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Glite Dictionary
fag rag

fag rag

9.9
An insulting name for a magazine about gay or lesbian culture
  • noun
  • /fæɡ ræɡ/
  • Slur
translation icon : revistucho maricón
  • She was insulted when someone called her favorite magazine a fag rag.

Examples

  • The journalist refused to write for what he described as a fag rag.

  • Some activists reclaimed the term fag rag as a badge of pride.

  • I found an old fag rag in the attic.

  • Many consider that magazine a fag rag.

  • She was offended when a critic referred to her favorite publication as a fag rag.

  • Some LGBTQ+ groups have embraced the term fag rag to celebrate their culture.

  • The editor decided not to associate with what he considered a fag rag.

Synonyms

rag
vsfag rag
  • Slang
23 6.1

A cheap newspaper with flashy, low-quality stories

applies this disparaging idea specifically to magazines about LGBTQ+ culture

How Offensive

fag rag
  • Slur
9.9
fag mag
  • Slur
9.9

Surface Forms

fag rag singular
fag rags plural

Morphology

fag + rag

The meaning is compositionally derived from the constituents: 'fag' (a derogatory term for gay men) modifies 'rag' (a disparaged tabloid-style magazine), so a learner who knows both words can infer it labels a pejorative magazine about LGBTQ topics. The formation is therefore transparent semantically, though the offensive register and cultural connotations may require extra exposure for full pragmatic understanding.

Etymology

Fag rag joins the insulting word fag and rag, an old slang word for a cheap magazine. So people used it as an 'insult' for magazines about gay life, though some later used the term with pride.