oily rag
Mechanic's wiping cloth
An oily rag is a cloth soaked with oil or grease, typically from mechanical work.
In Australian and British rhyming slang, oily rag means a cigarette (rhyming with "fag"): Can I bum an oily rag off you?
The phrase living on the oily rag means surviving on very little money.
grease
Thick oily lubricant
- mechanicVehicle maintenance professional
- workshopPlace for making or learning
- garageEnclosed vehicle storage structure
wipe · engine · grime · lubricant · stain · soiled · dirty · smudge · cleaning · absorbent
cigarette
Paper-wrapped tobacco cylinder
puff · ciggie · rollie · tobacco · nicotine · butt · light up