Definitions of rag:

• noun:   a boisterous practical joke (especially by college students)
• noun:   a small piece of cloth or paper
• noun:   a week at British universities during which side-shows and processions of floats are organized to raise money for charities
• noun:   newspaper with half-size pages
• noun:   music with a syncopated melody (usually for the piano)
• verb:   break into lumps before sorting

  Example: "Rag ore"

• verb:   play in ragtime

  Example: "Rag that old tune"

• verb:   cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
• verb:   treat cruelly
• verb:   censure severely or angrily

  Example: "The deputy ragged the Prime Minister"

• verb:   harass with persistent criticism or carping