The Collaborative International Dictionary
Rag \Rag\, n. [OE. ragge, probably of Scand, origin; cf. Icel. r["o]gg a tuft, shagginess, Sw. ragg rough hair. Cf. Rug, n.]
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A piece of cloth torn off; a tattered piece of cloth; a shred; a tatter; a fragment.
Cowls, hoods, and habits, with their wearers, tossed, And fluttered into rags.
--Milton.Not having otherwise any rag of legality to cover the shame of their cruelty.
--Fuller. -
pl. Hence, mean or tattered attire; worn-out dress.
And virtue, though in rags, will keep me warm.
--Dryden. -
A shabby, beggarly fellow; a ragamuffin.
The other zealous rag is the compositor.
--B. Jonson.Upon the proclamation, they all came in, both tag and rag.
--Spenser. (Geol.) A coarse kind of rock, somewhat cellular in texture.
(Metal Working) A ragged edge.
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A sail, or any piece of canvas. [Nautical Slang] Our ship was a clipper with every rag set. --Lowell. 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 chain wheel; a sprocket wheel.
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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.