| 释义 |
Rag-fair
[f. rag n.1 + fair n.1]
A market for the sale of old clothes, held at Houndsditch in London.
1722De Foe Col. Jack (1840) 14 I'll go into Rag fair, and buy me a pair of shoes. 1805Turnbull in Naval Chron. XIV. 193 The cellars of Rag-fair. 1855Dickens Dorrit ix, Such threadbare coats and trousers..never were seen in Rag Fair. 1894–5Dickens' Dict. Lond. 135 s.v. Jews, Rag Fair,..the greatest old clothes market of the metropolis, is held in a open space close to Houndsditch. Sunday morning is its busiest time.
attrib.1722De Foe Col. Jack (1840) 14 We bought..a pair of Rag fair stockings. 1788Wolcott (P. Pindar) B. Peter to B. Tom Wks. 1812 I. 535 Bartering like Rag-fair Jews. 1840L. S. Costello Summer amongst Bocages II. 246 Quantities of ready-made clothes..all of coarse materials..giving a Rag-fair effect, anything but pleasing.
fig.1831Carlyle Sart. Res. iii. iii, The tatters and rags of..worn-out Symbols (in this Ragfair of a World).
b. slang. (See quots.)
1785Grose Dict. Vulg. Tongue, Rag Fair, an inspection of the linen and necessaries of a company of soldiers, commonly made by their officers on Mondays, or Saturdays. 1890Barrère & Leland Slang Dict. (1897), Rag-fair.., kit inspection. |