About "ragamuffin"....for me it is a term of endearment. This past summer, my daughter, a 25 year old free spirited kindergarten teacher from Vermont, was visiting my mother (her grandmother).She was wearing her usual "hippie" garb that looked very similar to the type of flowing clothes that were worn in the 60s. My mother's comment: "You look like a ragamuffin - just like your Dad." I took it as a compliment - my daughter wasn't so sure!