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Breaking Down Ragtag
Tag and rag was a relatively common expression in the 16th and 17th centuries, and it was often used pejoratively to refer to members of the lower classes of society. By the 18th century, the phrase had been expanded to ragtag and bobtail. That expression could mean either "the lower classes" or "the entire lot of something" (as opposed to just the more desirable parts—the entire unit of an army, for example, not just its more capable soldiers). 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.
Synonyms
Examples of ragtag in a Sentence
Josh Broadwell, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2024
For the past four years, he’s starred as Pope Heyward, the brains of a ragtag team of treasure hunters and best friends on the coast of North Caroline, in Netflix’s teen drama series, Outer Banks.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 10 Oct. 2024
Blanchett portrayed an infamous bounty hunter who forms an unlikely alliance with a ragtag team of misfits while on a quest to find the missing daughter of the most powerful man in the universe.
—Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2024
The film follows a ragtag team of vigilante Redditors who, after losing everything in a cryptocurrency scam, attempt to track down and kidnap the elusive crypto empire kingpin responsible for their sudden financial ruin.
—Katcy Stephan, Variety, 9 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Ragtag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ragtag. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
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ragtag
adjective
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