Etymology Journal ยท R
Riffraff
Meaning
- A derogatory way to refer to a group of people considered to be of low social standing or unruly. It is often used to imply that someone is hanging out with the wrong crowd.
Snobbish, judgmental
Used in a sentence
- I do not want that sort of riffraff hanging around my store.
- They stopped letting riffraff into the club after the incident last week.
- She was worried that her son was hanging out with the local riffraff.
The backstory
The term has roots in Middle English and Anglo-French, originally referring to scrap or refuse. Over centuries, it evolved to describe people who are considered undesirable.
Heard in
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