riff-raff

A well-dressed couple avoids the riff-raff near the train station.

Definition

1. Noun (plural, treated as singular or plural):
   • Disreputable or undesirable people: "riff-raff" refers to people considered to be of low social class or bad character, often used pejoratively to describe a group perceived as disorderly, vulgar, or unworthy.

Usage Examples

• (The club rejected people they considered low-class or undesirable.)
• (The park was crowded with disorderly or disreputable people.)

Advanced Usage

• "the great unwashed": a synonymous phrase for "riff-raff," often used humorously or disdainfully.
  • The aristocrats looked down on the great unwashed, dismissing them as mere riff-raff. (The upper class viewed ordinary people with contempt.)

Variants and Related Words

• Raff (noun, archaic): a variant or shortened form of "riff-raff," meaning worthless or disreputable people.
  • The tavern was a gathering place for the local raff. (The tavern was a hangout for disreputable locals.)

Synonyms

• Rabble: a disorderly crowd; people of low social standing.
• Mob: a large, unruly group of people, often implying violence or lack of respectability.
• Hoi polloi: a Greek-derived term meaning "the many" or "the common people," often used condescendingly.

Related Idioms

• "the dregs of society": the most worthless or contemptible people, akin to "riff-raff."
  • The slum was home to the dregs of society, the very riff-raff others avoided. (The slum housed society's most despised people.)

Etymology Note (for context)

• Origin: From Middle English "rif and raf," meaning "every particle" (literally "sweepings and rags"), later evolving to refer to worthless people.