Raff , n.
1. A promiscuous heap; a jumble; a large quantity; lumber; refuse. "A raff of
errors." Barrow. 2.
The sweepings of society; the rabble; the mob; -- chiefly used in the compound or duplicate, riffraff. 3.
A low fellow; a churl. Raff merchant, a dealer in lumber and odd refuse. [Prov.
Eng.]
Raff (r&adot;f),
v. t. [imp. & p. p. Raffed (r&adot;ft);
p. pr. & vb. n.
Raffing.] [OF. raffer, of German origin; cf. G. raffen; akin to E. rap to snatch. See Rap, and cf. Riffraff, Rip to tear.] To sweep, snatch, draw, or huddle together; to take by a promiscuous sweep.
[Obs.] Causes and effects which I thus
raff up together. Carew.
Quotes From Classical Literature on 'raff'You can hear pronunciation of the quotes if you click on  . The sound files tend to be pretty big.
 handkerchiefs, are left here in a corner, like so many cloaks."
{ canaille = riff- raff }
" There must be a reason for this, certainly," answered $45, " though
YOU have been flourished about these two winters, in a way that ought
to satisfy one of YOUR pretensions."
backward against the masts, gleaming whitely, wickedly, evilly, in
the fearful illumination; and, at the bottom, the deck and bridge and
houses of the Elsinore, and a tangled riff- raff of flying ropes, and
clumps and bunches of swaying, pulling, hauling, human creatures.
It was a great moment, the master' s moment-- caught all aback with all
our bulk and tonnage and infinitude of gear, and our heaven- aspiring
masts two hundred feet above our heads. And our master was there, in
humour that the bearer of Pavannes' first love letter should
enter his mistress' s presence, bleeding and plaistered with mud.
And that the riff- raff about our own gates should have part in
the insult.
Bezers' wrath would be little abated by the issue of the affair,
or the justice I had done on one of his men. So we looked well
to bolts, and bars, and windows, although the castle is well- nigh
The cabin was a " mess," as Bill expressed it. The floor was
covered with scattered heaps of riff- raff , oilskins, coats, empty
bottles, and papers. On the table a box stood, its hinged lid
thrown back.
" Medicine chest," said Burgess, examining it. " And rum bottles
aplenty. Somebody' s been sick, I shouldn' t wonder."
morning, now that I am fresh and sober, if you and I were at the
Withershin' s Latch, wi' ilka ane a gude oak souple in his hand, we
wadna turn back, no for half a dizzen o' yon scaff- raff ."
[* Rabble.]
" But are you prudent, my good sir," said Brown, " not to take an
hour or two' s repose after receiving such severe contusions?"
Strickland was foolish enough to take that man for his model; and, following
out his absurd theory, dabbled in unsavory places no respectable man would
think of exploring-- all among the native riff- raff . He educated himself in
this peculiar way for seven years, and people could not appreciate it. He was
perpetually " going Fantee" among the natives, which, of course, no man with
any sense believes in. He was initiated into the Sat Bhai at Allahabad once,
when he was on leave; he knew the Lizard- Song of the Sansis, and the Halli-
Hukk dance, which is a religious can- can of a startling kind. When a man knows
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