| brit. |
мелкий воришка (a small time petty thief Taras); нищий (a beggar Taras); шлюха (rhyming slang for slag Taras); мразь (a scumbag; a contemptible or worthless person. From the cloth that was worn around one's feet as a sock, usually by vagrants (Englishtips.org) Taras); дрянь (о человеке; someone worthy of contempt – scoundrel, rotter, that sort of thing. A rather antiquated word. I am reliably informed that the term derives from weaving, where "tow" refers to short bits of fibre left over after combing the longer flax ("line"). Tow can be used as-is for cleaning guns, lighting fires or strangling small children, or it can be made into "tow cloth"; cheap clothing worn by manual labourers. A "tow rag" is a piece of tow cloth which has finished its useful clothing life and is now being used to stop oil dripping out of the car or such like. I can't help wondering whether "toe-rag" is the Victorian equivalent of "douchebag" Taras); прохвост (Taras); жулик (Taras); рвань (a person who is disliked, usually with good reason. Ultimately from the rags worn on a tramp's feet, hence a beggar, and hence this term of contempt which is the only sense that survives Taras); окурок (Taras); бродяга (Taras); попрошайка (Taras); гадёныш (Now, which one of the little toe-rags put that up? – И кто из двоих гадёнышей это выложил? Taras); чмо (Taras) |
