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ragbag

or rag-bag

[rag-bag]
See more synonyms for ragbag on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a bag in which small pieces of cloth are kept for use in mending.
  2. a mixture or conglomeration: a ragbag of facts, half-truths, and blatant lies.
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Origin of ragbag

First recorded in 1810–20; rag1 + bag
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for rag-bag

Historical Examples

  • Perhaps that is why this rag-bag of an Italian woman has such an unshakable admiration for him.

    The Nabob

    Alphonse Daudet

  • The calico pieces went into the rag-bag, and that was the last of Prudy's patchwork.

    Little Prudy

    Sophie May

  • It is a much lovelier way to end than as we do in the dust bin or rag-bag.

    Aunt Jo's Scrap-Bag VI

    Louisa M. Alcott

  • If I were a man I would perish sooner than be seen with that rag-bag.

  • Mop-rags, lamp-rags, all should be washed, dried and put in the rag-bag.

British Dictionary definitions for rag-bag

ragbag

noun
  1. a bag for storing odd rags
  2. a confused assortment; jumblea ragbag of ideas
  3. informal a scruffy or slovenly person
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Word Origin

C19
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for rag-bag

n.

1820, from rag (n.1) + bag (n.). Figurative sense of "motley collection" is first recorded 1864.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper