merton Coll. in Archæol. Jrnl. (1846) 2 142 Pro ij magnis lapidibus qui vocantur ragghes. 1375–6 in R. E. G. Kirk Acct. Abingdon Abbey (1892) 29 Pro scapulacione ccix pedum de rages, xvij s. v d. a1472 in J. J. Wilkinson Receipts & Expenses Bodmin Church (1875) 30 (MED) Item, for grete Raggis for the Porch, xiij s. x d. ob. 1609 P. Holland tr. Ammianus Marcellinus Rom. Hist. xxxi. x. 417 Taking up their standing upon the craggie rockes and ragges round about. 1627 G. Hakewill Apologie iv. v. 327 They meete with rockes of flint and ragges, which they are driven to cleaue & pierce thorow with fire. b. A large, coarse roofing slate. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > stone or rock > [noun] > building stone > stone of the nature of slate > for roofing > piece of > large rag1772 Welsh rag1777 1772 C. Rawlinson Directory Patent-slating sig. A2 Covering Buildings with Slates, or Rags, which..will..effectually prevent the roofs of such buildings from being rifled by the most violent winds. 1823 P. Nicholson New Pract. Builder 396 Patent slating was originally composed of slates called the Welsh Rags. 1842 J. Gwilt Encycl. Archit. ii. ii. 501 Welsh rags are next in goodness [to Westmorland slates]. 1865 J. T. F. Turner Familiar Descr. Old Delabole Slate Quarries 15 A large, rough kind, of varying dimensions, having one side uncut. These are termed ‘rags’, from their ragged appearance. 1906 J. Hockaday in Victoria Hist. County Cornwall I. 521/1 The rags make a stronger roof than sizes, being thicker and generally rather coarser. 1997 Dict. Mining, Mineral & Related Terms (Amer. Geol. Inst.) (ed. 2) 443/2 Rag, a large roofing slate left rough on one side. †c. British regional. A whetstone; = ragstone n. 2b. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > shaping tools or equipment > [noun] > sharpening > whetstone whetstonec725 hone-stone1393 filourc1400 hone1440 rub1502 rubber1553 knife-stone1571 stone1578 oilstone1585 block1592 oil whetstone1601 greenstone1668 scythe-stone1688 water stone1703 sharping-stone1714 Scotch stone1766 honer1780 Turkey hone1794 polishing-slate1801 burr1816 Turkey stone1816 German hone1817 Arkansas1869 rag1877 rock1889 slipstone1927 1877 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. Rag, a whetstone. 1897 Trans. Dumfr. & Galloway Antiq. Soc. 30 Here is another whetstone found on Carcomains, Kirkconnel, but more modern in appearance. Very likely this is one of the ‘rags’ used in the days when clenched back reaping hooks were in use. 2. Any hard, coarse sedimentary rock that can be readily broken into thick slabs for use as paving, whetstones, etc.; = ragstone n. 1. Formerly also †in plural with singular agreement. coral, Kentish rag: see the first element. Cf. ragstone n. 1. ΘΚΠ the world > the earth > structure of the earth > constituent materials > stone > [noun] > hard stone > ragstone rag1313 ragstone1333 ferrilite1794 society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > stone or rock > [noun] > building stone > other types of building stone rag1313 mould-stone1353 Caen-stone1421 ornel1432 Yorkshire stone1569 Portland stone1633 bluestone1709 fieldstone1797 whitbed1812 water stone1815 cabook1834 chimney rock1847 Ham Hill stone1889 1313 in L. F. Salzman Building in Eng. (1992) vii. 128 (MED) [A barge-load of] grey stone called ragg. 1365 in M. C. B. Dawes Reg. Black Prince (1933) IV. 562 (MED) [400 cartloads of stone..150 shall be of great stone called] gretragge. tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Duke Humfrey) (1896) i. 318 (MED) First thy grount assay, If hit be ragge or roche, & [read on] hit thow foote In depth a foote or too. 1446 in J. C. Cox Churchwardens' Accts. (1913) vi. 80 For vj ton and j pip of Folston [sc. Folkestone] rag. 1606 P. Holland tr. Suetonius Hist. Twelve Caesars 230 He laid foundations of piles..and hewed rocks of most hard flint and rag. 1656 R. Sanderson 20 Serm. 304 A little Diamond may be more worth then a whole quarry of ragge. 1751 S. Whatley England's Gazetteer at Nutfield A metalline kind of substance (that looks like cast-iron, and is called ragges) much esteemed hereabouts for paving. 1769 Defoe's Tour Great Brit. (ed. 7) I. 158 A Kind of Paving Stone, called Kentish-rags. 1837 Civil Engineer & Architect's Jrnl. 1 72/1 At a depth varying from 5 to 7 feet from the surface, is the first bed of stone called rag; this is a coarse tough stone. 1844 Civil Engineer & Architect's Jrnl. 7 63/1 Two stone offices..formed of Kentish wrag ashlar. 1847 Ld. Tennyson Princess iii. 64 Hornblende, rag and trap and tuff. 1879 F. Rutley Study of Rocks iii. 20 Some..as the Kentish rag, afford good building stones. 1908 Geogr. Jrnl. 32 277 The Hythe Beds, an important water-bearing bed, consist of alternate layers of hard limestone and chert termed rag. 1942 Mariner's Mirror 28 21 The transport of coral rag and firewood. 2005 Western Morning News (Plymouth) (Nexis) 15 June 7 The farmhouse is an attractive south-facing property traditionally constructed with stone and part cob elevations under a rag slate roof. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022). ragn.² Brit. /raɡ/, U.S. /ræɡ/ Forms: Middle English–1500s rage, Middle English–1600s ragge, Middle English–1700s (1800s– English regional (Devon)) ragg, Middle English– rag, 1800s reg (English regional (Yorkshire)); Scottish pre-1700 radg, pre-1700 rage, pre-1700 1700s– rag, pre-1700 1900s– ragg, 1700s raigg, 1800s– raag (Shetland). Origin: Probably a borrowing from early Scandinavian. Etymology: Probably < early Scandinavian (compare Old Icelandic rǫgg tuft, shagginess, strip of fur, Norwegian ragg , Old Swedish rag (Swedish ragg ), Old Danish rag coarse, shaggy animal hair), probably (with the operation of Holtzmann's Law) < an ablaut variant (o -grade) of the same Indo-European base as classical Latin ruere to churn or plough up, dig out (see roo v.¹). Compare rag n.¹ Compare earlier raggy adj.¹ and also ragged n.The difference in sense between this noun and the Scandinavian forms cited above probably reflects semantic influence from the adjectives raggy adj.¹ and ragged adj.¹; compare also Scandinavian forms cited at those entries. The origin of sense 10 is uncertain; it may have arisen as a miscopying of rage (see rage n. 7), the more common form in this context, understood semantically as alluding to the colt's shaggy coat (compare raggy adj.¹, ragged adj.¹ 1b) and perhaps reinforced by proverbial use of ragged colt n. at ragged adj.¹ 1b, which appears to predate this sense. Compare also rake n.⁵ and discussion at that entry. Sense 13 may perhaps show a different word, reflecting an unattested by-form of Old English ragu lichen (see staneraw n. and compare earlier hazel rag n. at hazel n. and adj. Compounds 2c). Apparently attested earlier as a surname, as Galfridus Rag de Bamburg (1222), Willelmus Ragge (1230), William Ragges (1275). Earlier use (in Old English as an early borrowing from Scandinavian) in a sense relating to animal hair is perhaps implied in raggy adj.¹; compare also ragged adj.¹ 1. I. Senses relating to cloth or clothing. 1. a. In plural. Tattered or ragged clothes. Frequently in in rags. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > ragged or tattered ragsa1350 dud1508 jag1555 shred1615 rillin1900 the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > wearing clothing > [adverb] > in specific way to (also into, unto) one's (also the) shirtc1300 in or of (a) suitc1325 in ragsa1350 in (also on) one's shirtc1380 in suit of or with1389 thinlya1400 in suit with1488 finely?1552 raggedly1552 smoothly1579 garish1590 briskly1592 in one's waistcoat1607 in mourning1621 in cuerpoa1640 in gala1757 airily1768 plain1808 in mufti1816 in, on one's stocking-soles1827 seedily1837 in beaver1840 back to front1869 dowdily1887 dossily1903 head-to-toe1946 sharp1951 sharply1965 understatedly1972 the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > refuse or rubbish > [noun] > textile material ragsa1350 pelt1567 tat1839 the world > the earth > structure of the earth > constituent materials > stone > [noun] > piece of coarse stone ragsa1350 ragstone?c1425 society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > stone or rock > [noun] > other stone used in industry or construction ragsa1350 ragstone?c1425 touchstone1482 hardstone1549 tarso1662 weather-stone1686 rumlar1829 ballast1839 bluestone1849 workstone1906 a1350 in R. H. Robbins Hist. Poems 14th & 15th Cent. (1959) 8 (MED) Þus we beþ honted from hale to hurne; þat er werede robes, nou wereþ ragges. a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. 1723 (MED) As he hire couthe best adresce, In ragges, as sche was totore. a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 78 Honest ȝemen..Ar now arrayit in raggis. 1549 H. Latimer 2nd Serm. before Kynges Maiestie 5th Serm. sig. Sii Another poore womanne was hanged for stealynge a fewe ragges of a hedge. 1620 tr. G. Boccaccio Decameron II. x. x. f. 186^v The Ladies..attending on Grizelda to her Chamber..tooke off her poor contemptible rags, and put on such costly robes, which..she vsed to weare before. 1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 9 In Life Hee is a true Actor..that lives his part Sutably, to strut in Rags, or Crawle in Robes, equally transgresse Decorum. 1722 D. Defoe Moll Flanders 10 I went very Neat, and always Clean; for that I would do, and if I had Rags on, I would always be Clean. 1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson ii. v. 187 He was..all in rags, being but just got out of Paita goal. 1835 C. J. Latrobe Rambler in N. Amer. II. xii. 222 They land upon the wharfs of New York in rags and open-knee'd breeches. 1898 Argosy Aug. 170 For the last year he had kept himself, he scarce knew how, a beggar in rags, with a little dole of pesos now and again. 1933 Amer. Mercury May 65/2 The staff of white doctors and nurses is kept busy by sick natives, who in their dirt-caked rags may be seen asleep on the parched earth outside. 1958 I. Fleming Dr. No i. 11 The three men were dressed in rags and wore dirty jippa-jappa baseball caps with long peaks. 1990 R. Giroux Deed of Death iv. 54 He was forced to wear rags and tatters a beggar would scorn. b. figurative and in figurative contexts. ΚΠ a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) II. 226 (MED) Cristene men shulden þenke shame to cloþe hem above wiþ raggis, and foule þe worþi suyt of Crist. 1602 S. Nicholson Serm. ii. B. 6^v Let the Papistes cloath themselues in the rags of their owne Righteousnes. 1659 J. Pearson Expos. Apostles Creed iv. 373 To put on the raggs of our infirmity before the robe of majesty and immortality? 1700 J. Dryden Chaucer's Wife of Bathe's Tale in Fables 495 I begin In Virtue cloath'd, to cast the Rags of Sin. 1739–40 D. Hume Human Nature iii. 584 Virtue in rags is still virtue. 1807 G. Crabbe Parish Reg. iii, in Poems 132 My Moral-Rags, defile me every one. 1843 T. Carlyle Past & Present ii. xvii. 172 The superannuated rags and unsound callosities of Formulas. 1924 R. Campbell Flaming Terrapin iii. 45 Their spirits shed their gross Rags of despair. 1947 B. Feller Strikeout Story iv. 32 They see..a Cleveland team wearing baseball's purple robes after 16 years in the rags of the underdog. 2000 Guardian 9 Mar. ii. 3/4 Meanwhile, Hullonians show little dramatic inclination to leave their city, which is indeed a princess emerging from rags. c. colloquial (originally U.S.). An article of clothing or garment of any kind (not in poor condition); (in plural) clothing, clothes.See also glad rags at glad adj. 4f. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > [noun] clothesc888 hattersOE shroudc1000 weedOE shrouda1122 clothc1175 hatteringa1200 atourc1220 back-clout?c1225 habit?c1225 clothingc1275 cleadinga1300 dubbinga1300 shroudinga1300 attirec1300 coverturec1300 suitc1325 apparel1330 buskingc1330 farec1330 harness1340 tire1340 backs1341 geara1350 apparelmentc1374 attiringa1375 vesturec1385 heelinga1387 vestmentc1386 arraya1400 graitha1400 livery1399 tirementa1400 warnementa1400 arrayment1400 parelc1400 werlec1400 raiment?a1425 robinga1450 rayc1450 implements1454 willokc1460 habiliment1470 emparelc1475 atourement1481 indumenta1513 reparel1521 wearing gear1542 revesture1548 claesc1550 case1559 attirement1566 furniture1566 investuring1566 apparelling1567 dud1567 hilback1573 wear1576 dress1586 enfolding1586 caparison1589 plight1590 address1592 ward-ware1598 garnish1600 investments1600 ditement1603 dressing1603 waith1603 thing1605 vestry1606 garb1608 outwall1608 accoutrementa1610 wearing apparel1617 coutrement1621 vestament1632 vestiment1637 equipage1645 cask1646 aguise1647 back-timbera1656 investiture1660 rigging1664 drapery1686 vest1694 plumage1707 bussingc1712 hull1718 paraphernalia1736 togs1779 body clothing1802 slough1808 toggery1812 traps1813 garniture1827 body-clothes1828 garmenture1832 costume1838 fig1839 outfit1840 vestiture1841 outer womana1845 outward man1846 vestiary1846 rag1855 drag1870 clo'1874 parapherna1876 clobber1879 threads1926 mocker1939 schmatte1959 vine1959 kit1989 the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > [noun] > garment or article of raileOE i-wedeOE reafOE shroudc1000 weedOE back-cloth?c1225 hatter?c1225 clouta1300 coverturec1300 garment1340 vesturec1384 clothc1385 vestmentc1386 jeryne?a1400 clothinga1425 gilla1438 raiment1440 haterella1450 vestimenta1500 indumenta1513 paitclaith1550 casceis1578 attire1587 amice1600 implements1601 cladment1647 enduement1650 vest1655 body garment1688 wearable1711 sledo1719 rag1855 number1894 opaque1903 daytimer1936 1855 Knickerbocker 45 502 Oh! the robe was of moire antique, (a very expensive ‘rag’). 1883 ‘M. Twain’ Life on Mississippi iii. 43 I stood up and shook my rags off and jumped into the river. 1903 Notes & Queries Dec. 513/1 ‘Raggie’ is of course diminutive or fond for ‘rag’, i.e. coat, tunic. I remember my uncle, writing to congratulate me on passing into the R.M. Academy, Woolwich, many years ago, asking me if I was ‘going to sport the blue rag or the red one’—R.A. or R.E. 1942 E. Langley Pea Pickers vii. 87 The crumbling flat irons were pressed to every rag we possessed. 2001 C. Glazebrook Madolescents 210 I throw on the nearest rags, hotfoot out the back door,..and jump on a Metro into town. 2. A piece of old cloth, esp. one torn from a larger piece; (in early use) esp. any of the scraps to which a garment is reduced by wear and tear. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > [noun] > piece of > rag > a rag clout?c1225 rata1250 ragc1390 shrag?a1400 tatter-wagc1400 tatter1402 jag1555 libbet1627 tatter-wallop1808 tat1839 tag1840 trollopa1843 fent1844 raggle1888 lappie1892 c1390 Talkyng of Love of God (Vernon) (1950) 42 (MED) Ihesu..Þer weore þou wounden and swaþeled in Ragges. a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Jer. xxxviii. 11 He took fro thennus elde clothis and elde ragges. c1480 (a1400) St. Alexis 411 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 453 His clathis in ragis he rafe. a1500 (a1400) Ipomedon (Chetham) (1889) 6571 (MED) A thredbare tabard full of raggis..He on his armore caste. ?1548 J. Bale Comedy Thre Lawes Nature ii. sig. Bviij^v Ragges, rotten bones, and styckes. 1609 P. Holland tr. Ammianus Marcellinus Rom. Hist. 400 [A coat] over-rotten and run to ragges and tatters. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iii. 491 Cowles, Hoods and Habits..tost And flutterd into Raggs . View more context for this quotation 1737 S.-Carolina Gaz. 28 May 4/1 Ready Money for old Raggs may be had of the Printer hereof. 1769 W. Buchan Domest. Med. ii. 227 Mustard whey..is made by tying in a linen rag a table-spoonful of common mustard bruised [etc.]. 1820 P. B. Shelley Vision of Sea in Prometheus Unbound 174 The rags of the sail Are flickering. 1887 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 1 28/1 We believe that rags are frequently disinfected by the owners of paper mills. 1938 N. Streatfeild Circus is Coming 206 Nobody who was not mad was going to curl their hair in rags every night. 1956 Marriage & Family 18 4/2 He..used a rag to dry himself with, instead of his shirt-tail. 1997 Classic Boat May 72/3 Dampen a clean rag with thinners and carefully wipe any remaining dust from the timber. 3. Chiefly in negative contexts (frequently with of). a. The smallest scrap of cloth or clothing. Also figurative. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > [noun] > fragment of shred?a1400 rag?1536 the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > [noun] > piece of > other pieces piece?c1430 fasel1440 speckc1440 pane1459 rag?1536 remnant1571 fag end1607 swatch1647 cut1753 rigg1769 hag's teeth1777 bias1824 spetch1828 shredlet1840 bias tape1884 short end1960 ?1536 R. Copland Hye Way to Spyttell Hous sig. A.iii^v Lowsy and scalde and pylled lyke as apes With scantly a rag for to couer theyr shapes. 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. x. sig. Y4 Without or robe, or rag, to hide his shame. a1630 Faithful Friends (1975) iv. iv. 2695 I prize poore Vertue with a ragg better than vyce with both the Indies. 1663 S. Butler Hudibras: First Pt. i. i. 43 He had First Matter seen undrest..Before one Rag of Form was on. 1742 H. Fielding Joseph Andrews II. iv. xiv. 283 Parson Adams..jumped out of Bed, and without staying to put a rag of Clothes on [etc.] . View more context for this quotation 1782 F. Burney Cecilia III. v. i. 22 Won't leave him a rag to his back, nor a penny in his pocket. 1836 N. P. Willis Inklings of Adventure II. 146 I had not a rag of clothes dry or clean. 1873 Routledge's Young Gentleman's Mag. May 366/1 The ‘week's wash’ had disappeared. Every rag of it. 1918 G. E. Griffin Ballads of Regiment 39 What in blazes do you mean By sounding off and beefing, not a rag upon you clean. 1966 Delta Democrat-Times (Greenville, Mississippi) 30 Dec. 6/5 She had scarcely a rag to her back. 2006 Canberra Times (Nexis) 18 Mar. b6 Women attending hospital to give birth have nothing—not even a rag of cloth—to wrap their newborn baby. b. Nautical. The smallest scrap of sail. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > masts, rigging, or sails > sail > [noun] > very small or light sail rag1653 pocket handkerchief1892 1653 H. Cogan tr. F. M. Pinto Voy. & Adventures xiii. 40 We passed that night..without bearing so much as a rag of sail. 1741 Amer. Traveller 159 Thus they run on without a Rag of Sail, but with bare Masts. 1788 J.-N. de Sauseuil tr. J. Bourdé de Villehuet Manœuverer vi. 96 Those most violent and sudden shifts of wind, when ships generally loose every rag of canvas they have set. 1804 Naval Chron. 11 258 Steering after them with every rag of sail set. 1846 Sci. Amer. 5 Dec. 83/2 One hour later she could not have been rescued, for by the time she reached her anchorage no vessel could have carried a rag of sail in the open bay. 1894 Indiana (Pa.) Democrat 6 Sept. There wasn't another rag of sail out but our'n. 1910 H. de V. Stacpoole Blue Lagoon viii. 56 Sure, they are lyin' to—divil a rag of canvas on her. 1934 Mariner's Mirror 20 317 Soon shü'll no' staand a rag ipon her. 2002 Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Nexis) 16 Aug. a1 Lord knows what it [sc. the phrase ‘tall ship’] means except anything that's got a rag of canvas on it. 4. spec. a. Originally: a piece of cloth used by women to absorb menstrual flow. In later use (chiefly U.S. slang): a sanitary towel. to have the rag on: to be menstruating. See also to be on the rag, Phrases 7(a). Cf. jam-rag n. (c) at jam n.² Additions. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > cleaning or cleanliness of the person > [noun] > sanitary protection > sanitary towel rag1606 jam-rag1869 napkin1873 pad1881 sanitary towel1881 towel1896 sanitary napkin1917 sanitary pad1926 bloodclaat1956 bumboclaat1967 1606 R. Field Of Church i. xviii. 35 The Prophet Esay pronounceth, that all our righteousnesse is like the polluted and filthy ragges of a menstruous woman. 1699 T. Edwards Paraselene dismantled of her Cloud 284/3 Even all our own Righteousness and Righteousnesses, which are as an unclean thing, as a menstruous Rag. c1890 Stag Party Her month being over she took off the rag. ?1939 ‘Justinian’ Americana Sexualis 34 She's got the rag on... She's wearing the rag. 1970 G. Greer Female Eunuch 51 Male disgust [for menstruation] expressed in terms like having the rags on. 2003 Bitch Summer 50/2 As he brags about the encounter to his friends, a spot of blood appears on the boy's pants and his friends rib him, asking, ‘Did you get her rag, too?’ †b. colloquial (mildly derogatory). A flag. Obsolete.Recorded earliest in rag carrier n. at Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ society > communication > indication > insignia > standard > [noun] > flag fanea1000 pennon1404 thane1496 flag1530 rag1698 whiffler1760 flourisher1834 pennant1863 1698 T. D'Urfey Campaigners i. i. 10 May the next Poll of Ling choak me, if one of those Poltroons, a Redcoat Ragg-Carrier of a Regiment..had not like to have snapp'd her away t'other day. 1746 New-Year's Verses 1 Jan. (single sheet) He'll then display the..Flag O'er the French Sheet and Spanish Rag. 1832 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Jan. 117/1 Under their tri-color—the rascally rag. 1878 B. Howard Banker's Daughter in Banker's Daughter & Other Plays (1941) iii. 116 Count de Carojac needs neither the American rag nor the American petticoat to protect him. 1892 R. Kipling Widow at Windsor in Coll. Verse (1907) 281 You won't get away from the tune that they play To the bloomin' old rag over'ead. 5. As a mass noun: material (esp. paper) made from or consisting of a rag or rags. Cf. rag paper n. at Compounds 1a(b) and Compounds 1b(a).The use of cotton rag in papermaking is now typically restricted to higher-quality paper. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > [noun] > piece of > rag rag1676 1676 Earl of Monmouth & W. Brent tr. G. Gualdo Priorato Hist. France x. 522 The Women, Children, and all others, took some white mark, and who had nothing else, got a piece of Rag, or white Paper. 1739 S. Sharp Treat. Operations Surg. ii. ⁋xxvii. A sore should never be wiped by drawing a piece of tow or rag over it, but only by dabbing it with fine lint. 1799 I. Weld Trav. N. Amer. viii. 67 The grease and the bits of rag, which are called patches, are carried in a little box. 1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 375 Compressing the fibres of rag together, for the purpose of making them cohere, and thereby giving tenacity to the paper. 1880 J. Dunbar Pract. Papermaker 24 The rags must..be..drawn out into fibre without having the smallest particle of rag unreduced to half-stuff. 1922 Handbk. Quality-standard Papers (Amer. Writing Paper Co.) 360 Onion Skin. A thin, transparent, highly glazed paper made of rag and sulphite. 1941 J. Agee & W. Evans Let us now praise Famous Men 157 They are drawn shut and secured, one by a leather strap over a nail, the other by a piece of rag over a nail. 1990 Artist's & Illustrator's Mag. May (verso front cover) As you would expect, the paper is 100 per cent rag. II. Senses relating to something compared to a torn piece of cloth. 6. a. A torn or irregularly shaped piece of something, esp. a shred of flesh; a fragment, a scrap, a remnant. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > a separate part > a fragment shreddingc950 brucheOE shredc1000 brokec1160 truncheonc1330 scartha1340 screedc1350 bruisinga1382 morsel1381 shedc1400 stumpc1400 rag?a1425 brokalyc1440 brokeling1490 mammocka1529 brokelette1538 sheavec1558 shard1561 fragment1583 segment1586 brack1587 parcel1596 flaw1607 fraction1609 fracture1641 pash1651 frustillation1653 hoof1655 arrachement1656 jaga1658 shattering1658 discerption1685 scar1698 twitter1715 frust1765 smithereens1841 chitling1843 ?a1425 MS Hunterian 95 f. 104 Ȝif it be a canker..þer gone oute þerof as þer were foule ragges & rotennesse. a1450 York Plays (1885) 271 (MED) All to ragges schall ye rente hym and ryue hym. 1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boece Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) 6675 Quhill mony targe and scheild Raif into raggis, and mony speiris brak. 1555 W. Waterman tr. J. Boemus Fardle of Facions ii. ix. 207 Then take thei the dead mannes heade, and pike the braine oute cleane, with all other moistures and ragges. 1650 T. Fuller Pisgah-sight of Palestine i. ii. 6 Some proud Geographer will scarce stoop to take up so small a Ragge of land into his consideration. 1667 K. Philips Poems Pref. sig. A2^v Some infernal Spirits or other have catch'd those rags of Paper. 1753 T. Smollett Ferdinand Count Fathom I. xxiv. 156 I could get no eatables upon the ruoad, but what they call Bully, which looks like the flesh of Pharaoh's lean kine stewed into rags and tatters. 1762 Ann. Reg. 1761 ii. 7 Where meat is plentiful they boil the offal to rags. 1820 P. B. Shelley Sensitive Plant in Prometheus Unbound 169 A murderer's stake, Where rags of loose flesh yet tremble on high. 1873 W. Black Princess of Thule i. 1 Volumes and flying rags of cloud. 1922 J. Joyce Ulysses i. iii. [Proteus] 46 The dog yelped running to them,..a rag of wolf's tongue redpanting from his jaws. 1956 R. Sutcliff Shield Ring iv. 45 The last pale rags of the mist were rolling away among the high fell corries as they came though the pass. 1996 Observer 31 Mar. (Life Suppl.) 57/1 The flowers are tender, often being caught by late frosts and reduced to sad rags. b. figurative. Of immaterial things. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > a separate part > a fragment > specifically of something immaterial rag1528 1528 J. Skelton Honorificatissimo: Replycacion agaynst Yong Scolers sig. Aii A lytell ragge of Rethorike A lesse lumpe of Logyke. 1579 E. K. in E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Ep. Ded. They patched vp the holes with peces and rags of other languages. a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1953) VI. 170 First and last are but ragges of time. 1707 tr. P. Le Lorrain de Vallemont Curiosities in Husbandry & Gardening 29 The Belief..is a Rag of the Peripatetick Philosophy. 1791 T. Jefferson Let. 15 Apr. in Papers (1982) XX. 215 The least rag of Indian depredation will be an excuse to raise troops. 1807 Salmagundi 16 May 193 One of our furious looking little fiddlers, flourishing his fiddlestick at the rate of one hundred and fifty bars in a minute, tearing an honest, portly, peaceable semibreve ‘to tatters, to very rags’. 1893 Times 22 Apr. They have no rag of evidence to uphold them. 1922 E. Sitwell Façade 14 Limp in bright crackling rags of laughter. 1957 ‘A. Bannon’ Odd Girl Out vii. 67 Her excitement burned the last rags of Laura's reserve. 1990 C. R. Johnson Middle Passage (1991) v. 111 He knew lots of queer arcana too—rags of dubious learning, like how many divisions were in Hell (four). †c. A small or the smallest possible amount of money; (cant) a farthing. Chiefly in negative contexts (cf. sense 3). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > English coins > [noun] > farthing farthingc950 ferlingc1000 quadransOE quarter1389 quadrantc1450 quatrinc1470 Q1530 quadrine1557 rag1592 qua1631 grig1657 Jack?c1690 fadge1789 daddler1900 1592 T. Lodge Euphues Shadow sig. M^v They wright good tales, and reape much taunts, and are answered with, oh it is a proper man: but neuer a rag of money. a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) iv. iv. 87 Monie by me? Heart and good will you might [send], But..not a ragge of Monie. View more context for this quotation a1625 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Captaine iv. ii, in Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Hh4/1 Jac. 'Twere good she had a little foolish money... Host. Not a rag, Not a Deniere. 1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Rag, a Farthing. 1741 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 3 Dec. (1906) 315 Here is the most profound peace and unbounded plenty that it is to be found in any corner of the universe; but not one rag of money. 1799 Sketches Mod. Life I. x. 258 She had not a rag of money, or she mought have been let out by now. 1819 J. H. Vaux New Vocab. Flash Lang. in Memoirs II. 160 Bug over the rag , hand over the money. 7. a. colloquial. A newspaper or magazine, esp. one regarded as inferior or worthless. ΘΚΠ society > communication > journalism > journal > newspaper > [noun] intelligencer1598 courant1621 coranto1624 paper1642 mercury1643 newsletter1665 newspaper1667 slip1688 raga1734 news1738 gazetteer1742 sheet1754 news sheet1841 spread1848 linen-draper1857 newsprint1897 blat1932 linen1955 mimeo newspaper1973 1645 Mercurius Britanicus No. 100. 889 Not an Aulicus, nor a Declaration, nor a Proclamation, nor a tel-tale Epistle, nor so much as a Royall ragge of Intelligence or Slander to be met with.] a1734 R. North Examen (1740) ii. v. §14 323 Would any one expect in Print, upon tolerable Paper, and a clear Character, such Malice and Knavery as lies here, scarce fit for Midnight Grubstreet Rags. 1885 Sporting Times 11 Apr. 1/4 Too bad, too bad! after getting fourteen days or forty bob, the bally rag don't even mention it. 1889 Spectator 23 Nov. 712/1 Every rubbishy rag now contains the ‘news’. 1927 Amer. Mercury Feb. p. xl This rag never chucks slang in this here editorial colyum, where we wise-crack in schmoos as legit as the three-shell racket. 1977 J. I. M. Stewart Madonna of Astrolabe i. 27 A fugitive rag put out by one of our junior members. 2005 Word Feb. 47/1 Did you know that your competitors are paying sales reps to go round taking your magazine off display and replacing it with their inferior rags? b. slang. A banknote, paper money, spec. counterfeit money; (also) money in general. Cf. sense 6c and rag money n. at Compounds 2. In later use chiefly U.S. Now rare. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > [noun] paper money1669 bank paper1696 paper1704 rag1797 scrieve1800 rag money1808 soft1809 soft currency1837 stamps1872 scratch1914 folding money1930 ready1937 society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > [noun] > small coins collectively > a small coin orkyn1542 liarda1549 solda1549 scute1594 orkey1648 sock1688 styca1705 dump1821 scuddick1823 bit1829 posh1830 rag1866 tosser1935 1797 T.B. Pettyfogger Dramatized 27 Dam'me! couldn't one get a few of his rags? 1811 Lexicon Balatronicum (at cited word) The cove has no rag; the fellow has no money. 1846 ‘Lord Chief Baron’ Swell's Night Guide (new ed.) 14 The pleasure-seeker may gain admission, if his appearance proclaim that he is in possession of the rag—the tin to defray the unavoidable demands upon his purse. 1866 Night Side N.Y. 63 The counterfeiter..usually selects the approach of falling night as the time for putting his worthless ‘rags’ in circulation. 1904 Life in Sing Sing xiii. 258 Gloss. Getting the rags from a greaser, buying counterfeit money from an Italian. 1955 D. W. Maurer in Publ. Amer. Dial. Soc. No. 24. 115 That working stiff had over two C's in rag on him. c. Theatre slang. A stage curtain. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > the theatre or the stage > a theatre > theatrical equipment or accessories > [noun] > curtain curtain1598 drop1781 iron curtain1794 green curtain1805 greeny1821 tableau curtain1830 drop-curtain1832 rag1848 hipping1858 cloth1881 safety curtain1881 asbestos curtain1890 olio1923 tab1929 sail curtain1941 iron1951 swag1959 1848 G. G. Foster N.Y. in Slices 120 Hyst der rag! 1859 J. W. Cole Life & Times C. Kean I. i. 8 Our old friends of the Dublin gallery, who, in days of yore, never failed to cry, ‘Up with the rag!’ even before the act-drop, so classically designated, had time to reach the ground. 1885 J. K. Jerome On Stage 76 The ‘rag’ went up unexpectedly, and discovered the following scene. 1920 J. Ferguson Northern Numbers 101 The lights are lowered and the ‘rag’ divides. 2007 C. B. Gloman & R. Napoli Scenic Design & Lighting Techniques i. 43 These curtains..have several names: main drape, grand drape, and even main rag. 8. slang. With the and capital initial. In full the Rag and Famish. The Army and Navy Club in London, established in 1837. [Apparently originally with allusion to the Rag and Famish, the nickname of a cheap gambling den off Cranbourne Alley: see C. W. Firebrace Army & Navy Club (1934) 16–17.] ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > social relations > an association, society, or organization > specific societies or organizations > [noun] > specific clubs Hell Fire Club1721 mug-house1827 rag1858 The ‘In’ and ‘Out1925 1858 A. Trollope Three Clerks II. i. 5 He delighted in the Rag and Famish, and there spent the most of his time. 1908 R. H. Nevill & C. E. Jerningham Piccadilly to Pall Mall vi. 235 The familiar name of the ‘Rag’, by which it is generally known, was invented by Captain William Duff, of the 23rd Fusiliers... Coming in to supper late one night, the refreshment obtainable appeared so meagre that he nicknamed the club the ‘Rag and Famish’. 1941 E. Nash I liked Life I Lived iv. 33 Cairnes, who was a most hospitable man, invited me to dine with him once a week at the Rag. 2003 Daily Mail (Nexis) 29 Apr. 15 Some at the ‘Rag’, as the Army and Navy is known, are purple with rage. 9. Poker. A (low) card which is of little value in a hand. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > poker > [noun] > type of card openers1889 kicker1892 hole-card1908 rag1978 river1978 1978 D. Brunson How I made over $1,000,000 playing Poker 369 I have to be careful not to get very involved on the turn, if Rags fall, unless I flop a fairly strong hand. 1999 J. May Shut up & Deal i. 23 Rags flop, but a jack hits the turn and I bet and he raises. 2005 Online Gambler No. 3. 31/2 If the flop comes and it's all inconsequential rag cards—make another strong bet. III. Other extended senses. 10. A group (of colts).One of many alleged group names found in late Middle English glossarial sources, but not otherwise substantiated. Apparently revived in the 17th cent., although subsequently chiefly historical. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > horse defined by gender or age > [noun] > male > colt > group of rag?1478 rake1486 ?1478 Lydgate's Horse, Goose & Sheep (Caxton) (1822) 31 A Stode of mares, a Ragg of coltes. 1486 Bk. St. Albans sig. fvi A Ragg of coltis or a Rake. 1677 E. Coles Eng. Dict. (new ed.) Rag (or Rake) of Colts, a great company of them. 1844 W. Goodman Social Hist. Great Brit. II. 65 When beasts went together in companies, there was said to be..a harrass of horses, a rag of colts, a stud of mares, [etc.]. 1938 Ironwood (Mich.) Daily Globe 9 July 4/4 Three or more colts in a field were referred to as a ‘rag of colts’ instead of a herd. 1976 Lebende Sprachen 21 102/2 A group of colts was referred to as a rag. 2001 Western Morning News (Plymouth) (Nexis) 20 Mar. 26 Horses are known as a stable or harras (stud) with a group of mares known as a stud, and colts as a rag. 11. A disreputable or contemptible person; a person of a low social class. Cf. rag-tag n. 2, tag-rag n. a. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > goodness and badness > inferiority or baseness > inferior person > [noun] > held in contempt thingOE cat?c1225 geggea1300 fox-whelpc1320 creaturea1325 whelp1338 scoutc1380 turnbroach14.. foumart1508 shit1508 get?a1513 strummel?a1513 scofting?1518 pismirea1535 clinchpoop1555 rag1566 huddle and twang1578 whipster1590 slop1599 shullocka1603 tailor1607 turnspit1607 fitchewa1616 bulchin1617 trundle-taila1626 tick1631 louse1633 fart1669 insect1684 mully-grub-gurgeon1746 grub-worm1752 rass1790 foutre1794 blister1806 snot1809 skin1825 scurf1851 scut1873 Siwash1882 stiff1882 bleeder1887 blighter1896 sugar1916 vuilgoed1924 klunk1942 fart sack1943 fart-arse1946 jerkwad1980 the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > condition of being held in contempt > [noun] > state or quality of being contemptible > contemptible person wormc825 wretchOE thingOE hinderlingc1175 harlot?c1225 mixa1300 villain1303 whelpc1330 wonnera1340 bismera1400 vilec1400 beasta1425 creaturec1450 dog bolt1465 fouling?a1475 drivel1478 shit1508 marmoset1523 mammeta1529 pilgarlica1529 pode1528 slave1537 slim1548 skit-brains?1553 grasshopper1556 scavenger1563 old boss1566 rag1566 shrub1566 ketterela1572 shake-rag1571 skybala1572 mumpsimus1573 smatchetc1582 squib1586 scabship1589 vassal1589 baboon1592 Gibraltar1593 polecat1593 mushroom1594 nodc1595 cittern-head1598 nit1598 stockfish1598 cum-twang1599 dish-wash1599 pettitoe1599 mustard-token1600 viliaco1600 cargo1602 stump1602 snotty-nose1604 sprat1605 wormling1605 brock1607 dogfly?1611 shag-rag1611 shack-rag1612 thrum1612 rabbita1616 fitchock1616 unworthy1616 baseling1618 shag1620 glow-worm1624 snip1633 the son of a worm1633 grousea1637 shab1637 wormship1648 muckworm1649 whiffler1659 prig1679 rotten egg1686 prigster1688 begged fool1693 hang-dog1693 bugger1694 reptile1697 squinny1716 snool1718 ramscallion1734 footer1748 jackass1756 hallion1789 skite1790 rattlesnake1791 snot1809 mudworm1814 skunk1816 stirrah1816 spalpeen1817 nyaff1825 skin1825 weed1825 tiger1827 beggar1834 despicability1837 squirt1844 prawn1845 shake1846 white mouse1846 scurf1851 sweep1853 cockroach1856 bummer1857 medlar1859 cunt1860 shuck1862 missing link1863 schweinhund1871 creepa1876 bum1882 trashbag1886 tinhorn1887 snot-rag1888 rodent1889 whelpling1889 pie eatera1891 mess1891 schmuck1892 fucker1893 cheapskate1894 cocksucker1894 gutter-bird1896 perisher1896 skate1896 schmendrick1897 nyamps1900 ullage1901 fink1903 onion1904 punk1904 shitepoke1905 tinhorn sport1906 streeler1907 zob1911 stink1916 motherfucker1918 Oscar1918 shitass1918 shit-face1923 tripe-hound1923 gimp1924 garbage can1925 twerp1925 jughead1926 mong1926 fuck?1927 arsehole1928 dirty dog1928 gazook1928 muzzler1928 roach1929 shite1929 mook1930 lug1931 slug1931 woodchuck1931 crud1932 dip1932 bohunkus1933 lint-head1933 Nimrod1933 warb1933 fuck-piga1935 owl-hoot1934 pissant1935 poot1935 shmegegge1937 motheree1938 motorcycle1938 squiff1939 pendejo1940 snotnose1941 jerkface1942 slag1943 yuck1943 fuckface?1945 fuckhead?1945 shit-head1945 shite-hawk1948 schlub1950 asswipe1953 mother1955 weenie1956 hard-on1958 rass hole1959 schmucko1959 bitch ass1961 effer1961 lamer1961 arsewipe1962 asshole1962 butthole1962 cock1962 dipshit1963 motherfuck1964 dork1965 bumhole1967 mofo1967 tosspot1967 crudball1968 dipstick1968 douche1968 frickface1968 schlong1968 fuckwit1969 rassclaat1969 ass1970 wank1970 fecker1971 wanker1971 butt-fucker1972 slimeball1972 bloodclaat1973 fuckwad1974 mutha1974 suck1974 cocksuck1977 tosser1977 plank1981 sleazebag1981 spastic1981 dweeb1982 bumboclaat1983 dickwad1983 scuzzbag1983 sleazeball1983 butt-face1984 dickweed1984 saddie1985 butt plug1986 jerkweed1988 dick-sucker1989 microcephalic1989 wankstain1990 sadster1992 buttmunch1993 fanny1995 jackhole1996 fassyhole1997 fannybaws2000 fassy2002 society > society and the community > social class > the common people > low rank or condition > low or vulgar person > [noun] gadlinga1300 geggea1300 churlc1300 filec1300 jot1362 scoutc1380 beggara1400 carla1400 turnbroach14.. villainc1400 gnoffc1405 fellowc1425 cavelc1430 haskardc1487 hastardc1489 foumart1508 strummel?a1513 knapper1513 hogshead?1518 jockeya1529 dreng1535 sneakbill1546 Jack1548 rag1566 scald1575 huddle and twang1578 sneaksby1580 companion1581 lowling1581 besognier1584 patchcock1596 grill1597 sneaksbill1602 scum1607 turnspit1607 cocoloch1610 compeer1612 dust-worm1621 besonioa1625 world-worma1625 besognea1652 gippo1651 Jacky1653 mechanic1699 fustya1732 grub-worm1752 raff1778 person1782 rough scuff1816 spalpeen1817 bum1825 sculpin1834 soap-lock1840 tinka1843 'Arry1874 scruff1896 scruffo1959 society > morality > moral evil > evil nature or character > lack of magnanimity or noble-mindedness > [noun] > worthlessness > good-for-nothing person brethelingc1275 filec1300 dogc1330 ribald1340 waynouna1350 waster1352 lorel1362 losel1362 land-leaper1377 triflera1382 brothelc1390 javelc1400 leftc1400 lorerc1400 shackerellc1420 brethel1440 never-thrift1440 vagrant1444 ne'er-thrifta1450 never-thrivinga1450 nebulona1475 breelc1485 naughty pack?1534 brathel1542 carrion1547 slim1548 unsel155. pelf1551 shifterc1562 rag1566 wandrel?1567 land-loper1570 nothing-worth1580 baggage1594 roly-poly1602 bash-rag1603 arrant1605 ragabash?1609 flabergullion1611 hilding1611 hard bargain1612 slubberdegullion1612 vauneant1621 knick-knacker1622 idle-pack1624 slabberdegullion1653 thimble-maker1654 whiffler1659 never-do-well1664 good-for-nought1671 ne'er-be-good1675 shack1682 vagabond1686 shabaroon1699 shag-bag1699 houndsfoot1710 ne'er-do-well1737 trumpery1738 rap1742 hallion1789 scamp1808 waffie1808 ne'er-do-good1814 vaurien1829 sculpin1834 shicer1846 good-for-nothing1847 wastrel1847 scallywag1848 shack-bag1855 beat1865 toe-rag1875 rodney1877 toe-ragger1896 low-lifer1902 punk1904 lowlife1909 ringtail1916 git1939 no-hoper1944 schlub1950 piss artist1962 dead leg1964 1566 T. Drant tr. Horace Medicinable Morall sig. Aviij The..rabblement Of ragges and raskals all Be pensife. a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) iv. ii. 171 You Witch, you Ragge, you Baggage. View more context for this quotation a1657 G. Daniel Trinarchodia: Richard II lxxvii, in Poems (1878) III. 156 For not the lowest Ragge of Human race, But in a change will seeke to mend his place. 1826 R. Sharp Diary 30 Dec. (1997) 95 It was a beautiful morning the Sun shining clear, and many horsemen in Scarlet, with all the Shale Rag in the town and neighbourhood to gaze into the bargain. 1875 J. Ruskin Fors Clavigera V. lv That rubbishy rag of a girl. 1882 R. L. Stevenson New Arabian Nights II. 108 The poet was a rag of a man. 1901 Shetland News 5 Oct. A raag 'at spends ivery doit 'at he can git his fingers apon. 1986 Sunday Mail (New Delhi) 21 Sept. 5/3 They are a group of lumpens, rags and parasites. 12. A sharp or jagged projection, esp. a small irregularity on the edge of a piece of cast metal or cut wood. Now chiefly as mass noun: such projections collectively.Recorded earliest in rag wheel n. 1. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > unevenness > projection or prominence > sharp unevenness > [noun] > a sharp prominence > uneven or accidental snag1586 snub1590 tooth1612 rag1683 tit1884 1656 Rep. Petition W. Potter (P.R.O. SP 18/124/100) f. 170 An engine for Raysing of water by Tankards Barrells Buckits or other vessells..hanging upon a chayne and turning about with a continuall motion upon a Ragge wheele and lying shaft.] 1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 155 He Rubs every side of them on the Stone..to take off the small Rags that may happen on the Shanck of the Letter. 1691 J. Evelyn Kalendarium Hortense (ed. 8) 14 Cut off slanting above the Bud, with a very sharp Knife, leaving no Rags. 1872 Routledge's Every Boy's Ann. 536/1 File off the rags left by the saw. 1909 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. Rag,..a fin or burr on cast metal. 1989 Which? July 345/1 One of the problems of cutting on the upstroke is that the ‘rag’—the rough edge and splintering where the blade breaks the surface—is on the top of whatever you're cutting. 1999 Clocks Dec. 33/3 It is interesting that the crossings still bear casting rag—obviously Mr Weir did not consider it worthwhile to highly finish the wheels of a clock which very few people would see. †13. Botany. plural. The lichen Lobaria pulmonaria. Cf. hazel rag n. at hazel n. and adj. Compounds 2c. English regional. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > lichen > [noun] > other lichens cup-moss1597 ground liverwort1597 Usnea1597 perelle1712 oak moss1728 necklace moss1759 rag1759 thrush-lichen1759 Iceland lichen1777 Iceland moss1785 map lichen1796 scripture-wort1835 letter lichen1846 dog lichen1853 fairy cups1855 velvet moss1858 manna lichen1864 tree-hair1866 famine-bread1887 old man's beard1888 sea ivory1966 1759 Philos. Trans. 1758 (Royal Soc.) 50 683 The people in Herefordshire, where this moss is called rags, dye their stockings of a brown colour with it. 14. Short for ragworm n. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > phylum Annelida > [noun] > class Chaetopoda > order Polychaeta > suborder Nereidiformia > member of family Nereidae sea-forty-legs1750 Nereid1774 nereidean1835 palolo1847 sea-centipede1858 nereidian1860 ragworm1865 rag1881 1881 St. James's Budget Aug. 12/1 Lastly, there are the two species of mud-worms, the ‘lug’ and the ‘rag’, equally nasty to look at. 1900 Cornhill Mag. Nov. 625 Our cross-eyed gillie..encourages us with accounts of a beautiful lot of ‘rags’ that he has got over from Weymouth. 1976 Southern Evening Echo (Southampton) 6 Nov. 8/2 (advt.) Fishing. Live rag in controlled temperatures (sandeels and lug). Always available. 1990 Angler's Mail 28 July 30/5 Best baits peeler crab, ragworm and king rag. 15. Botany. The fibrous or membranous material surrounding the segments of a citrus fruit or the stone of a date. ΚΠ 1895 Yearbk. U.S. Dept. Agric. 1894 196 The fruit resulting is usually of poor quality, inclined to be large and rough, with a thick rind and abundant rag. 1910 Missouri Bot. Garden Ann. Rep. 112 The inner zone of the mesocarp [of a date] is composed of..disorganized parenchyma, which, in the ripe fruit is conspicuous as loose, shining, fibrous masses (the ‘rag’). 1950 V. L. S. Charley Recent Adv. in Fruit Juice Production viii. 113 The fruits are fed to some form of automatic juice extractor which obviates contact of the juice with air or rag from the fruit. 1996 A. Theroux Secondary Colors 67 Oranges are relatively dryish with a thick albedo or ‘rag’ (the white part of the skin). Phrases P1. all to rags: to smithereens, to pieces (literal and figurative); completely and utterly. Now rare. ΚΠ 1631 W. Lisle Faire Æthiopian v. 77 Good father; can you tell a man..Of some good Inne here by? They all to rags Were broke (quoth he) against some hidden crags. a1763 J. Byrom Dulces ante Omnia Musæ in Poems (1894) I. 167 Plots against ye vanish all to Rags! 1798 C. Stearns Wooden Boy i. ii, in Dramatic Dialogues for Use in Schools 328 We shall joke him all to rags. 1802 ‘P. Pindar’ Middlesex Election iii, in Wks. (1816) IV. 193 Mob wanth to tear un all to rags, And pent ‘No bastille’ 'pon their flags. 1841 R. E. Landor Ferryman iv. 280 His wits have blown his wisdom all to rags. 1889 ‘M. Twain’ Connecticut Yankee xxxiii. 432 The blow came crashing down and knocked him all to rags. 1911 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald 7 Dec. 8/3 They..tear my temper all to rags. 1972 D. Barthelme Sadness 91 The cops decided to show the four black kids at a press conference to demonstrate that they weren't really beat all to rags. †P2. slang. the Order of the Rag: professional military service. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1752 H. Fielding Amelia I. ii. iv. 121 Young Gentlemen, of the Order of the Rag. P3. U.S. colloquial to take the rag off (the bush): to excel, surpass all; to ‘take the biscuit’ (now often used ironically or as an expression of surprise). Also to take the rag off (someone or something): to beat, outshine (now rare). ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > outdoing or surpassing > outdo or surpass [verb (intransitive)] > surpass everything to bear (also have, carry) the pricea1275 it passes1549 to cap the climax1804 to take the rag off (the bush)1810 to beat cockfighting1821 to beat (or bang) Banagher1830 to beat the band1890 1810 Norfolk (Va.) Gaz. 19 Sept. 2/3 This ‘takes the rag off the bush’ so completely, that we suppose we shall hear no more..about the Chesapeake business. 1833 New Eng. Mag. 5 81 I don't allow no man to take the rag off of you nor me. 1843 T. C. Haliburton Attaché II. xxviii. 250 Nothin' was ever seen so fine..since creation. It takes the rag off quite. 1858 Harper's Mag. Jan. 281/1 A number of farmers were..telling stories about their work,..when one of them took the rag off the whole of them by relating their experience. 1903 Dial. Notes 2 333 She takes the rag offen anything in our settlement. 1977 R. Coover Public Burning 105 You do take the rag off the bush, boy. 1999 A. Proulx Close Range 56 We had a pay [sic] two million dollars in estate taxes... That took the rag off the bush. P4. a. colloquial (originally English regional (Yorkshire)). to get (someone's) rag out: to make (someone) angry. to get one's rag out: to become angry [origin uncertain; perhaps compare red rag n. 2 or rag v.³] . ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > anger > [verb (intransitive)] > become angry wrethec900 wrothc975 abelghec1300 to move one's blood (also mood)c1330 to peck moodc1330 gremec1460 to take firea1513 fumec1522 sourdc1540 spitec1560 to set up the heckle1601 fire1604 exasperate1659 to fire up1779 to flash up1822 to get one's dander up1831 to fly (occasionally jump, etc.) off (at) the handle1832 to have (also get) one's monkey up1833 to cut up rough, rusty, savage1837 rile1837 to go off the handle1839 to flare up1840 to set one's back up1845 to run hot1855 to wax up1859 to get one's rag out1862 blow1871 to get (also have) the pricker1871 to turn up rough1872 to get the needle1874 to blaze up1878 to get wet1898 spunk1898 to see red1901 to go crook1911 to get ignorant1913 to hit the ceiling1914 to hit the roof1921 to blow one's top1928 to lose one's rag1928 to lose one's haira1930 to go up in smoke1933 hackle1935 to have, get a cob on1937 to pop (also blow) one's cork1938 to go hostile1941 to go sparec1942 to do one's bun1944 to lose one's wool1944 to blow one's stack1947 to go (also do) one's (also a) dingerc1950 rear1953 to get on ignorant1956 to go through the roof1958 to keep (also blow, lose) one's cool1964 to lose ita1969 to blow a gasket1975 to throw a wobbler1985 the mind > emotion > anger > [verb (transitive)] > make angry wrethec900 abelgheeOE abaeileOE teenOE i-wrathec1075 wratha1200 awratha1250 gramec1275 forthcalla1300 excitea1340 grieve1362 movea1382 achafea1400 craba1400 angerc1400 mada1425 provokec1425 forwrecchec1450 wrothc1450 arage1470 incensea1513 puff1526 angry1530 despite1530 exasperate1534 exasper1545 stunt1583 pepper1599 enfever1647 nanger1675 to put or set up the back1728 roil1742 outrage1818 to put a person's monkey up1833 to get one's back up1840 to bring one's nap up1843 rouse1843 to get a person's shirt out1844 heat1855 to steam up1860 to get one's rag out1862 steam1922 to burn up1923 to flip out1964 1862 C. C. Robinson Dial. Leeds & Neighbourhood 76 He hed awal wur regs art. 1914 D. H. Lawrence Prussian Officer & Other Stories 185 An' that got your rag out, did it? 1938 G. Greene Brighton Rock vii. vii. 329 ‘I've told you before how I won't stand...’ ‘You needn't get your rag out,’ the Boy said. 1960 L. Cooper Accomplices i. vi. 60 Roger was definitely shirty about that... He really got his rag out. 1992 J. Symons Something like Love Affair (1993) iv. iv. 162 It's Carl see, when he gets his rag out, like if anything goes wrong, he don't mind what he does. b. British colloquial. to lose one's rag: to become angry, lose one's temper. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > anger > [verb (intransitive)] > become angry wrethec900 wrothc975 abelghec1300 to move one's blood (also mood)c1330 to peck moodc1330 gremec1460 to take firea1513 fumec1522 sourdc1540 spitec1560 to set up the heckle1601 fire1604 exasperate1659 to fire up1779 to flash up1822 to get one's dander up1831 to fly (occasionally jump, etc.) off (at) the handle1832 to have (also get) one's monkey up1833 to cut up rough, rusty, savage1837 rile1837 to go off the handle1839 to flare up1840 to set one's back up1845 to run hot1855 to wax up1859 to get one's rag out1862 blow1871 to get (also have) the pricker1871 to turn up rough1872 to get the needle1874 to blaze up1878 to get wet1898 spunk1898 to see red1901 to go crook1911 to get ignorant1913 to hit the ceiling1914 to hit the roof1921 to blow one's top1928 to lose one's rag1928 to lose one's haira1930 to go up in smoke1933 hackle1935 to have, get a cob on1937 to pop (also blow) one's cork1938 to go hostile1941 to go sparec1942 to do one's bun1944 to lose one's wool1944 to blow one's stack1947 to go (also do) one's (also a) dingerc1950 rear1953 to get on ignorant1956 to go through the roof1958 to keep (also blow, lose) one's cool1964 to lose ita1969 to blow a gasket1975 to throw a wobbler1985 1928 H. Lauder Roamin' in Gloamin' iv. 59 Finally, losing his rag completely, he extended his fingers to his nose and challenged any three men in the audience to come up on the platform and fight him! 1934 ‘L. G. Gibbon’ Grey Granite i. 95 Ma had fair lost her rag at that and told him she didn't care a twopenny damn. 1959 I. Opie & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolchildren x. 178 They taunt the person [who is easily provoked]:..‘Don't lose your bait’ (‘rag’, ‘rise’, ‘wool’). 1975 G. Hill & J. Thomas Give Little Whistle x. 95 Allison lost his rag with me over two goals by Leicester's Mike Stringfellow, both of which he considered were offside. 2004 S. Hall Electric Michelangelo 334 Occasionally Cy lost his rag, and yelled at her to shut up. †P5. U.S. colloquial. to drop the rag: to give a signal; to give notice. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1880 ‘M. Twain’ Tramp Abroad xx. 194 I've got to stay here, till the old man drops the rag and gives the word,—yes, sir, right here in this——country I've got to linger till the old man says Come! P6. (from) rags to riches: (from) extreme poverty to great wealth. Frequently attributive. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > advancing or progressing [phrase] > rising in prosperity, power, or rank > sudden rise in prosperity (from) rags to riches1897 a1753 J. S. Some Acct. Irish (1753) 34 Once in the quiet Possession of that Island, they would soon turn their Rags into Riches, their Corn and Cattle into Coin.] 1897 Fitchburg (Mass.) Daily Sentinel 4 May 5/3 Tonight the play, ‘From rags to riches’ by E. E. Rose will be given. 1947 R. de Toledano Frontiers of Jazz 148 Goodman was the first real rags-to-riches success in the swing-jazz field. 1977 Cornish Times 19 Aug. 9/2 Last week's Cornish Times spelt out a success story with the rare theme of rags to riches by sheer hard labour. 2004 Nation (N.Y.) 5 Jan. 17/1 Over the past generation upward mobility has fallen drastically... This goes along with other studies indicating that rags-to-riches stories have become increasingly rare. P7. slang (originally and chiefly U.S.). to be on the rag: (a) to be menstruating (cf. sense 4a); (b) (of either sex) to be irritable or angry, to be in a bad mood. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > anger > irascibility > irritability > irritable [adjective] sharpc1000 impatient1377 out-sharpinga1382 teethya1500 fumish1523 testy1526 crabbed1535 tettish1567 peevish1577 kickish1589 splenetic1593 spleenful1594 tetchy1596 wasp-stung1598 touchy1602 spleeny1604 pruriginous1609 teety1621 splenitive1633 peltish1648 irritable1662 splenatic1663 splenetive1678 unheer1691 rusty1694 nettlesome1766 stingy1781 snarly1798 tutty1809 spleenical1818 rileya1824 nettly1825 edgy1837 porcupinal1846 shirty1846 raspish1854 peckish1857 streaky1860 owly1864 teasy1866 fussy1869 raspy1869 spiky1881 chippyc1885 tetchous1890 narky1895 snarky1906 ringy1907 snarkish1912 Scot1916 crooked1945 niggly1952 snooty1959 kvetchy1965 to be on the rag1967 sandpaper1976 gribble1984 splenous- 1967 Current Slang (Univ. S. Dakota) 2 i. 5 On the rag, in a bad mood.—College males, Arizona. I had a lousy time last night because she was on the rag. 1974 S. King Carrie (1975) 12 She herself had begun menstruation shortly after her eleventh birthday and had gone to the head of the stairs to yell down excitedly: ‘Hey, Mum, I'm on the rag!’ 1984 R. N. Boyd Sex behind Bars 68 What's the matter with you, John? Are you on the rag? Hit it, girl! 2001 R. Nicoll White Male Heart (2002) 255 She lets you fuck her when she's on the rag? Compounds C1. a. General attributive. (a) With sense ‘relating to, containing, or dealing in or with rags’. rag basket n. ΚΠ 1797 R. Clifford tr. D. Diderot in A. Barruel Mem. I. iv. 66 That detestable crew..converted this pretended digest of science into a gulph, or rather a sort of rag-basket, where they..threw every thing half examined. 1849 Times 5 Feb. 2/4 (advt.) Finishing table, cutting bench, paper boxes, stools, rag baskets, layboards, felts. 1911 Coshocton (Ohio) Morning Tribune 4 May 6/4 To their seats either side of the rag basket hurried the twins, thimbles and needles ready. 2002 N.Z. Herald (Nexis) 1 June Cheaper clothes that move quickly into the rag basket. † rag machinery n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1843 A. Ure Dict. Arts (ed. 3) 845 Messrs. Charles Cowan and Adam Ramgage, papermakers, patented, in 1840, improved rag machinery. rag tank n. ΚΠ 1903 N.E.D. at Rag sb.¹ Rag tank. (b) With sense ‘consisting or made of rags’. rag ball n. ΚΠ 1867 ‘T. Lackland’ Homespun i. 19 The smooth cedar tray, with rag-balls for the new home-made carpet, will now be kicked about under everybody's feet. 1946 M. McLaverty in R. Greacen Irish Harvest 103 And you'll have..a real ball to kick on the grass, and never again will you be kicking a rag-ball between the lamp-posts in the street. 2006 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 18 Nov. 3 Puskas had played barefoot with his friend Jozsef Bozsik, using a rag ball made from his mother's stockings. rag carpet n. ΚΠ 1830 C. M. Sedgwick Clarence II. iii. 57 His help-meet..assorting shreds and patches for a rag carpet. 1904 M. E. Waller Wood-carver 72 I have begged Aunt Lize to take up the rag-carpet. 2006 Times (Nexis) 11 Nov. 14 Ripped fabric is transformed into school bags, classroom mats and rag carpets that are sold to raise funds. rag carpeting n. ΚΠ 1813 Weekly Reg. 3 329/1 24 yards rag carpeting. 1910 M. T. Priestman Handicrafts in Home xv. 125 Worn-out clothing..was torn into strips..which were woven ‘hit or miss’ into rag carpeting. 1984 Christian Sci. Monitor (Nexis) 20 June 30 Our parlor had allover rag carpeting made of three-foot strips sewn together. rag mop n. ΚΠ 1730 Scheme for New Lottery for Ladies 35 At the Three live Taylors and Rag-Mop, in the High Street. 1733 Ld. Blunder's Confess. ii. iii. 42 All the cloaths you had to your Back would scarce have made a Rag-Mop. 1834 Chambers's Edinb. Jrnl. 3 149/2 It may be..converted into a rag-mop, to be scrubbed into nothingness on hackney-coach wheels. 1934 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 232 476 The diamonds were held against a rag-mop polisher rotating fairly fast. 1993 S. Stewart Ramlin Rose ix. 98 I'd save every little bit of rag I could fish oop for Moy-chap to make a rag-mop. rag paper n. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > material for making paper > paper > [noun] > paper made from cloth rag paper1727 linen-paper1738 cotton paper1752 1727 D. Defoe Gen. Hist. Discov. (new ed.) xvii. 226 Printing was invented by Koster in 1428..Rag Paper in 1452. 1831 Foreign Q. Rev. 8 380 Rag-paper..was also invented in Germany some hundred and fifty years before. 1922 J. J. Sudborough Bernthsen's Text-bk. Org. Chem. (new ed.) xiv. 337 Such paper is termed rag paper. 1990 Opera Now May 102 (advt.) Signed Limited Edition Lithoprints (850) on highest quality ‘Artlaid’ rag paper. rag puppet n. ΚΠ 1869 Harper's Mag. Sept. 593/1 I thought to bring home a child to sit upon my knee and play with her rag-puppets, and here instead is a strapping wench as tall as I am. 1912 Newark (Ohio) Advocate 22 Feb. 1/2 High buildings served to form canyons, through which the winds swept in a vortex, hurling pedestrians about as though they were rag puppets. 1992 Guardian (Nexis) 10 Nov. 8 Little Else, and her father, who first appears as a rag puppet manipulated by sinister men in top hats. rag rug n. ΚΠ 1858 Baraboo (Wisconsin) Republic 23 Sept. 1/5 Rag rug. 1895 Publ. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 4 227 A woman, nearly blind and knotted with rheumatism, braids rag rugs. 1969 M. Harris Kind of Magic 30 By the fire stretched a lovely rag rug. 2006 Scotl. on Sunday (Nexis) 24 Dec. 13 An artist who makes hand-crafted rag rugs of great beauty, appeared with a new rug to replace the one that had succumbed to the fire. rag torch n. ΚΠ 1894 R. Kipling in To-day 6 Jan. 5/1 The doolie-bearers lit the noisome, dripping rag-torches. 1944 G. E. Sen Voiceless India (rev. ed.) iii. xvii. 395 Behind her a man held a rag torch, fed with oil from a slimnecked, fat-bellied bottle. 1996 St. Petersburg (Florida) Times (Nexis) 16 June 3 The family burned rag torches at night to keep mosquitoes away. b. Objective. (a) With reference to pieces of old cloth, esp. as used in the papermaking industry. rag boiler n. ΚΠ 1835 Times 18 Dec. 2/1 (advt.) Sizing coppers, glazing cylinders, lifting pumps, rag boilers, iron railway, forges..and miscellaneous effects. 1952 Times 15 Sept. 12/1 (advt.) Nearly New Spherical Rag Boilers. 2001 Independent (Nexis) 23 June 10 Spaik lives in the rag-boiler's district with Lieschen. † rag cleansing n. Obsolete ΚΠ 1873 Pract. Mag. 1 147 Sanitary arrangement adopted in rag cleansing. rag cutter n. ΚΠ 1840 Times 10 Mar. 8/5 (advt.) A Davy's patent rag cutter. 1904 Econ. Jrnl. 14 236 Many of the rag-cutters are middle-aged, married women. 1997 PIMA's North Amer. Papermaker (Nexis) Oct. 58 This method reduces contaminant and fiber degradation and eliminates some material handling equipment such as junk towers, raggers and rag cutters. rag cutting n. ΚΠ 1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 939 A rag-cutting and lacerating machine was patented by Mr. Henry Davy, of Camberwell, in September, 1833. 1917 Fitchburg (Mass.) Daily Sentinel 15 Oct. 2/4 His first employment was in the Snow mill... He was placed in the rag cutting room. 2003 Evening Standard (Palmerston, N.Z.) (Nexis) 12 Nov. 13 She described rag-cutting as perhaps not the most glamorous job going, but there was a satisfaction to the work. rag duster n. ΚΠ 1858 Whitewater (Wisconsin) Reg. 21 Aug. 1/6 They [sc. the rags] are carried thence by machinery into a rag duster, a box ten feet long by three feet wide, through the center of which revolves a cylinder with spiral arms. 1918 Times 3 Aug. 12/5 (advt.) Paper-making plant, including seven vats, rag dusters and cutters, two rag boilers, washing and beating engines..and other effects. 1942 G. S. Witham Mod. Pulp & Paper Making (ed. 2) ii. 46 Rag dusters are generally built of hardwood boards firmly bolted together. rag grinder n. ΚΠ 1833 T. Carlyle Sartor Resartus i. viii, in Fraser's Mag. Dec. 676/1 I, the dust-making, patent Rag-grinder, get new material to grind down. 1939 Times 8 Mar. 9/1 Weavers, burlers, menders, rag sorters, and rag grinders are going back to work. 2004 Batley Today (Nexis) 18 Aug. Men maintained the rag grinders, spinning machines, weaving looms and engines and oversaw the general functioning of the mills. rag grinding n. ΚΠ 1836 G. Head Home Tour 147 The smell of the rag-grinding process. 1898 Nebraska State Jrnl. 4 Dec. 13/2 If the materials were submitted to the rag-grinding machine in their raw state, the result would be a kind of thread-like appearance. 1992 C. Giles & I. H. Goodall Yorks. Textile Mills iii. 105/1 These sheds also housed..rag grinding, a common process in woollen mills in the Heavy Woollen area. rag-sifter n. ΚΠ 1903 N.E.D. at Rag sb.¹ Rag-sifter. rag sorter n. ΚΠ 1831 Times 12 Jan. 3/6 The prisoner had been a rag-sorter, and sometimes worked for the witness. 1940 Pacific Affairs 13 99 Her ability to extract information from such diverse persons as tailors and rag sorters, midwives and fortune tellers, policemen and artists, is quite remarkable. 2003 Dewsbury Reporter (Nexis) 7 Feb. Lisa..worked as a rag sorter at Beaumont's. rag sorting n. ΚΠ 1850 Times 8 June 12/1 It consists of spacious rag sorting rooms, engine room, a superior range of buildings. 1904 Econ. Jrnl. 14 240 Wood-pulp has been largely substituted for rags, and rag-sorting and cutting consequently are no longer needed. 2004 Batley Today (Nexis) 18 Aug. The many rag sorting factories employed women who sorted hundreds of different kinds of rags, amid the dust that billowed as rags were torn up by hand. rag stitcher n. ΚΠ 1853 W. J. Hickie tr. Aristophanes Comedies II. 574 You gossip-gleaner, and drawer of beggarly characters, and rag-stitcher. 1997 Providence (Rhode Island) Jrnl.-Bull. (Nexis) 29 June The rag stitchers and braiders have production goals. rag washer n. ΚΠ 1903 N.E.D. at Rag sb.¹ Rag-washer. 1952 F. H. Norris Paper & Paper Making xiv. 222 Water derived from boiler washings and the rag washers is not recoverable. rag weaving n. ΚΠ 1902 Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) 22 Feb. 12/4 Both girls..have developed the possibilities of the rag weaving industry to an extent that would surprise the weaver of colonial days, when rag carpets were the property of poor folks. 2006 Dominion Post (Morgantown, W. Va.) (Nexis) 3 Nov. Rag weaving involves cutting old clothing and other fabric items into strips, then weaving them into rugs, totes, table runners and other household items. (b) With reference to the collection and resale of old clothing and other items that have been discarded (cf. rag-and-bone adj.). rag collector n. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > clearing of refuse matter > refuse disposal > [noun] > rag-collecting or dust-heap picking > one who kennel-raker1570 finder1607 rag-raker1631 rag-picker1680 bunter1706 rake-kennel1707 rag collector1820 rag gatherer1851 chiffonier1856 gutter-snipe1869 picker1884 tatter1890 totter1891 dumpster diver1985 1820 T. Hodgskin Trav. N. Germany I. v. 173 He wanted to hinder other people, such as rag-collectors,..from seeking their interest. 1935 H. E. Stearns Street I Know i. 24 I know—though now I shiver with shame when I think of it—that I..made it always a point to..to taunt the Jewish rag-collector. 2006 News of World (Nexis) 9 July The bullet-riddled bodies of six Shi'ite rag collectors were found yesterday in a Sunni district of Baghdad. rag dealer n. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > trader > traders or dealers in specific articles > [noun] > in textiles, clothing, or yarns mercerc1230 clothier1362 draper1362 woolman1390 yarn-chopper1429 line-draper1436 Welsh drapera1525 telerc1540 purple-seller1547 linen-draper1549 staplera1552 silkman1553 woollen-draper1554 wool-driver1555 woolster1577 linener1616 woolner1619 linen-man1631 ragman1649 rag merchant1665 slop-seller1665 bodice-seller1672 piece-broker1697 wool-stapler1709 cloth-man1723 Manchester-man1755 fleece-merchanta1774 rag dealer1777 man's mercer1789 keelman1821 man-mercer1837 cotton-broker1849 slopper1854 shoddyite1865 costumier1886 cotton-man1906 1777 F. Bottarelli New Ital., Eng. & French Pocket-dict. III. Drillier, cenciajuolo, a rag-dealer. 1884 Cassell's Family Mag. Feb. 156/2 In New York..there are more than 800 rag-dealers. 1930 Jrnl. Amer. Folk-lore 43 202 The devil cries out, ‘I refuse to marry the king's daughter,’ and a rag-dealer substitutes and is cast into the sea. 2004 Express (Nexis) June 24 44 Her father, the manager of a gentlemen's outfitters, did not approve of his daughter associating with a rag dealer. rag gatherer n. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > clearing of refuse matter > refuse disposal > [noun] > rag-collecting or dust-heap picking > one who kennel-raker1570 finder1607 rag-raker1631 rag-picker1680 bunter1706 rake-kennel1707 rag collector1820 rag gatherer1851 chiffonier1856 gutter-snipe1869 picker1884 tatter1890 totter1891 dumpster diver1985 1635 H. G. Heavens Speedie Hue & Cry 16 Advising all poor simple women to marry an honest man, though but a Ragge-gatherer, rather than a lewd man or a Theefe. 1704 Visits from Shades iii. 21 Rag-gatherers, Cynderwomen, and Oyster Wenches wou'd disclaim her Acquaintance. 1851 H. Mayhew London Labour II. 139/1 The bone-pickers and rag-gatherers are all early risers. 1933 C. S. Braden Mod. Tendencies World Relig. iv. 148 She was an ignorant rag-gatherer, left a widow with eight children to support. 2005 Ventura County (Calif.) Star (Nexis) 29 July 6 Mrs. Wigglesworth spoke of the city's bone pickers, rag gatherers and sewer scavengers. rag-picker n. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > clearing of refuse matter > refuse disposal > [noun] > rag-collecting or dust-heap picking > one who kennel-raker1570 finder1607 rag-raker1631 rag-picker1680 bunter1706 rake-kennel1707 rag collector1820 rag gatherer1851 chiffonier1856 gutter-snipe1869 picker1884 tatter1890 totter1891 dumpster diver1985 1680 Earl of Rochester et al. Poems 14 Unto this All-sin-sheltring Grove..Great Ladies Chamber-Maids, Drudges; The Rag-picker; and Heiresse trudges. 1771 T. Deletanville New French Dict. (at cited word) Chiffonnier,..a rag-picker. 1829 Times 21 Nov. 2/6 On Sunday night, as the agents of police in Paris were going their rounds, they arrested..a rag picker, who was lying under a gateway. 1932 Jrnl. Royal Statist. Soc. 95 537 Scrap metal buyers and rag-pickers, etc. are an equally large group who make their living from collecting disused material from the public. 2005 V. Swarup Q & A 132 Mounds of filthy garbage lie on every corner, from which rag-pickers still manage to find something useful. rag-picking adj. and n. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > clearing of refuse matter > refuse disposal > [noun] > rag-collecting or dust-heap picking rag-picking1782 totting1910 tatting1926 1782 W. O'Brien Lusorium 103 Rag-picking blear-ey'd Ciss, And squinting Jack, the bruiser. 1849 Sci. Amer. 22 Sept. 3/3 The same sight..can be seen in New York City, with the exception of the women loading carts, and the entailment of the rag picking business. 1923 H. A. Franck Wandering N. China vi. 192 The peanut-man, the delicatessen wagon,..even the rag-picking women, all have their own cries. 1999 Catholic Herald 30 July 5/6 (advt.) They earn their food by rag-picking..or by washing dishes in hotels. rag-raker n. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > clearing of refuse matter > refuse disposal > [noun] > rag-collecting or dust-heap picking > one who kennel-raker1570 finder1607 rag-raker1631 rag-picker1680 bunter1706 rake-kennel1707 rag collector1820 rag gatherer1851 chiffonier1856 gutter-snipe1869 picker1884 tatter1890 totter1891 dumpster diver1985 1631 B. Jonson Bartholmew Fayre i. iii. 4 in Wks. II None but..one of these Rag-rakers in dung-hills..would haue beene vp, when thou wert gone abroad. 1849 H. Melville Redburn xxxvi. 227 The rag-rakers, and rubbish-pickers in the streets, sally out bright and early; for then, the night-harvest has ripened. 1882 G. Macdonald Gifts of Child Christ II. 154 Go along, Daddy-devil! Pick yer own bones, an' ha' done. Rag-raker! Skin-cat! Bag o' nails! 1963 E. Dahlberg Because I was Flesh (1965) i. 3 She slopped about the rooms in greasy aprons and dressed more like a rag raker or a chimney sweep. rag-seller n. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > selling > seller > sellers of specific things > [noun] > sellers of other specific things soaper?c1225 oilman1275 smear-monger1297 upholder1333 basket-seller?1518 broom-seller?1518 upholster1554 rod-woman1602 starchwoman1604 pin manc1680 colour seller1685 potato-woman1697 printseller1700 rag-seller1700 Greenwich barber1785 sandboy1821 iceman1834 umbrella man1851 fly-boy1861 snuff-boxera1871 pedlar1872 snake-boy1873 bric-a-brac man1876 tinwoman1884 resurrectionist1888 butch1891 paanwallah1955 1700 T. Brown Amusem. Serious & Comical iii. 37 I..was mortally frighted..by the Impudent Ragsellers. 1854 C. Norton Eng. Laws for Women in 19th Cent. 112 The chief witness was a drunken discarded groom, who was then a rag-seller in Monmouth-street. 1935 M. R. Anand Untouchable 17 Although he couldn't buy all the things in the rag-seller's shop he wished to, he had been able to buy the jacket, the overcoat, the blanket he slept under, and have a few annas left over. 1993 USA Today (Nexis) 19 Mar. 1 d Men who passed by the white picket fence—the postman, the rag seller, the iceman—were sometimes startled by the strong scent of flowers. c. Instrumental. rag-carpeted adj. ΚΠ 1843 C. M. Kirkland Half-lengths from Life iv, in New World 21 Oct. 474/1 I led the young gentleman through the shop into the rag-carpeted sitting-room. 1924 News (Frederick, Maryland) 4 Mar. 6/1 Our favorite book, ‘Beyond th' Mississippi’,..would be spread out on th' ole rag carpeted floor. 1960 V. Williams Walk Egypt iv. v. 305 It was rag-carpeted, holes here and there, and smelled of damp wood, cooking, and people. rag-made adj. ΚΠ 1854 Sci. Amer. 22 Apr. 251/4 We have no doubt, however, but future improvements will make it equal to common rag-made paper. 1915 Washington Post 31 Dec. 6/5 The golden girl just sighed and sighed Across the rag-made brat, ‘The lucky girl! I wish that I'd A lovely doll like that!’. 1998 Hartford (Connecticut) Courant (Nexis) 1 Mar. 9 The look is..not schoolmarmish like the round bun, severe like the chignon or tacky like the rag-made scrunchie. C2. rag baby n. chiefly U.S. in later use = rag doll n. 1. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > toy or plaything > doll > [noun] > rag-doll mop1440 moppet1682 rag baby1707 rag doll1752 Raggedy Ann1918 Raggedy Andy1920 1707 J. Stevens tr. F. de Quevedo Comical Wks. 277 Do but behold the figure made up of Clouts like a rag Baby. 1840 Knickerbocker Mag. 15 508 For all the world like one of those rag-babies just from the hands of a raw student. 1918 W. Cather My Ántonia v. i. 373 Two girls were washing dishes..and a little one..sat on a stool playing with a rag baby. 2006 Pittsburgh Post-Gaz. (Nexis) 13 Dec. c1 Toys were seldom given as presents, although occasionally a new and exceptionally charming ‘rag baby’ might go into the stocking of a small girl. rag book n. a book made from cloth, designed for babies and young children. ΘΚΠ society > communication > book > kind of book > [noun] > children's book toy book1797 nursery book1818 juvenile1849 rag book1903 1903 Manitoba Free Press 10 Dec. 5/4 (advt.) Dean's Rag Books. 2003 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 10 June 19 He could read already, had taught himself from the golden syrup label and a rag book his mother bought. † rag-boot n. Obsolete rare a piece of rag tied round the foot of a hen to prevent it from straying. ΚΠ 1879 A. G. Richey Anc. Laws Ireland IV. Introd. p. cxxix The trespasses of hens may involve negligence on the part of the owner, for by proper rag-boots fowl may be restrained from wandering. rag box n. (a) (now chiefly North American) a box used for storing rags, esp. worn-out clothes; (b) slang the mouth (rare). ΚΠ 1766 Proc. Old Bailey 16 Jan. 74/1 I found some of the linen in an old rag-box in the garret. 1801 D. Wordsworth Jrnl. 12 Nov. (1941) I. 79 I put the rag-boxes into order. 1890 R. Kipling in Scots Observer 28 June 149/1 Now all you recruities what's drafted to-day, You shut up your rag-box an' 'ark to my lay. 1902 J. S. Farmer & W. E. Henley Slang V. 361/2 Rag-box,..the mouth. 1929 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald 15 May 16/ Let them cut up the garments to make costumes... What used to be the contents of a rag box can be turned into a treasure chest. 1997 Columbian (Vancouver, Washington) (Nexis) 28 Sept. 1 I dive into our laundry-room rag-box, churn through all the pieces of old blue jeans, all the ripped T-shirts and all the toeless socks. rag bush n. a bush on which rags are hung for ritual or superstitious purposes; cf. rag offering n. ΘΚΠ society > faith > worship > sacrifice or a sacrifice > kinds of sacrifice > [noun] > of rags > that on which rags are fixed rag-well1777 rag bush1834 rag-tree1880 1834 E. Moor Oriental Fragments i. 52 The rag-bush at Killarney is in keeping with the rag-trees and rag-wells of other parts—India, Persia, England, &c. 1882 C. Elton Orig. Eng. Hist. 285 There is usually a ‘rag-bush’ by the well on which bits of linen or worsted are tied as a gift to the spirit of the waters. 1998 Irish Times (Nexis) 1 Oct. 2 Sixty-five holy wells and a number of sacred trees or rag-bushes and sacred rocks, all bearing saints' names, have been recorded across Co. Offaly. † rag carrier n. Obsolete slang (chiefly derogatory) an ensign; cf. sense 4b.In quot. 1731 also (punningly): a valet. ΚΠ 1698Ragg-Carrier [see sense 4b]. 1731 H. Fielding Letter-writers i. iii. 10 I must tug along the empty Portmanteau of this shabby No-Pay Ensign... What can a Man expect who is but the Rag-Carrier of a Rag-Carrier. 1807 W. H. Ireland Stultifera Navis lv. 242 'Tis brave to form a noble barrier, And guard the ensign, a rag carrier. rag-castle n. rare a haunt of beggars. ΚΠ 1828 T. Carlyle in Edinb. Rev. Dec. 285 The scene is at once a dream, and the very Ragcastle of ‘Poosie-Nansie’. 1859 T. N. Brown Life & Times Hugh Miller (ed. 3) iv. 67 Burns knew its every aspect,..and whether in the halls of the noble, carrying duchesses off their feet, or careering on the crest of riot in the rag-castle of Poosie Nancy, seemed equally at home. 1937 E. Sitwell I live under Black Sun i. xiii. 158 Rag castle after rag castle, the world of beggars was swept along, and night fell upon the two nations who alone inhabit the earth, the rich and the poor. rag chawing n. U.S. (now rare) = rag chewing n. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > conversation > [noun] > topic of or subject for conversation or gossip > discussion > type of discussion causerie1827 rag chawing1885 jobation1916 panel discussion1934 wash-up1961 teach-in1965 talk-in1967 rap session1968 whataboutery1974 whataboutism1978 1885 Santa Fé Weekly New Mexican 1 Oct. 1/3 After a few minutes rag-chawing a verdict of ‘came to his death from unknown causes’, is promptly rendered. 1903 Atlanta Constit. 18 Feb. 5/3 For two hours tonight the local legislators had a rag chawing match of a vigorous and enthusiastic character. rag chewing n. protracted discussion or argument; talking, chatting, (now) esp. among CB radio users; cf. to chew the rag at chew v. 3h. ΚΠ 1889 Trenton (New Jersey) Times 8 June There has been a great deal of ‘rag chewing’ going on here since June made its appearance. 1937 G. Frankau More of Us xii. 130 Great work Lord Bubbles put in presently Over their teas and pastries and rag-chewing. 2005 Richmond (Va.) Times Dispatch (Nexis) 13 Apr. b2 Within an hour, familiar rag chewing among amateur radio operators would turn into a coordinated effort to save a man's life. rag content n. the proportion of rag used to make a particular paper; (also attributive) designating paper containing a proportion of rag. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > material for making paper > paper > [noun] > proportion of rag rag content1919 1919 Wall St. Jrnl. 28 Oct. 8/3 (advt.) This rag-content paper possesses the crisp ‘feel’ and firm fibrous toughness that bespeaks the high grade, quality bond. 1925 Mansfield (Ohio) News 8 Mar. The paper varied in composition from all wood pulp to 35 per cent. rag content. 1967 R. R. Karch & E. J. Buber Graphic Arts Procedures: Offset Processes xi. 479 Rag content is usually 25 percent, 50 percent, 75 percent, or 100 percent. 2004 Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois) (Nexis) 16 July a1 Rag-content paper tends not to get as brown or brittle. rag dust n. minute particles of rag, originally as used to make papier mâché. ΚΠ 1847 Sci. Amer. 9 Jan. 128/2 The fibrous material to be used is rag dust, obtained from makers of fine paper. 1910 C. V. Chapin Sources & Modes of Infection v. 180 Among the diseases mentioned are smallpox,..cholera, and a disease peculiar to rag dust, called ‘flock cough’. 1970 Paper Maker Sept. 7 No rags were used in the process—hence the mill's claim to the insurance firms that there was no fire hazard from rag dust. rag end n. the last part or remnant of something; = fag end n. 1. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > end or conclusion > [noun] > the latter part > mere butt end1597 fag endc1600 faga1627 tag-end1807 rag enda1869 a1869 R. Leighton Reuben (1875) 76 Into yon wood An owl pass'd like the rag-end of a cloud. 1917 E. Pound Lustra 192 And the booths Were scattered align, the rag ends of the fair. 1991 BOMB Summer 74/1 Sounds stretch out in the station—footsteps, crackling announcements, rag ends of instructions and goodbyes echo and balloon. rag engine n. Papermaking (now historical) a machine for reducing rags to pulp. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > paper-making equipment > [noun] > for pulping beater1825 beating-engine1825 rag engine1825 stuff engine1839 poacher1866 poaching engine1870 breaking-enginea1877 Hollander1878 breaker1880 kollergang1890 pulp stone1892 1825 London Jrnl. Arts & Sci. 10 128 The material is again washed..when it is considered fit to be introduced to the ordinary rag-engine, employed in making paper. 1853 A. Ure Dict. Arts (ed. 4) II. 346 The improvements in paper making, for which T. W. Wigley..obtained a patent in 1842, relate to the rag engine. 2001 Jrnl. Amer. Inst. Conservation 40 154/2 One of the great technical innovations in the late 17th century is the Hollander beater or rag engine. † rag engineer n. Obsolete a person who operates a rag engine. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > producer > maker of paper > [noun] > involved in specific process hot-presser1621 coucher1751 vat-man1839 sizer1863 rag engineer1875 beater-man1880 paper-glosser1882 1875 E. Young Labor in Europe & Amer. 263 (table) Average Earnings of Operators... Paper making... Rag-engineers... 5 80. rag-footed adj. now archaic and rare having rags for shoes, badly shod; chiefly figurative. ΚΠ 1606 W. Birnie Blame of Kirk-buriall xix. sig. F1 Some rag-footed resons that we must refute. 1836 Huron Reflector (Norwalk, Ohio) 23 Aug. The Whigs are about to demolish their golden-headed and rag-footed idol and to scatter its dust to the four winds. 1983 Road & Track Apr. 163/2 It has been unfashionable since the late days of the French Revolution, to be transported through city streets by ragfooted knaves and varlets while you inhale snuff from an engraved silver wrist container. rag frame n. Mining an inclined table for partially concentrating slimes. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > equipment for treating ores > [noun] > for washing ore > table or frame frame1778 sleeping table1839 sweeping-table1839 sweep-table1839 bumping table1877 rag frame1904 1904 Eng. Dial. Dict. Rag frame. 1920 Conquest Nov. 17/1 The stream is dammed and the sludge or slime settles, and is allowed to flow through launders which feed automatically-tilting tables of the most ingenious structure... These tables are called rag frames. 1964 A. Nelson Dict. Mining 358 Rag frame, a broad, slightly inclined wooden frame for the rough concentration of slimes. rag front n. rare a facade or banner of painted canvas displayed at a carnival or circus. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > circus performance > [noun] > pieces of equipment hoop1793 bed of nails1798 garter1854 safety net1888 net1905 rag front1926 1926 Variety 29 Dec. 7/4 The outdoor show game with its ‘rag front’, ‘silver men’, [etc.]. 1980 Carolina Comments Sept. 142 Hunter once worked as a musician in a band with a ‘rag front’ carnival. raghead n. originally and chiefly U.S. slang (derogatory and offensive) a person who wears a head cloth or turban; a native or inhabitant of a country where such items are customarily worn, esp. a Middle Eastern person (also in extended use). ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > wearing clothing > [noun] > wearing headgear > one who redcap1550 flat cap1599 sash1657 black cap1856 white hat1872 shawlie1914 raghead1917 hijabi1986 1917 H. M. Rideout in Saturday Evening Post 1 Sept. 74/4 Before we go any further, I want to own that when you stood talkin' with your raghead friend, Ghanda Singh, last night—well, I could understand part of what you two was sayin'. 1921 P. Casey & T. Casey Gay-cat vi. 70 It's the Ragheads all right—a whole army of Hindoo laborers. 1947 J. Steinbeck Wayward Bus 107 The god-damned rag heads... Whyn't they learn English before they start running around? 2003 A. Swofford Jarhead 16 I'm proud of our president standing up to the evil. Them ragheads is gonna go down. rag house n. now historical (in the papermaking industry) a building in which rags are stored or prepared. ΚΠ 1828 Times 3 Nov. 2/6 A fire was discovered in the rag-house at a mill called Hedge-mill, belonging to Mr. Freeman Gage Spicer, paper-manufacturer. 1904 Econ. Jrnl. 14 238 Hours in the rag-house and salle seldom exceed 8 to 5, or 5.30, and in winter are even shorter. 1974 A. G. Thomson Paper Industry in Scotl. p. xiii Illustration of rag house showing cutting and sorting. rag knife n. Papermaking (now historical) a knife used for cutting rags. ΚΠ 1770 Proc. Old Bailey 5 Dec. 11/2 I am a paper-maker, and live at Drayton. The prisoner worked with me a great many years. On the 26th of October I found three hundred pounds of white linen rags..and five rag-knives. 1853 Times 1 Jan. 8/2 (advt.) Two tons of rag knives. 1903 G. W. Alling Points for Buyers & Users of Tool Steel xi. 90 Should you be manufacturing rag knives or barking knives..the grades of the best tool steel..will be found to give quite satisfactory results. 1987 J.A. McGaw Most Wonderful Machine ii. 40 For all these tasks they used long rag knives or scythes fixed on posts. rag-lamp n. U.S. (now historical) a lamp with a rag wick. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > light > artificial light > an artificial light > artificial light defined by light-source > [noun] > oil-lamp > types of lampion1848 rag-lamp1889 bitch1898 chirag1899 Phoebe lamp1935 diya1964 Toc H lamp1977 1889 ‘M. Twain’ Connecticut Yankee xlii. 531 He had re-instituted the ancient rag-lamp. 1916 W. D. Howells Leatherwood God xxi. 211 She did not light the little rag-lamp which she and Jane sometimes sat by with their belated sewing or darning. 2006 D. Bowles Spring House ix. 91 Adam pulled on his pants in the dark and Elizabeth lit a rag lamp. rag-mannered adj. now historical bad-mannered, rude. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > [adjective] > ill-mannered unthewedc1175 ill-mannered1422 unmannerlya1425 mannerlessa1500 unmannered?1518 inhonest1534 ungraciousa1535 unrude?1552 misnurtured1553 menseless1568 misleared1578 mismannered1615 unmanneredly1650 rag-mannered1698 1698 J. Collier Short View Immorality Eng. Stage v. 220 This Young Lady swears, talks smut, and is..just as rag-manner'd as Mary the Buxsome. 1710 London's Medicinal Informer 55 If Martin himself be a Quack, he is certainly the most rag-manner'd Quack on Earth. 1939 C. Lederer Eagle’s Quest xiv. 206 He felt more comfortable now, seated beside his rag-mannered host. 1995 J. Feather Valentine vi. 91 Defeated by a stubborn, self-willed, spoiled, rag-mannered young gypsy who refused to look beyond blind prejudice and see what was good for her. † rag-manners n. Obsolete bad manners, rude behaviour. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > [noun] > unmannerliness > ill-breeding ungentilesse1390 ungentleness1470 rag-manners1672 under-breeding1673 ungenteelness1706 ill breeding1800 ungentility1822 ungentlemanliness1828 ungentlemanlikeness1848 1672 G. Downing Disc. 50 Their ingratitude, incivility and rag-manners. 1731 Gentleman's Mag. 1 350 Why charge ye Rag-manners thus upon the clergy? rag market n. a market selling rags; (now also) a market selling various second-hand articles, a flea market.figurative in quot. 1610. ΚΠ 1610 T. Bell Catholique Triumph v. 174 I will not deny but the Minister hath some skill in botching togeather of old endes of Diuinitie, gathered out of the Ragge market of Caluin. 1645 J. Howell Epistolæ Ho-elianæ i. vii. 11 The Dog and Rag Market is hard by. 1742 Ann. Europe III. ix. 504 A Dozen of Persons..came into the Bezestein of the Friperie, or Rag-Market, with an Emir at their Head. 1852 Times 18 Oct. 5/3 They were followed by the representatives of the rag-market, but their banner did not quite correspond to their name; it was the most tastefully formed of all. 1924 Bull. Metrop. Mus. Art 19 306/1 Years later M. Orville, by rare accident, picked up the companion spur in a rag market for eighty francs. 1998 Independent 9 May i. 11/2 Not for them the run-down streets of the balti belt, or the rag market. rag merchant n. a rag dealer; (formerly also, derogatory) †a banker or a draper (obsolete). ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > trader > traders or dealers in specific articles > [noun] > in textiles, clothing, or yarns mercerc1230 clothier1362 draper1362 woolman1390 yarn-chopper1429 line-draper1436 Welsh drapera1525 telerc1540 purple-seller1547 linen-draper1549 staplera1552 silkman1553 woollen-draper1554 wool-driver1555 woolster1577 linener1616 woolner1619 linen-man1631 ragman1649 rag merchant1665 slop-seller1665 bodice-seller1672 piece-broker1697 wool-stapler1709 cloth-man1723 Manchester-man1755 fleece-merchanta1774 rag dealer1777 man's mercer1789 keelman1821 man-mercer1837 cotton-broker1849 slopper1854 shoddyite1865 costumier1886 cotton-man1906 1665 R. Head Eng. Rogue I. v. 39 Our Vestments look'd like the Gleanings of a Rag-merchants Yard. 1790 Times 5 Feb. 4/3 A Substantial Freehold Brick-Built Dwelling House..let to Mrs. Agnes Steel, Rag Merchant..at Thirty Pounds Per Annum. 1821 W. Cobbett Rural Rides in Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 17 Nov. 1199 The country rag-merchants have now very little to do. They have no discounts. What they have out, they owe; it is so much debt. 1862 ‘F. G. Trafford’ Too much Alone II. ii. 42 Rag merchant. [Note] The above expression does not refer to a marine-store dealer, but simply to a dealer in Manchester goods, who is frequently thus designated in the City. 1939 F. Thompson Lark Rise vii. 133 A few worn-out garments..would be sold to the rag merchant. 2006 Irish Times (Nexis) 8 Nov. 17 There has been an increase in door-to-door collections carried out by commercial rag merchants asking for unwanted clothing. rag money n. U.S. derogatory (now historical) paper money, banknotes; esp. (during the American Revolutionary period and in the early 19th cent.) banknotes actually or presumed to be depreciated or irredeemable against hard currency; cf. sense 7b. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > [noun] paper money1669 bank paper1696 paper1704 rag1797 scrieve1800 rag money1808 soft1809 soft currency1837 stamps1872 scratch1914 folding money1930 ready1937 1808 Pittsfiled (Mass.) Sun 1 Oct. 3/4 Cider, Rye, or Indian Corn, will be received in payment—Rag money will not be refused. 1878 N. Amer. Rev. 126 166 The complete disuse and actual repulsion of silver by rag-money. 1932 A. M. Sakolski Great Amer. Land Bubble xi. 235 He [sc. President Jackson] and his cabinet soon realized that the land was paid for in ‘rag money’, i.e., in bank notes that were in many cases irredeemable and worthless. 1999 H. M. Ward War for Independence & Transformation Amer. Society ii. 31 In all the legislatures ‘rag-money’ groups were successful or struck fear among those who championed sound fiscal measures. rag offering n. a piece of clothing or other rag hung up at a place of religious or superstitious importance (typically a well or standing stone) as a ritual offering, esp. for the cure of disease. ΘΚΠ society > faith > worship > sacrifice or a sacrifice > kinds of sacrifice > [noun] > of rags rag offering1777 1777 J. Brand Observ. Pop. Antiq. 85 These Rag-offerings are the Reliques of the then prevailing popular Superstition. 1853 B. St. John Village Life in Egypt Contents p. vii Rites performed at Tombs—Alms-giving—Sacrifice—Rag-offerings. 1923 Folk-lore 34 341 St. Enda's well..cures sick persons if their friends pray at it, and has rag offerings hung on the ivy and brambles. 2006 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 16 Sept. 25 First came a limpid, dimpling run of water under mossy trees festooned with ‘clooties’, rag offerings tied to the branches, including a capacious bra and a pair of black lace pants. rag running n. [in reference to the former method of racing in which the dogs ran along a track to their owners who were waving a rag] slang rare whippet racing. ΚΠ 1927 Daily Express 25 May 12 A little more foresight and push..might have made ‘rag running’ a very popular entertainment. ragsackman n. a ragman carrying a sack.Apparently an isolated use. ΚΠ 1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xv. [Circe] 415 A sackshouldered ragman bars his path. He steps left, ragsackman left. rag shop n. a shop selling old clothes and other second-hand or discarded articles; also figurative. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > trading place > place where retail transactions made > [noun] > shop > shops selling clothes, cloth, or accessories > second-hand frippery1598 flipperya1625 rag shop1674 old clothes shop1729 rag store1849 tagarene shop1855 1674 Proc. Old Bailey 9 Sept. 4 And coming two days after to a Rag-Shop, being next Door, he was taken upon Suspicion. 1746 R. Skelton in Proc. King’s Comm. Peace ii. ii. 42/2 We have a Rag-Shop in our Cellar, and opposite to that we keep a Green Shop. 1810 Times 3 Nov. Mr. Smith..obtained a warrant to search an old rag-shop..where he suspected his lead had been sold. 1894 G. B. Shaw Let. 23 Apr. (1965) I. 427 You have a perfect rag shop of old ideas in your head. 1927 F. M. Thrasher Gang ii. ix. 153 In the summertime they..work about the ragshops for the junk dealers. 2006 Daily Miner & News (Kenora, Ont.) (Nexis) 1 Apr. 19 Their clothes look like they were bought at a designer's boutique while yours look like they came from a new and used rag shop. rag store n. chiefly U.S. and Scottish = rag shop n. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > trading place > place where retail transactions made > [noun] > shop > shops selling clothes, cloth, or accessories > second-hand frippery1598 flipperya1625 rag shop1674 old clothes shop1729 rag store1849 tagarene shop1855 1849 in J. Pagan Glasgow, Past & Present (1851) I. 76 On one side of the court is a vast rag-store, and on the other the dense dwellings of the Irish. 1869 ‘M. Twain’ Innocents Abroad xvi. 157 Filthy dens on first floors, with rag stores in them (the heaviest business in the Faubourg is the chiffonier's). 1958 J. Kesson White Bird Passes ii. 16 Right Laners used the lavatory by the causeway, and Left Laners used the one up beside the rag-store. 1991 A. Blair More Tea at Miss Cranston's viii. 81 When he was making a suit I had to pick up all the clippings... that was called ‘the woollen’ and my mother sold it at the rag store for a few pence. ragtop n. U.S. slang (a) a convertible car with a soft hood; (also) the hood itself; (b) a trailer or van with a tarpaulin top. ΘΚΠ society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > motor car > [noun] > car with folding top cabriolet1896 convertible1916 soft-top1940 ragtop1952 drophead1959 1952 Athens (Ohio) Messenger 11 Apr. 14 (advt.) 1940 Buick... Black rag top. 1974 D. Westheimer Olmec Head xvii. 235 Get a ragtop trailer. That's one with a fabric cover instead of a solid top. 1994 Arena Sept. 50/3 What fun, having the coupé converted into a ragtop for the summer and then back again for the winter. rag-tree n. a tree on which rags are hung for ritual or superstitious purposes; cf. rag bush n. ΘΚΠ society > faith > worship > sacrifice or a sacrifice > kinds of sacrifice > [noun] > of rags > that on which rags are fixed rag-well1777 rag bush1834 rag-tree1880 1880 M. J. Walhouse in Jrnl. Anthropol. Inst. 9 106 The Christmas Trees..are but changed survivals of the Pagan rag-trees. 1934 Geogr. Jrnl. 84 476 It reminded me of the rag-trees of Turkistan to which passers-by tie shreds from their garments. 2005 Belfast Tel. (Nexis) 3 Nov. There's an ancient rag-tree, where, from time immemorial, families have tied ribbons to a scrub of a bush. rag turnsole n. turnsole dye stored in linen rags impregnated with it and then dried; cf. turnsole n. 1a. ΚΠ 1903 N.E.D. at Rag sb.¹ Rag turnsole. rag-well n. a well at which rags are hung for ritual or superstitious purposes; cf. rag offering n. ΘΚΠ society > faith > worship > sacrifice or a sacrifice > kinds of sacrifice > [noun] > of rags > that on which rags are fixed rag-well1777 rag bush1834 rag-tree1880 1777 J. Brand Observ. Pop. Antiq. 85 A Well in the road to Benton..called The Rag Well. 1855 F. K. Robinson Gloss. Yorks. Words 137 Ragwells, certain springs in the neighbourhood, held sacred in former days for curing diseases... Rags from the garments of those who recovered, were torn off and hung up as offerings to the patron saint of the well. 1957 E. E. Evans Irish Folk Ways (1967) xxi. 302 A rag-well at Clonmel is visited by mountain farmers who hang rag offerings on briars at lambing and calving times. 2000 K. Dowden European Paganism ii. 38 Sometimes the rag-well is associated with healing and the cloth with which the wound was bound and then bathed is hung, complete with the illness, in the tree. rag wick n. a wick made of rag; (formerly also) †a candle with such a wick (obsolete). ΚΠ 1529 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Edinb. (1871) II. 6 At thai sell the pund thairof [sc. candle]..for vj d. the rag weyk and v d. the lib. the hardis weyk. 1633 Dumbarton Burgh Rec. (1860) 42 Candill 4^sh pound, when maid with tow wik, and fourtie pennies when rag wik. 1882 Decatur (Illinois) Daily Republican 1 Mar. An old fashioned lard lamp with a rag wick. 1927 C. M. Russell Trails plowed Under 159 In the long winter nights their light was coal oil lamps or candles—sometimes they were forced to use a ‘bitch’, which was a tin cup filled with bacon grease and a twisted rag wick. 2001 Bristol Evening Post (Nexis) 5 Sept. 5 A beer bottle with petrol inside and a rag wick was found in a women's toilet. rag woman n. a woman who gathers or deals in rags; cf. ragman n.² 3. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > trader > traders or dealers in specific articles > [noun] > in textiles, clothing, or yarns > woman purpuressc1384 purpurarec1425 silk-womanc1440 paste-wife1550 rag woman1653 merceress1840 draperess1854 linendraperess1868 1653 Mercurius Democritus No. 72. 576 A Grindling Piece of the damnation, daughter to an old Ragg-woman in Golden-lane.., lately took upon her to separate two faithfull Lovers. 1707 J. Stevens tr. F. de Quevedo Comical Wks. 262 The old Woman, who gather'd them [sc. rags] twice a Week about the Streets, as the Rag-women do for the Paper-Mills. 1786 Times 26 Aug. 3/2 The act to oblige drunken tinkers and naked old-cloaths and rag women, to pay 1l. 1s. a year. 1853 Harper's Mag Mar. 491/2 Our old rag woman, though no beauty, is a person of consequence and respectability compared with the last profession in the social chain, that of the ‘chiffonnier’. 1915 Pointer (Dolton, Illinois) 14 May Ever on the lookout for treasure, for money or trinkets, the rag woman resembled some famished ferret on the scent of blood. 2002 St. John's (Newfoundland) Telegram (Nexis) 17 Nov. b2 I like clothes, I always did; not at the moment, if you could see me. I look like the rag woman. rag wool n. wool obtained by tearing rags into shreds; coarse woollen yarn made from this; cf. shoddy n. 1a. ΚΠ 1851 Democratic State Reg. (Watertown, Wisconsin) 15 Apr. 1/7 A great demand has arisen for rag wool. 1902 Jrnl. Royal Statist. Soc. 65 121 Cotton, wool, worsted, rag-wool, silk are worked together in various combinations. 2006 Bangor (Maine) Daily News (Nexis) 2 Mar. c1 Such shoes, made from rag wool, have been worn for decades in Eastern Europe and Russia. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online June 2022). ragn.³ Brit. /raɡ/, U.S. /ræɡ/ Forms: 1700s ragg, 1700s– rag. Origin: Formed within English, by clipping or shortening. Etymons: rag wheel n.; rag pump n. Etymology: In sense 1 short for rag wheel n. In sense 2 short for rag pump n. Mining. 1. = rag wheel n. 1. Chiefly and now only in rag and chain pump n. = rag pump n. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > wheel > [noun] > cog or gear > used with chain fusee1622 rag wheel1656 fuse1674 rag1705 sprocket wheel1765 chain-wheel1845 chain geara1877 trammel-wheel1877 1705 in Technol. & Culture (1995) 36 232 Sett a Rag. 1778 W. Pryce Mineralogia Cornubiensis ii. iii. 151 A rag and chain pump of four inches diameter, requires five or six fresh men, every six hours, to draw twenty feet deep. 1880 D. C. Davies Treat. Metallif. Min. 425 Water Men, men employed in the extraction of water, especially with the rag and chain pump. 1914 Jrnl. Polit. Econ. 22 778 A later device was the rag-and-chain pump, consisting of an endless chain broadened at intervals by leathern binding and fitting in a pipe. 1964 Technol. & Culture 5 574 Since suction pumps could only raise small amounts, rag and chain pumps were used to raise quantities of water. †2. = rag pump n. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > lifting or hoisting equipment > [noun] > for raising water well bucket1477 flail?a1500 kettle-mill1570 scoop1580 water engine1611 chain-pumpa1618 cochlea1648 water-screw1648 engine1652 bucket-fountain1663 chain1682 noria1696 tub-engine1702 tub-gin1702 well-pole1727 screw engine1729 rag1747 rag pump1747 swape1773 picotah1780 water balance1800 ram1801 well sweep1818 shadoof1836 hydraulic belt1856 water carrier1875 bailer1883 trip-bucket1926 1747 W. Hooson Miners Dict. sig. Qij Those common Pumps used in the Mines, such as Raggs, Churns, Sweaps, Forces, for drawing of Water, these are so well known to every one that it is..needless to describe them. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022). ragn.⁴ Brit. /raɡ/, U.S. /ræɡ/ Forms: also with capital initial. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: rag v.³ Etymology: < rag v.³ Chiefly University slang. Originally: an act of ragging (see rag v.³); spec. a noisy debate or rowdy celebration, esp. as carried on in defiance of authority or discipline; (also) a boisterous prank or practical joke. Now usually: a programme of satirical revues, frivolous stunts, parades, etc., organized by students to raise money for charity. Now chiefly in compounds. N.E.D. (1904) notes: ‘Known in Oxford for some years before date of first quotation [i.e.1864].’ ΘΚΠ society > leisure > social event > a merrymaking or convivial occasion > [noun] > noisy or riotous > students' gaudeamus1823 rag1825 1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. Rag,..2) a debate or contention. 1864 H. Sidgwick Let. July in A. Sidgwick & E. M. Sidgwick H. Sidgwick (1906) ii. 111 They enjoy beer, tobacco and students' ‘rags’. 1892 Isis No. 13. 88/2 The College is preparing for a good old rag to-night. 1894 W. H. Wilkins & H. Vivian Green Bay Tree I. 275 It was the usual senseless ‘rag’ in which Pimlico and his friends were wont to indulge at their convivial gatherings. 1930 J. Buchan Castle Gay iv. 60 I do not wish to have my name associated with an undergraduate—‘rag’, I think is the word. 1975 Times 23 May 14/5 Students at the University of East Anglia have admitted their guilt, in the cause of a forthcoming student rag. 1990 N. Annan Our Age vi. 90 The philistine members of Our Age wanted to regard life as a rag in order to forget the Great War. Compounds General attributive, as rag day, rag week, etc. ΚΠ 1905 Westm. Gaz. 25 Apr. 3/3 It [sc. Sheridan's ‘Critic’] has been left alone of late except for an occasional ‘rag’ performance at a charity matinée. 1951 Times 1 Mar. 9/5 To add to the general sense of revelry the university students' rag week had begun in the early hours. 1958 Oxf. Mail 15 Feb. 1/1 A 1902 James and Browne vintage car removed from the Imperial College, South Kensington, London, by students of Southampton University for their ‘rag’ day. 1962 Times 2 Feb. 6/5 Summonses under the Road Traffic Act have been issued by the police against members of the students' ‘rag’ committee..following the appearance of a motorized bedstead. 1998 Warwick Boar 3 Feb. 10/1 Rag week is the week that everyone connected in any way with University remembers. It is traditionally the week when Universities do their main bout of charity fund raising. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022). ragn.⁵ Brit. /raɡ/, U.S. /ræɡ/ Origin: Of uncertain origin. Etymology: Origin uncertain and disputed.In sense 2 perhaps shortened < ragged adj.¹, with allusion to the syncopated rhythm of the music. Compare ragtime n. Originally U.S. †1. A type of informal dancing party featuring music played by African-American string bands. Obsolete.There appears to be no specific connection between this sense and sense 2b. ΚΠ 1891 Topeka (Kansas) Call 16 Aug. 1/2 The Jordan hall ‘rags’, which are held in Tennessee town weekly, are a nuisance and should be abated. 1893 Kansas City (Missouri) Star 29 Dec. in L. Abbott & D. Seroff Out of Sight (2002) viii. 444/1 When an Atchison fiddler plays at a rag he always sits near the door so that he can get out when he hears the first fighting word. 1896 Dial. Notes 1 423 Rag, dance, ball. ‘We can go to rags.’ 2. a. A musical composition written in ragtime; a ragtime tune. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > piece of music > type of piece > [noun] > ragtime piece rag1894 ragtime1899 1894 Leavenworth (Kansas) Herald 8 Dec. Kansas City girls can't play anything on pianos except ‘rags’, and the worst kind of ‘rags’ at that. ‘The Bully’ and ‘Forty Drops’ are their favorites. 1895 Leavenworth (Kansas) Herald 13 Apr. in L. Abbott & D. Seroff Out of Sight (2002) viii. 448/2 If the present ‘rag’ craze does not die out pretty soon, every young man in the city will be able to play some kind of a ‘rag’ and then call himself a piano player. 1896 E. Hogan All Coons look alike to Me (sheet music) 6 (caption) Choice Chorus with Negro ‘Rag’ Accompaniment. 1897 T. Turpin (title of song) Harlem rag: two step. 1922 T. S. Eliot Waste Land ii. 21 But O O O O that Shakespeherian Rag—It's so elegant So intelligent. 1947 G. Sklar Two Worlds J. Truro iii. 24 They listened to rags and stomps, to fox trots and marches. 1957 G. Lascelles in S. Traill Concerning Jazz 77 Few of the original rags were written, and those which were, had often no bass part added beyond the conventional harmonies. 1977 New Yorker 19 Sept. 96/2 She would play some Menotti, Barber, and Gershwin, a piece by Paul Tufts, a Seattle composer, and some Scott Joplin rags. 1991 New Yorker 14 Oct. 97/2 The Creole Jazz Band played rags and blues and novelty songs. Its ensembles were partly arranged and partly jammed. 2000 Oxf. Amer. Mar.–Apr. 122/1 When the fad for the newly emerging blues hit in the 1920s, the older African-American musicians who played the rags, breakdowns, dance tunes, and novelty songs on their fiddles and banjos found themselves passé. b. A dance performed to ragtime music; a dancing party at which ragtime music is played. Now chiefly historical. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > dancing > ball or dance > [noun] treschec1290 hoppingc1330 dancec1385 ball?1605 ballet1657 dancing-match1740 dancing-assembly1765 fandango1766 dancing-party1852 German1853 rag1899 ngoma1905 rat race1937 society > leisure > dancing > types of dance or dancing > dances to specific popular music > [noun] rag dance1892 rag1899 jazzing1917 shey-sheyc1920 juking1937 boogie1940 rocking1948 rock 'n' rolling1956 rock 'n' roll1958 monkey1963 ska1964 boogaloo1965 rocksteady1967 reggae1968 skank1974 salsa1975 skanking1976 Macarena1995 1899 Musical Rec. (Boston) Apr. 158/1 The negroes call their clog-dancing, ‘ragging’, and the dance, a ‘rag’. 1912 C. Porter Compl. Lyrics (1983) 12/1 Now there's a rag that everybody's doin'... There's a rag that Yale is turkey trottin'. 1998 T. C. Boyle Riven Rock 181 She'd just danced a rag with Bulter Ames. 2000 Sat. Evening Post May–June 30/2 They could go to a rag or a romp and drag a hoof to the latest jazz music. Compounds C1. With reference to ragtime music. a. rag music n. ΚΠ 1898 Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Evening Gaz. 11 Jan. 7/3 Their entire dance being ‘rag and buck’ steps, to rag music. 1955 R. Davies in J. McCarthy Jazzbk. 1955 37 They left the Crescent City..intending to disseminate through the dance halls of Chicago the rag music they had created. 2003 E. Ball Sweet Hell Inside 104 Joplin's ‘Maple Leaf Rag’ became wildly popular and launched a ten-year craze for rag music in mainstream American taste. rag musician n. ΚΠ 1972 Iowa City Press-Citizen 5 May 5 b/1 National Public Radio will broadcast the premier of ‘rag’ musician Scott Joplin's folk opera ‘Treemonisha’. 1998 Independent (Nexis) 6 Feb. 19 His technique is essentially no different from Beethoven's with the violin score, or the improvisatory approach of a rag musician. rag rhythm n. ΚΠ 1913 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 2 Nov. 22 (headline) Rattles his bones in ‘Butcher Shop’ rag rhythm. 2000 J. F. Szwed Jazz 101 xi. 88 If pushed back even further, rag rhythms could be related to dances like the cakewalk, the beguine in Martinique, [etc.]. rag two-step n. ΚΠ 1897 W. H. Krell (title of song) The Mississippi rag two-step: the first rag-time two-step ever written. 1933 N.Y. Times 30 July ii. 4/2 When the World War broke out in 1914, the New York dancing public was indulging in all sorts of turkey trots, the rag two-step, one-steps, hesitation and the tango. 1996 S. A. Floyd Power Black Music iii. 72 The slow drag, cakewalk, rag two-step, and all the rest were popular dances at the turn of the century, particularly in black culture. b. rag-flavoured adj. ΚΠ 1959 ‘F. Newton’ Jazz Scene vi. 103 Rag-flavoured numbers also became part of the staple repertoire of New Orleans jazz. 2005 Down Beat June 57 Guitarist Cephas and harp player Wiggins deal in Piedmont blues, a style that emphasizes elaborate fingerpicking riffs, rag-flavored rhythms and upbeat melodies. C2. rag dance n. †(a) = sense 1 (obsolete); (b) = sense 2b. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > dancing > types of dance or dancing > dances to specific popular music > [noun] rag dance1892 rag1899 jazzing1917 shey-sheyc1920 juking1937 boogie1940 rocking1948 rock 'n' rolling1956 rock 'n' roll1958 monkey1963 ska1964 boogaloo1965 rocksteady1967 reggae1968 skank1974 salsa1975 skanking1976 Macarena1995 1892 Daily Nevada State Jrnl. 15 Mar. 3/1 There will be a ‘rag dance’ at Wadsworth on the night of the 17th. 1897 Chicago Sunday Tribune 9 May 12 (advt.) Copyright music... A Night on the Levee. (Rag Dance.) 1916 Variety 25 Aug. 8 Ash..is seen daily on the streets playing rag dance numbers. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022). ragv.¹ Brit. /raɡ/, U.S. /ræɡ/ Forms: late Middle English–1600s ragge, 1600s– rag. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: rag n.² Etymology: < rag n.² Compare earlier ragged n., ragged adj.¹ 1. transitive. To tear, rend (literal and figurative); (now esp.) to tear so as to leave ragged edges, to make ragged. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > tearing or tearing apart > tear [verb (transitive)] > tear apart to-loukc890 to-braidc893 to-tearc893 to-teec893 to-rendc950 to-breakc1200 to-tugc1220 to-lima1225 rivea1250 to-drawa1250 to-tosea1250 drawa1300 rendc1300 to-rit13.. to-rivec1300 to-tusec1300 rakea1325 renta1325 to-pullc1330 to-tightc1330 tirec1374 halea1398 lacerate?a1425 to-renta1425 yryve1426 raga1450 to pull to (or in) piecesc1450 ravec1450 discerp1483 pluck1526 rip1530 decerp1531 rift1534 dilaniate1535 rochec1540 rack1549 teasea1550 berend1577 distract1585 ream1587 distrain1590 unrive1592 unseam1592 outrive1598 divulse1602 dilacerate1604 harrow1604 tatter1608 mammocka1616 uprentc1620 divell1628 divellicate1638 seam-rend1647 proscind1659 skail1768 screeda1785 spret1832 to tear to shreds1837 ribbon1897 the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > tearing or tearing apart > tear [verb (transitive)] > tear paper or cloth, or make ragged breakOE rive1415 to-ragc1430 raga1603 shred1613 to rip up1891 a1450 York Plays (1885) 363 (MED) On roode am I ragged and rente, Þou synfull sawle, for thy sake. ?1521 J. Fisher Serm. agayn Luther sig. Biiij Martyn luther..so malycyously contemneth & setteth at nought, and all to raggeth the heed of chrystes chyrche. 1538 Bp. J. Longland Serm. Good Frydaye sig. G.iii^v The Iues had beaten hym in gobettes.., beatyng and scourgynge hym, raggynge and rentynge his precyous bodye, naylynge hym to the crosse. a1603 T. Cartwright Confut. Rhemists New Test. (1618) 331 The other testimony of Augustine, wherewith they haue garded or rather ragged their Margent. 1673 J. Beale Let. 13 Jan. in H. Oldenburg Corr. (1973) IX. 404 Though we are forbidden to temper, & ragge disputations in Religion, yet we are not forbidden Religiously to acknowledge Gods Providence & Protection. 1836 Novascotian 29 Oct. 1/2 He..drove the spurs right into him... He ragged him like the leaf of a book cut open with your finger. 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator (new ed.) IV. 117/2 There was a burr left at the hinder end of the thread which ‘ragged’ the wood. 1894 H. Caine Manxman 246 The steel of the drum ragging me sideways. 1978 A. Fenton Northern Isles lxx. 619 The Sea Language of Fishermen and the End of Norn... Fishing tools and equipment: biter, ragger (from English rag, to tear), a knife. 2. intransitive. To become ragged. Formerly also with †out. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > tearing or tearing apart > tear [verb (intransitive)] renda1325 racec1390 sundera1393 shearc1450 ruska1525 rent1526 tear1526 to go abroad1568 raga1642 spalt1731 screeda1801 the world > matter > condition of matter > bad condition of matter > deteriorate in condition [verb (intransitive)] > waste away > wear > become ragged raga1642 a1642 H. Best Farming & Memorandum Bks. (1984) 15 The woll of such sheepe will immediately beginne to rise, ragge, and fall of. a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) Mddx. 177 Leather thus..tanned..will prove serviceable, which otherwise will quickly fleet and rag out. 1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 147 If they do not [fit exactly], the Mold will be sure to Rag. 1989 Which? July 345/2 A narrow throat on the soleplate will help to keep splintering down on material which is likely to rag. 3. U.S. slang and regional (chiefly western). to rag out: (a) intransitive to dress well, dress up (in quot. 1849 figurative); (b) transitive (in passive) to be well dressed (in later use chiefly in African-American usage). ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > providing with clothing > provide with clothing [verb (intransitive)] > in specific way > dress up to toss out1759 to tog it1819 prig1845 to rag out1849 buck up1854 to dress up1869 poon1943 priss1971 1849 Watertown (Wisconsin) Chron. 25 July One booth, or shanty, has been stuck up for the occasion, and ‘rags out’ with a very showy, and for aught we know costly, stock. 1864 J. Beckwith Winthrops xvii. 47 Law sakes, how your sister Mrs. Houghton is ragged out! I b'lieve that's a brown silk travelin dress, and bunnet to match! 1865 C. F. Browne Artemus Ward his Trav. xi. 92 We air goin' right straight through in these here clothes,..We ain't goin' to rag out till we get to Nevady. 1894 J. W. Riley Armazindy 5 Purtier girl you never seen... Couldn't rag out stylisher. 1916 M. M. Parker Merry Monologues 120 Myrtle said it wa'n't a stylish affair, Maria, but the women was ragged out to beat the band. 1944 D. Burley Orig. Handbk. Harlem Jive 145/1 Rag out, to dress up. 1956 Gettysburg (Pa.) Times 23 May 8/1 He would rather stay in blue jeans than get ragged out in his Sunday best. 2002 F. P. Wilson Haunted Air 237 ‘Ain't you ragged out!’ he said, pointing to the plaid jacket and grinning. †4. intransitive. To sort needles by means of a rag (see quot. 1861). Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1861 A. Wynter Our Social Bees 189 The little girl..places a rag or dolly upon the forefinger of her right hand, and with the left presses the needles against it; the points stick into the soft cotton, and are thus easily withdrawn and laid in the contrary direction. Little children ‘rag’ with inconceivable rapidity. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022). ragv.² Apparently a transmission error for wag (see wag v.). ΚΠ a1585 Ld. Polwart Flyting Montgomerie & Polwart (1621) sig. D^v Buttrie bag, fill knag, thou will rag, with thy fellows. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online December 2019). ragv.³ Brit. /raɡ/, U.S. /ræɡ/ Forms: 1700s ragg, 1700s– rag, 1800s wrag (irregular). Origin: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps a variant or alteration of another lexical item. Etymon: rag v.¹ Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps originally a figurative use of rag v.¹, perhaps in senses relating to tearing (compare with similar semantic development tear v.¹ 3) or clothing (compare dress v. 12, trim v. 10). Compare bullyrag v. 1. a. transitive. colloquial and British regional. To scold, reprove; to dress down. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > rebuke or reproof > rebuke or reprove [verb (transitive)] > scold chidec1230 ban1340 tongue1388 rate1393 flite14.. rehetec1400 janglec1430 chafec1485 rattle1542 berate1548 quarrel1587 hazen?1608 bequarrel1624 huff1674 shrewa1687 to claw away, off1692 tongue-pad1707 to blow up1710 scold1718 rag1739 redd1776 bullyraga1790 jaw1810 targe1825 haze1829 overhaul1840 tongue-walk1841 trim1882 to call down1883 tongue-lash1887 roar1917 to go off at (a person)1941 chew1948 wrinch2009 1739 Proc. Sessions of Peace June 107/2 On Monday Night Bird and Clark came to their House to ragg (scold) her Grandfather for what he had talk'd of, concerning them. 1797 T.B. Pettyfogger Dramatized 41 He ragged me confoundedly, and, to be sure, I deserved it. 1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. (at cited word) I know'd thee'ts meet way ut; I told thee zo! I'll warn maister did rag thee down proper. 1895 ‘F. Anstey’ Lyre & Lancet vii. 70 You..used to rag me for not readin' enough. 1914 E. Rice On Trial i. 19 What's the good of ragging me like this? I tell you I don't know who it is. 1969 B. Head When Rain Clouds Gather viii. 105 They seated themselves around the jutting mud foundation of one of Paulina's huts and ragged her about not having washed yet, nor made tea. 2004 Sunday Express (Nexis) 25 July 17 She will rag me about not cutting the hedge or mowing the lawn. b. transitive. slang. To tease or torment; spec. (originally University slang) to make fun of in a rough or boisterous manner; to bully; (also) to disorder (a person's room) as an act of ragging. Also intransitive. Cf. rag n.⁴, ragging n.² ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > suffering > state of annoyance or vexation > be annoyed or vexed by [verb (transitive)] > annoy or vex > tease tease1627 rag1749 lugger1782 gammon1801 tig1805 fun1811 run1828 ride1891 rawhide1895 to bust (a person's) chops1953 stir1972 to pull a person's chain1975 society > leisure > social event > a merrymaking or convivial occasion > merrymaking or conviviality > [verb (transitive)] > spend (time) in riotous merrymaking > rag rag1749 society > leisure > social event > a merrymaking or convivial occasion > merrymaking or conviviality > make merry [verb (intransitive)] > noisy or riotous > indulge in rag row1797 rag1896 1749 J. Wood Ess. Descr. Bath (ed. 2) II. iv. xi. 417 The Custom among their Persecutors of what they call Ragging one another. 1841 J. Blackwood Let. in Mrs. Oliphant Blackwood & Sons (1898) II. 261 I do not forget to wrag the Doctor on this subject. 1891 Spectator 3 Jan. 3/2 The revellers went round and ‘ragged’ several men in their rooms. 1896 Isis No. 112. 100/2 The difficulty of ‘ragging’ with impunity has long been felt. 1927 ‘R. Bird’ Moreleigh Mascot xix. 201 Hubbard glanced into Wong's study, which was in some disorder. ‘Been ragging here?’ he demanded. ‘Wong seems to be out. Plucky thing to rag a man's study when he's not in.’ 1956 ‘C. Blackstock’ Dewey Death vii. 156 You're always ragging me, and I know you think I'm an ass. 1985 B. Neil As we Forgive ii. 15 The boys were hellish: ragging him, defacing his books. 2006 A. M. Foley Having my Say xvi. 88 Members used to rag me about my speed, said I only had two speeds, wide open and dead stop. c. intransitive. U.S. colloquial. to rag on: to complain about or criticize, esp. extensively or constantly. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > suffering > displeasure > discontent or dissatisfaction > state of complaining > complain [verb (intransitive)] murkeOE misspeakOE yomer971 chidea1000 murkenOE grutch?c1225 mean?a1300 hum13.. plainta1325 gruntc1325 plainc1325 musea1382 murmurc1390 complain1393 contrary1393 flitec1400 pinea1425 grummec1430 aggrudge1440 hoinec1440 mutterc1450 grudge1461 channerc1480 grunch1487 repine1529 storm?1553 expostulate1561 grumblea1586 gruntle1591 chunter1599 swagger1599 maunder1622 orp1634 objurgate1642 pitter1672 yelp1706 yammer1794 natter1804 murgeon1808 groan1816 squawk1875 jower1879 grouse1887 beef1888 to whip the cat1892 holler1904 yip1907 peeve1912 grouch1916 nark1916 to sound off1918 create1919 moana1922 crib1925 tick1925 bitch1930 gripe1932 bind1942 drip1942 kvetchc1950 to rag on1979 wrinch2011 1979 Los Angeles Times 2 Dec. (Book Review section) 4/1 Critics all over the country..for years and years have been ragging on Joyce Carol Oates. 1982 J. A. Posserello Totally Awesome Val Guide 22 My parents would quit ragging on me. 2003 Time Out N.Y. 27 Feb. 121/2 People enjoy ragging on Cat Power's somewhat wobbly stage presence. †2. intransitive. To wrangle over a subject. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > dissent > quarrel or quarrelling > quarrel [verb (intransitive)] threapc1175 disputea1225 thretec1400 varyc1450 fray1465 to fall out1470 to set (or fall) at variancec1522 quarrel1530 square1530 to break a straw1542 to be or to fall at (a) square1545 to fall at jar1552 cowl1556 tuilyie1565 jarl1580 snarl1597 to fall foul1600 to cast out1730 fisticuff1833 spat1848 cagmag1882 rag1889 to part brass-rags1898 hassle1949 blue1955 1889 ‘J. S. Winter’ Mrs. Bob II. xii. 182 If it is constantly being discussed and ragged over between us, we shall only have a miserable and wretched life. 3. transitive. To examine or question. rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > interrogation > question, interrogate [verb (transitive)] afraynec1380 speera1400 refraynea1450 searcha1450 questiona1470 interrogate1483 interrogue1484 demanda1513 pose1526 ferret1582 shrive1592 samen?1620 query1653 quiza1843 hackle1891 rag1908 1908 A. S. M. Hutchinson Once aboard Lugger i. iv. 47 Not one had ever worked. Each had been ‘ragged’ on a subject of which he knew absolutely nothing. 4. to rag the puck. a. transitive. Ice Hockey. To keep possession of the puck by dribbling and skilful stick-handling as a delaying or time-wasting tactic. ΚΠ 1915 N.Y. Times 14 Mar. 14/2 Ottawa had to content itself with ragging the puck during the last part of the game. 1926 Manitoba Free Press 25 Jan. 14 Cleghorn chose to rag the puck in an effort to kill time. 1963 A. O'Brien Headline Hockey 29 Replacements were few and speed lagged at the end or when players ‘ragged’ the puck in mid-ice to kill off penalties. 1981 C. Smythe If you can't beat 'em in Alley vi. 124 He won the face-off and ragged the puck for a whole minute while the Boston team chased him around the ice. 2001 Sports Illustr. (Electronic ed.) 23 Apr. Detroit Red Wings center Sergei Fedorov basked in the noise at Joe Louis Arena last Saturday, ragging the puck, playing keepaway on a penalty kill against the overmatched Los Angeles Kings. b. transitive. Canadian. In extended use: to waste time intentionally; to prevaricate. ΚΠ 1979 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 31 Dec. 7/1 For Premier William Davis and his Cabinet the past year has been a bit like the Leafs in the third period with a one-goal lead... They have been ragging the puck, playing defensively to kill time. 1994 Ottawa Citizen (Nexis) 31 May b1 The old legal trick of ragging the puck and waiting for the other side to run out of money doesn't work so well here. 2001 Toronto Star (Electronic ed.) 5 Apr. We had an agreement among all governments, we just follow that plan that calls for more federal money, let's focus on that and just sort of rag the puck through the next couple of years. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022). † ragv.⁴ Origin: Apparently formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: rag n.¹ Etymology: Apparently < rag n.¹ Compare ragged adj.³, and also ragging n.³ N.E.D. (1903) gives the pronunciation as (ræg) /ræɡ/. Obsolete. rare. transitive. To break up (stones) roughly with a hammer. ΚΠ c1852 Chambers's Repository Instructive & Amusing Tracts 4 xxv. 11 The very large masses are ‘ragged’, or broken with hammers, by men. 1867 R. Hunt Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 6) II. 66 In spalling such portions as have been ragged an additional quantity of refuse should be excluded. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online September 2018). ragv.⁵ Brit. /raɡ/, U.S. /ræɡ/ Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: rag n.⁵ Etymology: < rag n.⁵ Compare ragtime n., ragtime adj. Originally U.S. 1. intransitive, and transitive with it. To play or dance to ragtime music; to dance a rag. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > dancing > types of dance or dancing > dances to specific popular music > [verb (intransitive)] rag1896 jazz1919 rock1931 juke1933 boogie1944 boogaloo1966 to rock out1966 skank1973 disco1976 hip-hop1983 society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > perform music [verb (intransitive)] > perform specific type of music serenade1671 prelude1680 fugue1783 pastoralize1828 preludize1829 symphonize1833 ran-tan1866 counterpoint1875 rag1896 ragtime1908 jazz1916 rock1931 jivec1938 bop1947 blow1949 rock-and-roll1956 skiffle1957 hip-hop1983 1896 D. B. Dyer Fort Reno 181 He would jump up himself and swirl in ‘double shuffle’, ‘backstep’, and ‘cross over’, and ‘turn around again’, and ‘everybody rag’ and [etc.]. 1906 Dial. Notes 3 152 Rag,..to dance. ‘Everybody rag as pooty (puti) as you can.’ 1923 R. D. Paine Comrades Rolling Ocean viii. 137 They were dancing on the pavement of the public market or ragging it on the smooth white streets. 1928 F. S. Fitzgerald in Sat. Evening Post 29 Sept. 118/3 Oh, listen!.. Do you know how to rag? 1999 D. W. Middlebrook Suits Me 25 She played by ear rather than ‘by note’... And she taught Dorothy how to rag. 2. transitive. To perform (music, a dance) in a ragtime style; to play ragtime music on (an instrument). ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > perform (music) [verb (transitive)] > perform specific types of music jig1598 serenade1672 prelude1795 shivaree1805 dirge1826 ran-tan1866 overture1870 threnody1893 ragtime1908 rag1914 blow1949 1914 Notes & Queries 11th Ser. 11 July 35/1 In American slang to ‘rag’ a melody is to syncopate a normally regular tune. 1922 H. L. Foster Adventures Trop. Tramp v. 47 The camp victrola was broken and..I was the only man in camp that could rag the piano. 1956 G. P. Kurath in A. Dundes Mother Wit (1973) 108/1 The slaves ragged and syncopated their clog dances. 1999 N.Y. Times 7 Feb. ii. 31/4 We took that idea and melody and ragged it, which has never been done before, and everyone breaks out into tap steps. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.¹1278n.²a1350n.³1705n.⁴1825n.⁵1891v.¹a1450v.²a1585v.³1739v.⁴c1852v.⁵1896
随便看	θ83200 θ83201 θ83202 θ83203 θ83204 θ83205 θ83206 θ83207 θ83208 θ83209 θ8321 θ83210 θ83211 θ83212 θ83213 θ83214 θ83215 θ83216 θ83217 θ83218 θ83219 θ8322 θ83220 θ83221 θ83222

ragn.1

ragn.2

Phrases

Compounds

ragn.3

ragn.4

Compounds

ragn.5

Compounds

ragv.1

ragv.2

ragv.3

† ragv.4

ragv.5

ragn.¹

ragn.²

ragn.³

ragn.⁴

ragn.⁵

ragv.¹

ragv.²

ragv.³

† ragv.⁴

ragv.⁵