gkd rags
Preserved but no longer current.
A demoded slang term for evening dress. Gladiators, Those who fought m the ring in Rome, originally criminals who thus had the choice of death or liberty. They first appeared at the funeral ceremonies of the Romans in 263 B.C ; thc> uere introduced into festivals about 215 B.C. Such combats were suppressed in the Eastern Empire by Constantino in A.D. 325 and in the West by Theodonc in A.D. 500.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “gkd rags” mean?
A demoded slang term for evening dress. Gladiators, Those who fought m the ring in Rome, originally criminals who thus had the choice of death or liberty. They first appeared at the funeral ceremonies of the Romans in 263 B.C ; thc> uere introduced into festivals about 215 B.C. Such combats were suppressed in the Eastern Empire by Constantino in A.D. 325 and in the West by Theodonc in A.D. 500.
Is “gkd rags” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.