What it means
To run someone ragged means keeping them so busy, stressed, or pulled in ten directions that they're left totally worn out and a bit snappy. It's not just being tired. It's that chewed-up, no-battery-left state after work, kids, errands, drama, or all of it dogpiling you at once.
Usage examples
"I’ve been run ragged all week, the boss piling on shifts and the kids needing everything at once. I’m absolutely knackered and it’s only Thursday."
"Three kids, two jobs and a leaky roof had her run ragged by the middle of the week."
"The new puppy runs us ragged all morning and then sleeps like a log the second we sit down."
"That double shift and my mum blowing up my phone have run me ragged, I need a night with absolutely nobody needing anything from me."
"We took the kids to two birthday parties, football, then Tesco, and by six o'clock we were run ragged and living off crisps and bad decisions."
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Where it comes from
This phrase is old and well established in English. Ragged has long meant worn, torn, or left rough round the edges. By the late 1800s, run ragged was being used for people and animals pushed so hard they ended up exhausted. The picture is simple and solid: overworked till you're fraying.
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