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ragtag

[ rag-tag ]

/ ˈrægˌtæg /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR ragtag ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

ragged or shabby; disheveled.

made up of mixed, often diverse, elements: a ragtag crowd.

Origin of ragtag

First recorded in 1880–85; rag¹ + tag¹

Words nearby ragtag

ragnarök, ragout, ragpicker, rags, ragstone, ragtag, ragtag and bobtail, ragtime, ragtop, ragusa, ragweed

Example sentences from the Web for ragtag

Their only obstacle is an underfunded, ragtag group of locals who want to preserve the environment.

Koch Brothers Invade Tiny Iron County, Wisconsin |Dean Obeidallah |March 25, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Wildlings: The name given to the ragtag barbarians (see: free folk) who live north of the Wall.

‘Game of Thrones’ Season 3 for Dummies |Jace Lacob |March 27, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
The former senator with the ragtag operation has been the streaky candidate who falls just short of winning the big ones.

Rick Santorum Whistling Dixie With Projected Wins in Alabama and Mississippi Primaries |Howard Kurtz |March 14, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
While ragtag fighters duked it out on the ground, an elite crew of NATO planes ran the show from the sky.

Libya War’s Unsung Heroes |Clive Irving |August 22, 2011 |DAILY BEAST

Our ragtag, low-budget location-scout group included Tate, co-producer Sonya Lunsford, Mark, Rena, and me.

How We Made 'The Help' |Brunson Green |August 13, 2011 |DAILY BEAST
Strange, too, he came of good family; good blood in his veins; and yet he seems to have gone right down with the ragtag.

Quiet Talks on Power |S.D. Gordon
To make myself amiable and pay court to all the ragtag and bobtail is not in my line.

The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky |Modeste Tchaikovsky
Without the populace having any hand in it, the ragtag and bobtail of the strangers became bolder and shouted more and more.

The Legend of Ulenspiegel |Charles de Coster

British Dictionary definitions for ragtag

ragtag

/ (ˈræɡˌtæɡ) /

noun

derogatory the common people; rabble (esp in the phrase ragtag and bobtail)

Word Origin for ragtag

C19