Rag
/ræɡ/
A rag can refer to a piece of cloth, the act of teasing someone playfully, or a slang term for a low-quality newspaper.
Examples
- He cleaned the engine with an oily rag.
- He got ragged for showing up late again.
- The story was only reported in the tabloid rags.
- He read the latest scandal in the Sunday rag.
- She wiped the counter with a damp rag.
Meanings
The word rag emerged in Middle English as ragge, likely imitative of something rough or torn. It may have been influenced by Old Norse rag meaning 'tatter'. Over time, it came to refer specifically to worn or scrap cloth.
Examples
- She wiped the counter with a damp rag.
- He cleaned the engine with an oily rag.
- The dog was chewing on a torn rag.
- Make sure to throw the used rags in the bin.
- They used old rags to polish the furniture.
The verb sense of rag developed in 19th-century British English from the idea of 'harassing' someone verbally. It evolved from earlier uses meaning 'to scold' into a more playful sense of teasing among friends.
Examples
- They were ragging him about his new haircut.
- Stop ragging me about the mistake I made.
- We spent the evening ragging each other like old times.
- He got ragged for showing up late again.
- Don't mind him, he's just ragging you.
By the late 1800s, rag was used sarcastically to describe newspapers printed on cheap paper or filled with sensational stories. The metaphor compared the publication to a literal rag, implying worthlessness.
Examples
- He read the latest scandal in the Sunday rag.
- Don't believe everything you read in those celebrity rags.
- The story was only reported in the tabloid rags.
- She threw the rag aside after reading the false headline.
- The politician dismissed the article as rag journalism.