Where did the term ragtag come from?
The noun ragtag comes from the old-fashioned phrase rag, tag, and bobtail — bobtail was once slang for “contemptible rascal,” while tag was used to mean “torn cloth.” Together, the phrase meant “riffraff” or “an unsavory bunch of folks.” Today, you’re more likely to see ragtag used as an adjective, as it is in the …
What does ragtag mean in history?
informal : made up of different people or things and not organized or put together well. See the full definition for ragtag in the English Language Learners Dictionary. ragtag. adjective. rag·tag | \ ˈrag-ˌtag \
What does ragtag army mean?
1. Shaggy or unkempt; ragged. 2. Diverse and disorderly in appearance or composition: “They’re a small ragtag army of racketeers, bandits, and murderers” (Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr.).
What is meant by ragtag and bobtail?
informal. all types of person or thing, including those that are ordinary and not special in any way: a ragtag and bobtail bunch of amateurs.
What means ragtime?
1 : rhythm characterized by strong syncopation in the melody with a regularly accented accompaniment in stride-piano style. 2 : music having ragtime rhythm.
What is a ragtag person?
ragtag. / (ˈræɡˌtæɡ) / noun. derogatory the common people; rabble (esp in the phrase ragtag and bobtail)
What’s another word for Scrappy?
In this page you can discover 24 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for scrappy, like: argumentative, combative, quarrelsome, bellicose, belligerent, pugnacious, truculent, contentious, disputatious, litigious and polemic.
What is a Ragtail?
New Word Suggestion. Disorganized; disreputable; untidy; shabby.
What is the origin of the word ragtag?
RAGTAG Meaning: “ragged people collectively,” 1820, from rag (n.) + tag (n.); originally in expression rag-tag and… See definitions of ragtag. Advertisement ragtag (n.)
What does ragtag mean in Battlestar Galactica?
The guerrillas were a ragtag band of local thugs, former soldiers, displaced farmers, and political idealists. In the 1970s version of Battlestar Galactica, the Colonials (humans) escaped the Cylons by retreating to the stars in a ragtag fleet of Battlestar Galactica ships. ragtag group of mutants.
What does it mean to be a ragtag team?
They’re a ragtag collection of untrained, unqualified staff with zero authority to investigate crimes, no idea how to preserve evidence for a trial, and no expertise toquestionany victims of rape, never mind women and children who’ve been violently sexually abused by the integrated team’s fellow U.N. workers.
What do you mean by ragtag and Bobtail?
Something described as “ragtag and bobtail,” then, was usually common and unspectacular. “Ragtag and bobtail” was eventually shortened to “ragtag,” the adjective we know today, which can describe an odd mixture that is often hastily assembled or second-rate.