rag 1
(răg)n.1. a. A scrap of cloth.
b. A piece of cloth used for cleaning, washing, or dusting.
2. rags Threadbare or tattered clothing.
3. Cloth converted to pulp for making paper.
4. A scrap; a fragment.
5. Slang A newspaper, especially one specializing in sensationalism or gossip.
6. The stringy central portion and membranous walls of a citrus fruit.
Idiom: on the rag Vulgar Slang 1. Menstruating.
2. Irritable; grouchy.
[Middle English ragge, ultimately (probably partly by back-formation from raggi, shaggy, ragged) of Old Norse origin; akin to Old Icelandic rögg, tuft and Swedish ragg, shaggy hair.]
rag 2
(răg)tr.v. ragged,
rag·ging,
rags 1. Slang a. To criticize or scold (someone).
b. To criticize or complain about (something).
c. To tease or taunt (someone).
2. Chiefly British To play a joke on.
3. Sports In ice hockey, to maintain possession of (the puck) by outmaneuvering opposing players, especially so as to kill a penalty.
n. Chiefly British A practical joke; a prank.
Phrasal Verb: rag on1. To criticize or scold: ragged on me for being late.
2. To complain about (something).
3. To tease or taunt: ragged on their classmate mercilessly.
[Origin unknown.]
rag 3
(răg)n.1. A roofing slate with one rough surface.
2. Chiefly British A coarsely textured rock.
[Origin unknown.]
rag 4
(răg)tr.v. ragged,
rag·ging,
rags To compose or play (a piece) in ragtime.
n. A piece written in ragtime.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.