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rug

n. · v.
US //ˈɹəɡ// UK //ɹˈʌɡ// rug
  1. 1 floor covering (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a piece of thick material used to cover part of a floor.

    a floor covering made of thick woven fabric or animal skin, typically smaller than a carpet and not fixed to the floor.

    Example

    We put a soft blue rug in the middle of the living room floor.

    Example

    The interior designer selected a hand-knotted Persian rug to anchor the seating area and provide a contrast to the dark hardwood floors.
  2. 2 blanket (n.)
    B1 Intermediate British English

    a thick, warm cover used on a bed or for a picnic.

    a thick fabric covering used for warmth, particularly as a lap-cover or a travel blanket.

    Example

    It was a cold evening, so she wrapped a travel rug around her legs.

    Example

    The spectators at the outdoor match huddled under heavy woollen rugs as the temperature dropped toward freezing.
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  1. 3 hairpiece (n.)
    C1 Advanced Informal Slang

    a wig or hairpiece that a man wears to cover a bald head.

    a slang term for a toupee or hairpiece, often used disparagingly to imply the hair looks unnatural.

    Example

    Everyone knew he was wearing a rug because the colour didn't match his eyebrows.

    Example

    The comedian made several jokes about the politician's obvious rug, which appeared to shift slightly whenever he spoke emphatically.
  2. 4 horse blanket (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a protective cloth cover for a horse.

    a heavy cloth covering designed to protect a horse from cold weather or insects.

    Example

    The stable hand put a warm rug on the horse after the evening ride.

    Example

    During the winter months, the horses are kept in the paddock with waterproof rugs to protect them from the biting wind and rain.
  3. 5 crypto scam (v.)
    C1 Advanced Slang Computing

    to suddenly take away support or money from a project, leaving others with nothing.

    to perform a 'rug pull' by abruptly withdrawing liquidity or support from a cryptocurrency project to defraud investors.

    Example

    The developers disappeared overnight and rugged the entire community.

    Example

    Investors were left devastated after the anonymous team rugged the project, draining millions of dollars from the liquidity pool in a single transaction.
Origin

Uncertain; probably of North Germanic origin; perhaps inherited via Middle English rugge (suggested by Middle English ruggy (“hairy, shaggy, bristly”) and rugged (“hairy, shaggy, rugged”)), from Old Norse rǫgg (“shagginess, tuft”), from Proto-Germanic rawwō (“long wool”), probably related to *rūhaz (“rough”), related to English rag and rough. Cognate with dialectal Norwegian rugga (“coarse coverlet”), Swedish rugg (“rough entangled hair”), related to English rag and rough. Compare also Old English rȳhe (“rug, rough covering, blanket”).

Idioms3 entries

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