ragbag en · NOUN
Etymology
Compound of rag + bag.
Meanings
- A bag of rags and scraps.
-
(figuratively) A collection containing a variety of miscellaneous things; a smorgasbord.
Opposite, the Loram site contains a real ragbag of yellow, blue or rust-streaked kit whose appearance belies their importance in keeping the railways running.
2020 November 18, Paul Bigland, “New infrastructure and new rolling stock”, in Rail, page 49:The pages that constitute "Anna Livia Plurabelle" are surely the most easily decipherable in that masterly and monstrous ragbag of a book.
2019 May 14, John Banville, “Colin Farrell Joins the League of High-Profile Narrators of 'A Portrait of the Artist'”, in The New York Times Book Review, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 12 Mar 2023:In our ragbag of stereotypes, ostriches have thus become the quintessential dim-witted animals. Even the Bible says they're dumb, and bad parents too.
2020 August 4, Richard Conniff, “They may look goofy, but ostriches are nobody's fool”, in National Geographic, Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Partners, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 02 Apr 2023:
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(figuratively, informal) A person (especially a woman) of unclean or untidy appearance.
Billy and the rest were wooed through gate after gate, and Billy saw his first Russian. The man was all alone in the night—a ragbag with a round, flat face that glowed like a radium dial.
1969 March 31, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Slaughterhouse-Five […] (A Seymour Lawrence Book), New York, N.Y.: Delacorte Press, →OCLC, page 71:Near-synonym: ragtag
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ragbags | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
ragamuffin · old bag · bag lady
Synonyms
crazyquilt · catch-all · bouillabaisse · cocktail · anthology · mixed bag · ragtag · hotchpot · mishmash · salmagundi · olla podrida · potpourri · medley · welter · odds and ends · clamjamfrey · gatherum · slurry · motley · miscellany · hodgepodge · congeries · macedoine · mixture · patchwork quilt · job lot · jumble · grab bag · gallery · horse and rabbit stew · pastiche · oddments · salad · mingle-mangle · galimatias · hotchpotch · bric-a-brac · disjecta membra · gallimaufry · grab bag · smorgasbord · Whitman's sampler · olio · mixed bag · ragbag · melange · miscellanea · omnium-gatherum · rummage · farrago