riffraff
/ˈɹɪfɹæf/ noun
Forms riffraffs riff-raff
- noun (somewhat derogatory) The rabble; crowds; people of a low, disreputable or undesirable class or position. “They started charging a modest fee in an effort to keep the riffraff out.”
- noun Sweepings; refuse.
Synonyms
canaille commonality commonalty crowd commonage demos everyone general public great unhosed great unwashed herd hoi polloi lower class many masses mob multitude odds and sods peasantry plebs rabble ragtag ragtag and bobtail
Etymology
From Old French rif et raf (“one and all”), of Germanic origin. The first word is from rifler (“to scrape off”) and the last is from raffler, related to rafler (“to plunder”).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [OE. rif and raf every particle, OF. rif et raf. CF. Raff, and 1st Rifle.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “riffraff”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details