What the title means...

The title of my blog is, "The Maple Lead Rag". So what does that mean? Well it means two things actually, which isn't unusual in English. 

First, a 'rag' is a newspaper. It's slang, of course, and it is generally derisive as in, "Ah, you're not reading that rag again are you?"  

But a 'rag' is also a type of music, fast and usually played on a piano. It's an old term and this title was made famous by an American composer/pianist named Scott Joplin. If you have ever seen the movie The Sting with Paul Newman and Robert Redford then you have heard Joplin's music. One of this compositions was The Maple Leaf Rag! 

I guess I should say that a rag is also an old piece of cloth that you use to clean up a spill with, so that is three things. Um, ok four now since it can also mean an old dress as in, "I didn't have anything new to wear so I wore this old rag." I better stop before I think of more meanings. There is a fifth meaning but I won't get into that!

 So that's where the name comes from. And the maple leaf is the symbol of Canada, as well as the beaver so I thought it was a cool play on words, music and newspapers all in one.