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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">===========================================<br>
L O W L A N D S - L - 01 December 2008 - Volume 06<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><br>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><br>
From: <span class="ep8xu"><span><span style="color: rgb(0, 104, 28);"><a href="mailto:RBlaustein@aol.com">RBlaustein@aol.com</a></span></span></span><br>
Subject: <span class="hccdpe">LL-L "Etymology" 2008.12.01 (02) [E]</span><br>
</span><br>
<font size="2"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif; color: black;">Dear Lowlanders,<br>
<br>
As long as we're discussing the etymology and various meaning of
"rag," "ragged," and so forth, let me toss this into the
mix:<i> </i><br>
<br>
In northwest Connecticut, "raggie" or "raggy" is a
derogatory, contemptuous term applied to poorly dressed,<br>
lower-class people. <br>
<br>
In the neighborhood of the town of Salisbury
in the mountainous northwestern corner of Litchfield County,
Connecticut, the term "raggie" is
specifically applied to lower class inhabitants of Mount Riga,
locally pronounced "Raggy." Is this a folk etymology, do you think?<br>
<br>
However, the term "raggie" is also applied to lower class
natives of the towns of<br>
Winsted, Norfolk and Torrington,
all located in Litchfield
County. Apparently,
residents of the<br>
various towns apply it to natives of the other towns. <br>
<br>
see <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=raggie&defid=2030984" target="_blank">http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=raggie&defid=2030984</a>.<br>
<br>
There is even a FaceBook group of Raggies consisting of present and former
residents of Northwestern Connecticut, who
consider the term an in-joke.<br>
<br>
However, I have the impression that the term "raggy" is also used in
a derogatory sense in the UK
but thus far have not been able to track this down on the internet. <br>
<br>
Have any readers of this list encountered "raggy" or
"raggie" used in this sense outside of northwestern Connecticut? I'd be interested to know if
you have. <br>
<br>
All best wishes,<br>
<br>
Richard Blaustein </span></font><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms,sans-serif;"><br>
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><br>
----------<br>
<br>
From: <span class="ep8xu"><span><span style="color: rgb(200, 137, 0);">Lee Goldberg</span></span></span><span class="hccdpe"> </span><span class="ldacoc"><<a href="mailto:leybl_goldberg@yahoo.com">leybl_goldberg@yahoo.com</a>></span><br>
Subject: <span class="hccdpe">LL-L "Etymology" 2008.12.01 (02) [E]</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="ES-MX">Yo, ir zayt gerekht, Ron. </span></em><em><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">Dos iz take rikhtik.</span></em><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">"Shmate"
in Yiddish is often used figuratively to mean "a piece of
crap". As applied to a woman (for instance, the Russian Empress
Alexandra in a celebrated ditty of the time), it can mean a slut or a
whore. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">And in a
song from World War II, a little orphan boy sings</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="DE">Kh'hob gehat a tatele,</span></em><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="DE"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="DE">Hot er mikh gehit.</span></em><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="DE"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="DE">Itst bin ikh a shmatele</span></em><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="DE"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="DE">Vayl ikh bin a yid.</span></em><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="DE"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">(I once had
a Daddy/Who took care of me/Now I'm just a piece of dirt/Because I am a Jew)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;"><br>
--- On <b>Mon, 12/1/08, Reinhard/Ron </b>wrote:<br>
<br>
I believe that in Yiddish, too, you can refer to a worthless newspaper (and
several other things, such as a garment or a worthless document) as </span><span dir="rtl" style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="HE">שמאַטע</span><span dir="ltr"></span><span dir="ltr"></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;" lang="HE"><span dir="ltr"></span><span dir="ltr"></span> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial;">(<i>shmate</i>)
'rag'. (<i>Iz dos rikhtik, Leybl un andere khaveyrim?</i>) Well, at least <b>I</b>
have been known to use the word that way in Yiddish. ;-) <i>Shmate</i> is one
of those very useful and ubiquitous Yiddish words that has found its way into
Northeast American English parlance as a straight loan as well.<br>
<br>
So perhaps we are dealing with a Yiddish calque (<i>shmate</i> > rag),
possibly one that started in North America.
This would have been an easy fit in that "rag" in the sense of
"inferior garment" was probably in English use already.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
Reinhard/Ron</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>