Farmers had a vested interest in killing foxes, which preyed on their livestock; a hobby rider out for an enjoyable day's riding in the autumn sunshine doesn't really care what is being pursued, a fox or a scented rag.
Related: Melbourne's White Night festival is Summernats for the middle classes There was some talk in the local rag from the chief executive of Clipsal about how the "grid girls" are renowned for the glitz and glamour they bring as "ambassadors" for the event.
If this sounds familiar, here's what to do with them: make this Greek "rag" pie or patsavoura.
Godders "Eight pints" Bloom was exiled for hurling a Nazi jibe, and the leader, Nigel Farage, famously went verbal at EU president Herman Van Rompuy, accusing him of having "all the charisma of a damp rag and the appearance of a low-grade bank clerk".
Juventus had no intention of presenting a red rag to a bull.
One particularly triumphalist message doing the rounds across Belfast and beyond has a festive feel to it: "Sleigh bells ring, are you listening, the union flag has gone missing, the Huns smashed up the town as the crown rag came down, walking in a Fenian wonderland".
Related: Student food shopping: top tips for staying healthy on a budget Amy MacCauley, activities officer at Newcastle University, says: "You could get involved with your uni's Rag (Raise and give) crew or volunteer with an outside organisation to get more involved with your local community.
And her sex was provocation enough for some without her antipathy to the politically correct movement, to whom her supposed lack of compassion was a red rag.
