To harass, bully, or treat roughly; to subject someone to ballyragging or rough treatment, especially in military or fraternal contexts.
Related to 'ballyrags' or 'ballyragging' (to harass or bully); origin possibly Irish from 'baile' (town/place) combined with uncertain second element. Used in 19th-century military slang.
British and American military recruits faced 'ballyragging'—a ritual hazing that was considered character-building, though modern readers would recognize it as organized bullying wrapped in tradition.
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