rags
Worn-out fabric scraps
Rags are torn, worn-out pieces of cloth, often used for cleaning or wiping: He polished the car with an old rag.
Rags also means tattered clothing, suggesting poverty: dressed in rags.
To go from rags to riches is to rise from poverty to wealth.
In slang, rags can mean clothes generally: nice rags.
A rag is also a newspaper, usually one considered low-quality: that tabloid rag.
Ragged scraps of cloth
- shredsTorn-up fragments
- threadbareWorn until transparent
- wornDamaged by use
- shabbyWorn and neglected
destitution · indigence · penury · squalor · hardship · beggar · street urchin · pauper
Informal talk spreading rumors
- scandalDisgraceful public affair
- sensationalismOverhyped news coverage
- celebrityWidely recognized public figure
- tabloidSensationalist newspaper format
yellow journalism · newsprint · pulp · broadsheet · sleaze · paparazzi · exposé · headline
Free of harmful microbes
- periodPunctuation ending sentences
- menstruationMonthly uterine bleeding
- cloth padFabric-covered soft layer
- reusableFit for repeated service
Stressed unexpected beats
- ragtimeSyncopated piano genre
- jazzImprovisational American music genre
- pianoKeyed percussion instrument
- strideExtended single footstep
Scott Joplin · cakewalk · jaunty · swing · vaudeville
Abundant valuable possessions
- CinderellaRags-to-riches heroine
- makeoverComplete appearance overhaul
- metamorphosisProfound biological restructuring
- underdogPresumed loser beforehand
redemption · success story · turnaround · reinvention · uplift · ascent · bootstrap · fortune
tatters
Ragged scraps of cloth
- shredsTorn-up fragments
- threadbareWorn until transparent
- wornDamaged by use
shabby · destitution · indigence · penury · squalor · hardship · beggar · street urchin · pauper · homeless
cloth
Woven or knit material
dust · mop · shammy · towel · duster · sponge · bucket · detergent · soap · swab
gossip
Informal talk spreading rumors
- scandalDisgraceful public affair
- sensationalismOverhyped news coverage
- celebrityWidely recognized public figure
tabloid · yellow journalism · newsprint · pulp · broadsheet · sleaze · paparazzi · exposé · headline
sanitary
Free of harmful microbes
- periodPunctuation ending sentences
- menstruationMonthly uterine bleeding
- cloth padFabric-covered soft layer
syncopation
Stressed unexpected beats
- ragtimeSyncopated piano genre
- jazzImprovisational American music genre
- pianoKeyed percussion instrument
Scott Joplin · stride · cakewalk · jaunty · swing · vaudeville
riches
Abundant valuable possessions
- CinderellaRags-to-riches heroine
- makeoverComplete appearance overhaul
- metamorphosisProfound biological restructuring
underdog · redemption · success story · turnaround · reinvention · uplift · ascent · bootstrap · fortune · prosperity
- Cinderellaglass slipper, fairy godmother, Prince Charming, pumpkin, midnight
- absorbentssponge, sponges, paper towel, paper towels, towels
- cleaning suppliesbroom, bucket, spray bottle, bleach, duster
- junktrash, garbage, refuse, rubbish, waste
- painting suppliesbrushes, paint, paint tubes, paintbrush, brush
- shop suppliesworkbench, bolts, toolbox, screws, tool box
ragsfinery
Elegant, showy clothing
couture · haute couture · silks · ball gown · tuxedo
- rag dollSoft stuffed fabric toy
- rags to richesDramatic upward social mobility
- run raggedExhaust through excessive demands
- wet ragMoistened fabric for cleaning
- in ragsWearing torn clothing
- run someone raggedExhaust through excessive demands