Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

smell of an oily rag

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.12 in modern English

Syllables: smell of an oily rag
IPA

25

Scrabble Score

16

Letters

1

Syllables

12

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A very small amount, or the absolute minimum (usually of money).

Australian usage; New Zealand usage

Example Sentences

"We have found them in the remote corners of Asia Minor, sans souliers, sans culottes, often in rags, living on the smell of an oily rag or a raw onion, trying their best to preserve order where their own miserable officials have brought shame and disgrace upon their tarnished colours."
"Full of bog, goes anywhere you want to go, don't pay for insurance, runs on the smell of an oily rag."
"... they did not prepare someone for the smell-of-an-oily-rag budgets and ratings-driven world of Australian commercial television."
"They're prone to giving away their rations and living off the smell of an oily rag."
""We did it on the smell of an oily rag", says Danielle Kootman of Tourism Queensland."
"They had the smell of an oily rag to work on."

Usage

Phrases

run on fumes

Frequently Paired Words

run on fumes

Questions

What does smell of an oily rag mean?: A very small amount, or the absolute minimum (usually of money).

How to pronounce smell of an oily rag

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