English

Noun

toe rag ‎(plural toe rags)

1. (Britain, slang, pejorative) A tramp.
   • 1896, Walter Frith, In Search of Quiet: A Country Journal, May–July (novel), Harper & Brothers Publishers, page 156:

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

   • 1959, Willis Hall, The Long and the Short and the Tall, Heinemann (1994), 978-0-435-23302-0, page 5:

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

   • 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, ISBN 0879307366, page 116:

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

2. (archaic) A cloth worn wrapped around the foot instead of a sock.
   • 1864, “an Ex-Military Officer” (J. F. Mortlock), Experiences of a Convict, Transported in 1843 for Twenty-One Years: An Autobiographical Memoir, part II, Richard Barrett (printer), page 80:

     Stockings being unknown, some luxurious men wrapped round their feet a piece of old shirting, called, in language more expressive than elegant, a “toe-rag”.

   • 1891, Rolf Boldrewood, A Sydney-side Saxon, Macmillan and Co., page 157:

     One of his feet had been bleeding, I could see from his ‘toe-rag,’ which stuck out on one side.

   • 1913, D. H. Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, Penguin Lawrence Edition, Penguin (1994), ISBN 0140188320, page 213:

     “I’ll bet ’er wor a toe-rag,” said Morel, following up his joke. ¶ “Don’t you be so cheeky about a queen,” said Annie.

Etymology 2

• 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.

Noun

toe rag ‎(plural toe rags)

1. (Ireland, slang, pejorative) An obnoxious or insignificant person.

Etymology 3

Unknown

Noun

toe rag ‎(plural toe rags)

1. (Britain, Somerset) Dried salt cod-fish.

References

• Frederick Thomas Elworthy, The West Somerset Word-book: A Glossary of Dialectal and Archaic Words and Phrase, English Dialect Society, 1886.

Anagrams

• garote