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ragtag (n.)

also rag-tag, "ragged people collectively," 1820, from rag (n.) + tag (n.); originally in expression rag-tag and bobtail "the rabble" (tag-rag and bobtail is found in 1650s), with bobtail an old 17c. word for "cur." Tag and rag was "very common in 16-17th c." [OED]

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Definitions of ragtag from WordNet

ragtag (n.)
disparaging terms for the common people;
Synonyms: rabble / riffraff / ragtag and bobtail
From wordnet.princeton.edu