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- What is the origin of rag meaning newspaper?
Two examples: "that rubbishy rag of a girl" (Ruskin) and "you witch, you ragge, you baggage" (Shakespeare) So while it is natural to assume "rag" refers to a newspaper's raw materials, this is actually the figurative use of "rag" to mean an object of contempt
- Whimsical: Lost the rag. Origins and just what is the rag anyway?
0 I don't know what the origin of the term is at all- almost certainly belonging to a trade where one would use a rag a lot and reflecting the intense annoyance of having lost something you just had a moment ago There is a term, "rag haulers" for sailing boats
- Rag and Razz--slang for teasing ridiculing--which came first and whats . . .
Hopefully everyone understands to razz and to rag as meaning to tease ridicule on account of I don't have anything specific to reference I'm curious to know which word came first and why both words--rag and razz--were chosen for teasing and ridiculing
- etymology - Why does the phrase to take the rag off mean to excel in . . .
A Collection of College Words and Customs (1851) by Benjamin Homer Hall defines to take the rag off as "to excel; to compose much better than one's classmates " I understand the phrase is quite old;
- What do you call a piece of cloth used to mop the floor?
A rag here is a piece of scrap or waste fabric, usually with at least one fraying edge where the original garment or sheet has been torn (hence ragged) Rags are used for cleaning but, when used like that, are regarded as single-use and disposable, unlike a floorcloth Obviously an example of two nations divided by a single language!
- Usage and meaning of the word Ragging in India
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
- What is the origin of idiom Keep your hair on?
The modern meaning of the phrase "keep your hair on" is, however, probably that attached to it by your correspondents ST SWITHIN This expression has been common in Shrop- shire for at least twenty-five years, and probably much longer "Don't get your shirt out" was a frequent injunction when I was at school Like MR
- Meaning of things are swept under the rug
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
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