rag
n. countablen. a small piece of cloth, usually old or torn, used for cleaning or wiping things.
n. a scrap of fabric, typically worn or discarded, used for wiping, cleaning, or polishing.
Use a dry rag to wipe the table.
She grabbed an old rag to clean the grease off the kitchen counter.
The mechanic wiped his hands on a greasy rag before handing over the repaired engine part.
From Middle English ragge, from Old English ragg (suggested by derivative raggiġ (“shaggy; bristly; ragged”)), from Old Norse rǫgg (“tuft; shagginess”), from Proto-Germanic rawwa-, probably related to rūhaz. Cognate with Swedish ragg. Related to rug.
Unknown origin; perhaps the same word as Etymology 1, above.
Uncertain. Ideas about the scolding and tormenting senses being related to on the rag are only speculative.
Perhaps from ragged. Compare later ragtime.