run someone ragged
Wear them out
To run someone ragged is to exhaust them through excessive demands or relentless activity.
The image is of working someone so hard their clothes become tattered: The kids ran me ragged all weekend, This job has been running her ragged for months.
The phrase emphasizes cumulative wear rather than a single intense effort.
- burn outExhaust through overwork
- overworkToil to exhaustion
- beat downStrike repeatedly, or negotiate lower
- tire outDeplete one's energy
- wear outDeteriorate through use
run into the ground · drain · exhaustion · dead on one's feet · fatigue · overexertion · slave driver · crack the whip · stress · strain · weariness · taskmaster · knock out · depletion · overload · grind down · burning the candle · bone-tired
run someone raggedgive someone a break
Show mercy or patience
pamper · cut someone some slack · coddle · nurture · handle with kid gloves
runner, running, ragged, runs, rundown, runners, ragging, raggedly, raggedness