rag out
C1 informal separable transitive
In simple words
To dress someone up very nicely (or in a showy way), or to tell someone off angrily.
Literal meaning: To put rags (clothes) on someone — with 'out' suggesting completeness or elaborateness.
Meanings
1 C1
idiomatic
informal
To dress someone up elaborately or in one's finest clothes.
"She was ragged out in her best dress for the evening's gala."
Grammar: separable
2 C1
idiomatic
informal
To scold or reprimand someone harshly.
"The sergeant ragged out the new recruits for arriving late to formation."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Two quite different senses exist. The dressing sense (to clothe elaborately) is older and may now be regional or archaic. The scolding sense is found in some American dialects and informal speech. Both senses are uncommon in standard modern usage. 'Ragged out' in the dressing sense can mean dressed up in one's finest clothes.
Commonly used with
clothes finest uniform sharply angrily
Forms
Base
rag out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
rags out
he/she/it
Past simple
raged out
yesterday
Past participle
raged out
have + pp
-ing form
raging out
continuous
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