from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Rag \Rag\, n. [OE. ragge, probably of Scand, origin; cf. Icel.
r["o]gg a tuft, shagginess, Sw. ragg rough hair. Cf. {Rug},
n.]
1. A piece of cloth torn off; a tattered piece of cloth; a
shred; a tatter; a fragment.
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Cowls, hoods, and habits, with their wearers,
tossed,
And fluttered into rags. --Milton.
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Not having otherwise any rag of legality to cover
the shame of their cruelty. --Fuller.
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2. pl. Hence, mean or tattered attire; worn-out dress.
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And virtue, though in rags, will keep me warm.
--Dryden.
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3. A shabby, beggarly fellow; a ragamuffin.
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The other zealous rag is the compositor. --B.
Jonson.
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Upon the proclamation, they all came in, both tag
and rag. --Spenser.
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4. (Geol.) A coarse kind of rock, somewhat cellular in
texture.
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5. (Metal Working) A ragged edge.
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6. A sail, or any piece of canvas. [Nautical Slang]
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Our ship was a clipper with every rag set. --Lowell.
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{Rag bolt}, an iron pin with barbs on its shank to retain it
in place.
{Rag carpet}, a carpet of which the weft consists of narrow
strips of cloth sewed together, end to end.
{Rag dust}, fine particles of ground-up rags, used in making
papier-mach['e] and wall papers.
{Rag wheel}.
(a) A chain wheel; a sprocket wheel.
(b) A polishing wheel made of disks of cloth clamped
together on a mandrel.
{Rag wool}, wool obtained by tearing woolen rags into fine
bits, shoddy.
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