(Source)

In the most literal sense, a rattle-bag is a small bag full of items that rattle when shaken. It might be a baby's toy. Or, it might be something a deer hunter uses to imitate the sound of antlers clashing against each other, which works (at least sometimes) to trick the deer into coming to check out the fight. 

Probably because the word "rattle-bag" is so fun to say, and because it sounds like "raggedy" and "ragtag" and "rickety," it took on some other, more general meanings.

Something rattle-bag can be shaky, flimsy, and about to fall apart, as if its pieces are rattling against each other.

And, something rattle-bag can be made up of lots of random little things. And a rattle-bag can be a random mixture of things.

Part of speech:

Often an adjective: "Oh, this rattle-bag shelving unit? $35 at Ikea. No regrets."

Also a noun, the countable kind: "My meal planning for the week is a rattle-bag of YouTube recipes and whatever Publix had on buy one, get one free."

Other forms: 

Just the plural noun, "rattle-bags."

If you like, you could leave out the hyphen ("rattlebag") or keep the words separate ("rattle bag"). It's too rare to have picked up any strict rules about its spelling.

how to use it:

Pick the rare, funny, easily understood word "rattle-bag" when you want to emphasize the sloppiness or randomness of something's miscellaneous nature.

Call something rattle-bag: "I'm not getting in that rattle-bag car." Or call something a rattle-bag of things: "Temu is a rattle-bag of dirt-cheap products and desperate pop-up notifications."

examples:

"The Lutheran founder has lain at rest...  these ten winters past & no ordained successor has yet ventured to claim captaincy of the altar. Its denomination, therefore, is a 'rattle bag' of Christian creeds." 
—David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas, 2004

"[Chuck Schumer] is the architect of... the rattle-bag of safety net and climate measures that Democrats hope to pass on a partisan basis."
—Anonymous, The Economist, 23 September 2021

has this page helped you understand "rattle-bag"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "rattle-bag" without saying "raggedy" or "various."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(Something) is a rattle-bag piece of junk that looks like (something else, or that something bad has happened to it, or that it's gone unused for a long time)."

Example 1: "The tofu press was a rattle-bag hunk of plastic that looked like a toy. Never buy the cheapest version of a kitchen device on Amazon."

Example 2: "[The bike] was a rusty, rattle-bag concern—a relic of the dark ages of cycling—and looked as if it had not been used for a twelvemonth." 
— Harold Avery, The Triple Alliance, Its Trials and Triumphs, 1899

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "Eddie Izzardisms!"

Consider a quote from Eddie Izzard's delightful stand-up comedy, and decide which of three given terms you can most easily connect it to. You can see my suggested answer by scrolling to the bottom of the issue. But yours doesn't need to match mine. 

Try this one today:

"It's a real drag being a man. Everything you do, people say you're doing it in the wrong way. You punch a shark, they say 'Why are you punching a shark?' You don't punch a shark, they say 'Why don't you punch a shark?'" 

Anesthetize, hyperscrutinize, or compartmentalize?

review this word:

1. One opposite of RATTLE-BAG is

A. FULL.
B. STURDY.
C. DEPENDABLE.

2. Neil Gaiman's short story "Click-Clack the Rattlebag" is about a literal rattle-bag, and, you could argue, a figurative one: a _____ of various horror tropes, thrown together and shaken up expertly. Well played, Mr. Gaiman.

A. panoply
B. mishmash
C. menagerie

Answers to the review questions: 1. B 2. B From the game, here's a suggested answer: I'd go with hyperscrutinize, because men will be picked apart and criticized no matter what.

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.