ragman

American  

[rag-man, -muhn] / ˈrægˌmæn, -mən /

noun

plural

ragmen

1. a person who gathers or deals in rag.

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ragman British  

/ ˈræɡˌmæn /

noun

1. another name for rag-and-bone man

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Etymology

Origin of ragman

First recorded in 1350–1400; rag ¹ + man

Example Sentences

One hundred years ago today, Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch, the son of a Moscow-born Russian Jewish ragman, in upstate New York.

From The Guardian • Dec. 9, 2016

Sandy Alderson, the Mets’ general manager, has proved a fine ragman by picking players off scrap heaps.

From New York Times • Oct. 4, 2016

“The coal being thrown down the chute for the radiators. The ragman on the street, calling out so we’d throw down old clothes.”

From New York Times • May 30, 2014

Feature film starring veteran Broadway actor Lou Gilbert in the story of an eccentric ragman on the Manhattan waterfront whose attempt to help an abandoned girl leads to his own destruction.

From Time Magazine Archive

I knew that the items must belong to a ragman, but there was something eerie about the way they were sorted, as though they were pagan offerings.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros