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- Dictionaryrag/raɡ/
noun
- 1. a piece of old cloth, especially one torn from a larger piece, used typically for cleaning things: "he wiped his hands on an oily rag" Similar
- 2. a newspaper, typically one regarded as being of low quality: informal "the local rag"
verb
- 1. give a decorative effect to (a painted surface) by applying paint, typically of a different colour, with a rag: "the background walls have been stippled above the dado rail and ragged below"
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Jan 16, 2017 · Poor paper quality not writing. From an article published by the same magazine, in 1823, the following extract supports the theory that the term rag was used to refer to the main component of a newspaper, and perhaps, initially, to the substandard quality of the paper used in printing these journals etc. during the 18th and 19th century.
Nov 1, 2010 · This is sense P4.b., and the related P4.a. phrase are the earlier to get (someone's) rag out (to make (someone) angry) and to get one's rag out (to become angry). These are originally from Yorkshire, first quotation 1862, with unknown origin but suggest a comparison with red rag (1720, a piece of red cloth to provoke an animal, as in like a red rag to a bull ) and the verb rag (1739, to scold).
Jun 4, 2014 · rag trans. slang. (etymology uncertain, perhaps from rag = tear, rend, rip) tease or torment; (originally University slang) to make fun of in a rough or boisterous manner. Where the first citation for that exact sense is 1749, with the cognate BrE slang rag = scold, reprove a decade earlier.
Mar 17, 2015 · Yes. "Ragging" is formed from the word "Rag". The OED definition you gave reminded me of "Rag Week" at just about any UK university. Basically the Student Union would organise an event lasting one week with concerts, pub crawls etc. and produce the rag magazine including the schedule, and some jokes as a way or raising money for the Student Union.
Sep 18, 2019 · Its ironic sense meaning the fashion industry began in the late nineteenth. Below are the relevant dates from the OED. Note that the 1983 quotation does refer to "The Manhattan rag trade", suggesting that it has been a term used in the US - at least in New York anyway. a. Trade in cloth rags or second-hand clothing.
As regards "rag" meaning " shirt," a soldier's slang for the monthly inspection of kit--when all the necessaries, shirts, socks, and under- clothing, are displayed--is "rag-fair." With regard to "swot" in the sense in which it is used among students, the word is a very ancient form of "sweat," and is employed as an army term for mathematics, probably in allusion to the hard work of an examination.
Jul 12, 2011 · 12. Swept under the rug (or carpet) is an idiom meaning to conceal something that is embarrassing that you don't want other people to know about. Think about cleaning the floor. You have all the dirt, and are too lazy or out of time to find something to pick it up, so you lift the corner of the rug and sweep it there. The idiom carries this ...
Dec 1, 2015 · According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, it comes from "fag", meaning a loose piece of cloth:. fag (n.1) Look up fag at Dictionary.com British slang for "cigarette" (originally, especially, the butt of a smoked cigarette), 1888, probably from fag "loose piece, last remnant of cloth" (late 14c., as in fag-end "extreme end, loose piece," 1610s), which perhaps is related to fag (v.), which could make it a variant of flag (v.).
A good shot would hit the rag, making it visibly jump. A great shot would literally “take the rag off the bush,” putting an end to at least that round of the contest with an overwhelming success. Making this sort of shooting match the likely source of “take the rag off the bush” is the fact that it fits perfectly with “triumphant success” sense of the earliest examples we have of the phrase in print.
Jun 8, 2014 · It appears that ' ragtail ' is a term formed from the fusion of the two words of the expression: ragtag and bobtail, adjective. ['ragteɪl] Chiefly US. L20. from RAG noun1 + TAIL noun1, perh. infl. by ragtag and bobtail. It's mainly an adjective with the meaning, ragtail: disorganized; untidy; disreputable. Share.
