toe rag

noun

An obnoxious or insignificant person.

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Meanings

toe rag1

nountoe rag (plural toe rags)

plural toe rags

  1. UKalternativederogatoryslangAlternative form of toerag (“tramp”).

    Bamforth: Flipping toe-rag! He wants carving up. It’s time that nit got sorted out. […]

    1959, Willis Hall, The Long and the Short and the Tall, Heinemann, published 1994, 978-0-435-23302-0, page 5
    2 more examples

    “ […] Look what it's all driven me to!—a beggar, a tramp, a toe-rag commercial. […] ”

    1896, Walter Frith, In Search of Quiet: A Country Journal, May–July (novel), Harper & Brothers Publishers, page 156

    Where I come from, the word ‘reptile’ is a term of endearment, used in much the same way as ‘toe rag’ or ‘moosh’.

    2001, Eric Clapton, liner notes to Reptile”, quoted in William Ruhlmann, “Reptile / Mar. 13, 2001 / Reprise”, Vladimir Bogdanov et al., All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues, Third Edition, Hal Leonard Corporation, page 116

toe rag2

nountoe rag (plural toe rags)

plural toe rags

  1. IrelandderogatoryslangAn obnoxious or insignificant person.

toe rag3

nountoe rag (plural toe rags)

plural toe rags

  1. UKSomersetDried salt codfish.

Origin

toe rag · noun

From toe + rag.

Full word history & related roots →

toe rag · noun

Said to be from Tuareg, a nomadic North African tribesman, but may share same etymology as the UK definition: from the cloths worn around the foot.

Full word history & related roots →

toe rag · noun

Unknown.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

toe rag. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toe%20rag

MLA

“toe rag.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toe%20rag. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “toe rag,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toe%20rag.

Source: toe rag on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.