riffraff

See also: riff-raff

English

Alternative forms

• riff-raff

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”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹɪfɹæf/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

riffraff (usually uncountable, plural riffraffs)

1. (informal, somewhat derogatory) The rabble; crowds; people of a low, disreputable or undesirable class or position.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:commonalty

   They started charging a modest fee in an effort to keep the riffraff out.

   • 2019 December 10, Yacht Club Games, Shovel Knight: King of Cards, Nintendo 3DS, scene: ending:

     Mom: [Walks away with King Pridemoor.] / King Knight: 'MOM, WAIT! ..... MOM!! *SIGH* WELL, FINALLY, THE RIFF-RAFF... AND MY MOM, ARE GONE.'

2. (informal) Sweepings; refuse.

Derived terms

• riffraffish
• riff-raffy

Related terms

• raffish

Translations

the rabble

• Arabic: رَعَاع m (raʕāʕ)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 廢物／废物 (zh) (fèiwù), 賤民／贱民 (zh) (jiànmín), 下等人 (xiàděngrén), 流氓 (zh) (liúmán), 烏合之眾／乌合之众 (zh) (wūhézhlzhòng)

• Czech: lůza (cs) f, chátra (cs) f, sebranka (cs) f, pakáž f
• Danish: pøbel c, pak (da) n
• Dutch: geteisem (nl), schorremorrie (nl), tuig (nl), rapalje (nl), gepeupel (nl)
• Estonian: rahvarämps
• Finnish: rahvas (fi), roskaväki (fi)
• French: racaille (fr) f, populace (fr) f, canaille (fr) f (dated)
• Galician: xentualla f
• German: Pöbel (de) m, Plebs (de) m, gemeines Volk n
• Greek: αληταρία (el) f (alitaría)

  Ancient: σύρφαξ m (súrphax), συρφετός m (surphetós)

• Icelandic: pakk n, skríll (is) m, illþýði (is) n
• Italian: tamarro (it) m, lazzarone (it) m, coatto (it) m
• Japanese: 下層民 (かそうみん, kasōmin), 下層階級 (かそうかいきゅう, kasō kaikyū), 有象無象 (ja) (uzō muzō)
• Portuguese: gentalha (pt) f, ralé (pt) f
• Romanian: plebe (ro) f, gloată (ro) f
• Russian: че́рнь (ru) f (čérnʹ), сбро́д (ru) m (sbród), бы́дло (ru) n (býdlo)
• Serbo-Croatian: raja (sh) f, šljam (sh) m

  Cyrillic: о̏лош m

  Roman: ȍloš (sh) m

• Slovak: chamraď f, zberba f, bagáž f
• Spanish: gentuza (es) f, gentualla f, (Chile) flaite (es) m, chusma (es), gente de baja estofa, gleba
• Swedish: pöbel (sv) c, kreti och pleti (sv), patrask (sv) n, pack (sv) n
• Turkish: ayaktakımı (tr)
• Volapük: lupöp (vo)

Further reading

• Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.