Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. scolding, abuse.

1797		‘T.B. Junr.’ Pettyfogger Dramatized II i: goose: He ragged me confoundedly, and, to be sure, I deserved it. wolf: Ah! never mind the ragging, Bobby: I thought he’d have struck me.
1906		Sun. Times (Perth) 16 Dec. 1/1: The jealous bar belle from Fremantle promptly came up and gave her rival a ragging.
1912		H.G. Van Campen ‘Life on Broadway’ in McClure’s Mag. Dec. 178/2: Their queens gives ’em a raggin’ frequent — which all men need it.

2. teasing, an act of teasing.

1904		Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 7 Sept. 2/3: There's a ‘ragging’ scene (that was suppressed recently in England, where the fool censor thought it would bring the army into disrepute) .
1918		J.N. Hall High Adventure 141: We both came in for our share of ragging.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 7: We’ll give him a ragging worse than they gave Clive Kempthorpe.
1927		(con. 1920s) S. Lewis Elmer Gantry 418: Next to the humorous ragging I spoke of [...] the worst cancer in religious discussion is the use of the metaphor!
1957		M. Shulman Rally Round the Flag, Boys! (1959) 137: He cold-cocked his two principal tormentors [...] and the ragging stopped.
1983		S. King Christine 131: Said he was sorry about the ragging I had to take from Repperton.
2000		N. Griffiths Grits 131: Colm can take a raggin, annywey.