rag

A piece of old cloth, often used for cleaning.

• Wipe the table with a rag.
• He kept oily rags beside his tools.
• Can you find a clean rag for the window?

Similar words: cloth, scrap

Common phrases: a dirty rag, wipe with a rag, an oily rag

Old or badly torn clothing, or a piece of clothing described as worthless.

• He arrived wearing filthy rags.
• This old rag used to be my favorite dress.
• The children were dressed in rags and had no shoes.

How to use it: be dressed in rags (The family were dressed in rags.)

Similar words: tatters

Common phrases: an old rag, rag of a dress

A low-value card that is unlikely to help your poker hand win.

• His second card was a rag.
• She folded because her ace came with a rag.
• A strong pair can still lose with a rag as its kicker.

Similar words: low kicker

Common phrases: ace rag, a low rag, hold a rag

To cut or shape a stone roughly, especially to make a grinding surface rough again.

• The worker used a tool to rag the grindstone.
• He ragged the worn surface before sharpening the blade.
• They needed to rag the stone to restore its roughness.

Similar words: roughen, rough

Opposites: smooth

Common phrases: rag a grindstone, rag the surface