Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

oily rag

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.14 in modern English

Syllables
oily rag
IPA
11
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
1
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An employee in a menial, unskilled role in a factory or workshop.

Derogatory; Slang

noun

A cigarette; fag.

Slang

Etymology

Named for such employees often carrying a rag with them to wipe up spillages of oil or grease.

Usage

Inflected Forms

oily rags (plural)

Phrases

smell of an oily rag

Questions

What does oily rag mean?
An employee in a menial, unskilled role in a factory or workshop.
Where does oily rag come from?
Named for such employees often carrying a rag with them to wipe up spillages of oil or grease.

How to pronounce oily rag

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “oily rag”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “oily rag”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “oily rag” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.