rag
rag — noun
1. a torn-off fragment of fabric, often from worn-out clothing or household linen,
a torn-off fragment of fabric, often from worn-out clothing or household linen, kept for wiping dust, spills, or grease from different surfaces
Manuela grabbed an old rag from the kitchen drawer to wipe the oil off the counter.
rag used with wipe + off + surface
The mechanic wiped his greasy hands on a rag before picking up the phone.
A damp rag left on the wooden table caused the varnish to peel overnight.
Asher cut the old sheet into small rags for polishing the silver candlesticks.
The kitchen rag smelled of vinegar and floor wax from weeks of daily cleaning.
文法句型
rag + for + noun
rag + of + material
常見錯誤
2. old, badly torn clothes that are no longer good enough to wear, typically worn b
old, badly torn clothes that are no longer good enough to wear, typically worn by someone who is extremely poor
The old man at the station was dressed in rags and held a cardboard sign.
in rags: describes state of clothing
Black-and-white photos from the drought show whole families wearing nothing but rags.
Quan donated a bag of clothes, but they were so worn they looked more like rags.
The children at the refugee camp wore thin rags that did little against the cold night air.
His only shirt was in rags by the end of the long walk through the mountains.
文法句型
in rags
dressed in rags
wear rags
用法筆記
Most commonly appears in the phrase 'in rags' describing a person's clothing as a marker of extreme poverty. 'Dressed in rags' is the most frequent collocation.
常見錯誤
3. any publication you consider badly written, full of gossip or lies, or of poor q
any publication you consider badly written, full of gossip or lies, or of poor quality — often a tabloid paper you look down on
The local rag printed the story without checking a single fact or asking for a comment.
local rag: common set phrase
Christopher would never read that gossip rag because its articles are full of lies.
gossip rag: reinforces the low-quality meaning
Élise picked up a free rag from the newsstand and skimmed it during her train ride home.
The editor of the Sunday rag was sued for publishing private photos without permission.
- tabloid
more neutral; describes format, not necessarily quality
- gossip magazine
specific to celebrity and entertainment news
- scandal sheet
older term emphasising sensational content
文法句型
derogatory: rag + of + place
用法筆記
Always derogatory. Use with caution — calling someone's newspaper 'a rag' is offensive. 'Gossip rag' and 'local rag' are fixed phrases.
常見錯誤
4. a series of lively performances, processions, and events arranged by university
a series of lively performances, processions, and events arranged by university students to collect donations for charitable causes
During rag week, students dress in funny costumes and collect donations for local hospitals.
rag week: fixed British phrase
Devika joined the rag committee and helped organise a five-kilometre charity run through the city.
The rag parade featured decorated floats that drove slowly through the town centre.
Karim volunteered to drive one of the floats in the university rag procession last spring.
- charity week
more general; doesn't carry the student-event connotation
- fundraising drive
formal term for any organised fundraising campaign
文法句型
rag week
rag day
rag parade
用法筆記
Primarily a British university tradition. The word is rarely understood in this sense outside the UK. 'Rag week' is the most common compound form.
5. a short piano composition written in the ragtime style, characterised by a livel
a short piano composition written in the ragtime style, characterised by a lively syncopated melody and a steady marching bass line
The pianist ended the concert with a cheerful rag that made the audience clap along.
Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag is one of the most famous piano rags in American music.
famous + rag: title of piece
Dahlia practised the same rag for weeks before her recital at the music academy.
The old record store had a collection of piano rags from the early nineteen hundreds.
- ragtime
the genre itself, not a single piece
- syncopated tune
describes the musical style without referencing ragtime
文法句型
rag + by + composer
play a rag
piano rag
用法筆記
Typically used with a title or name of the piece ('Maple Leaf Rag', 'The Entertainer'). The word 'rag' in this sense is a shortening of 'ragtime piece'.
6. RAG is an acronym for 'retrieval-augmented generation'. It refers to a technique
RAG is an acronym for 'retrieval-augmented generation'. It refers to a technique where an AI language model searches external data sources for relevant information before generating a response, leading to more accurate answers
The search engine uses RAG to find relevant documents before answering each user question.
Developers adopted RAG to reduce errors in the chatbot's responses about medical topics.
adopted RAG to reduce errors
Unlike a standard model, a RAG system can look up the latest news before replying.
Ife explained how RAG works by showing how the AI retrieves facts from a database.
文法句型
RAG system
RAG model
use RAG
用法筆記
Always capitalised as RAG. Used in technical and technology-journalism contexts. The abbreviation is much more common in writing than the full form 'retrieval-augmented generation'.
7. the short form of 'Red Amber Green': a colour-based system in project management
the short form of 'Red Amber Green': a colour-based system in project management where green means a task is on schedule, amber means some risks have appeared, and red means serious issues need attention
The project manager changed the RAG status from green to amber after the team missed a delivery date.
RAG status changed from + colour
Each department submits a RAG report every Friday to show how their tasks are progressing.
RAG report: weekly status document
The board reviewed the RAG ratings and decided to send extra resources to the red-rated projects.
A RAG score of red means senior management needs to investigate the problem immediately.
文法句型
RAG status
RAG rating
RAG report
用法筆記
Used primarily in British and Commonwealth business environments. Often appears in project status reports and meeting minutes. The traffic-light metaphor is transparent: green = good, amber = caution, red = trouble.
rag — verb
1. to tease or make gentle fun of someone in a friendly, light-hearted way that is
to tease or make gentle fun of someone in a friendly, light-hearted way that is not meant to hurt their feelings
Hyun's colleagues always rag him about his terrible cooking, but he laughs along with them.
rag someone about + noun/gerund
The rugby team ragged their new captain for a week after he tripped during the match.
Joaquín enjoys ragging his sister about her messy desk, but she gives back as good as she gets.
Stop ragging the intern — she has only been here for a week and is still learning the job.
The old friends spent the whole evening ragging each other about mistakes from their school days.
文法句型
rag + someone + about + noun/gerund
用法筆記
Primarily British and informal. The teasing is always affectionate or light-hearted — if the intent is cruel, use 'mock' or 'ridicule' instead. Very common in continuous form ('ragging').