toe rag

See also: toerag and toe-rag

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Etymology 1

From toe + rag.

Noun

toe rag (plural toe rags)

1. (British, slang, derogatory) Alternative spelling of toerag (“tramp”)
   • 1896, Walter Frith, In Search of Quiet: A Country Journal, May–July (novel), Harper & Brothers Publishers, page 156:

     “ […] Look what it's all driven me to!—a beggar, a tramp, a toe-rag commercial. […] ”

   • 1959, Willis Hall, The Long and the Short and the Tall, Heinemann, published 1994, 978-0-435-23302-0, page 5:

     Bamforth: Flipping toe-rag! He wants carving up. It’s time that nit got sorted out. […]

   • 2001, Eric Clapton, liner notes to Reptile”, quoted in William Ruhlmann, “Reptile / Mar. 13, 2001 / Reprise”, Vladimir Bogdanov et al., All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues, Third Edition, Hal Leonard Corporation, →ISBN, page 116:

     Where I come from, the word ‘reptile’ is a term of endearment, used in much the same way as ‘toe rag’ or ‘moosh’.

Etymology 2

Said to be from Tuareg, a nomadic North African tribesman, but may share same etymology as the UK definition: from the cloths worn around the foot. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Noun

toe rag (plural toe rags)

1. (Ireland, slang, derogatory) An obnoxious or insignificant person.

Etymology 3

Unknown.

Noun

toe rag (plural toe rags)

1. (British, Somerset) Dried salt codfish.

References

• Frederick Thomas Elworthy, The West Somerset Word-book: A Glossary of Dialectal and Archaic Words and Phrase, English Dialect Society, 1886.

Anagrams

• Ortega, gear to, Goater, garote, ergato-, Argote, OR gate, orgeat, Tagore