rags and tatters
Clothing beyond repair
Rags and tatters describes clothing or fabric that is torn, worn out, and barely holding together.
The phrase is emphatic through redundancy—rags are already tattered cloth, and tatters are already ragged strips.
Someone dressed in rags and tatters is wearing the most threadbare, deteriorated clothing imaginable.
The expression can extend to anything in a state of complete disrepair or ruin.
- frayedUnraveled at edges
- shredsTorn-up fragments
- wornDamaged by use
- dilapidatedRuined through neglect
- decrepitWorn by age
worn to threads · beggary · falling apart · patched · remnants · threadbare · pauperism · down and out · ragpicker · shabby chic · poverty · bricolage · destitution · disrepair · ruin · scraps · shambles · wreckage
rags and tattersnew clothes
Recently acquired garments
Sunday best · mint condition · brand new · unfrayed · unworn
rags and tattersfinery
Elegant, showy clothing
riches · royal robes · haute couture · splendor · bespoke tailoring
rags and tatterssilk
Fine woven insect fiber
velvet · brocade · cashmere · cloth of gold
tatter, rags, tatters, ragged, raggedly, raggedness, tattered