R. M. D., cash down, immediate payment. The initial letters ofREADY MONEY DOWN. Another version of this isP. Y. C.(pay your cash), often seen in the market quotations,—as, “Meat fetched 6s.4d.a stone,P. Y. C., and 6s.6d.for the account.”Rabbit, when a person gets the worst of a bargain, he is said “to have bought theRABBIT.” From an old story about a man selling a cat to a foreigner for a rabbit.Racket, a dodge, manœuvre, exhibition; a disturbance.Rackety, wild or noisy.Racks, the bones of a dead horse. Term used by horse-slaughterers.Raclan, a married woman. Originally Gipsy, but now a term with English tramps.Rafe, orRALPH, a pawnbroker’s duplicate.—Norwich.Raff, a dirty, dissipated fellow;RAFFISH, looking like aRAFF.Rag, to divide or share; “let’sRAG IT,” or “goRAGS,”i.e., share it equally between us.—Norwich.Rag, a bank-note.Rag and Famish, the Army and Navy Club. From EnsignRAGand CaptainFAMISH, imaginary characters, out of whom Leech some years back obtained much amusement.Rag-shop, a bank.Rag-splawger, a rich man.Ragamuffin, an ill-clad vagabond, a tatterdemalion.Rain napper, an umbrella.Raise the wind, to obtain credit, or money,—generally by pawning or selling property, but not unusually by borrowing. Sometimes varied toWHISTLE UP THE BREEZE.Raker,TO GO A, is, in racing parlance, to put more money than usual on a certain horse. “Going aRAKER” often leads to “coming a cropper.”Ramp, to hustle, to rob with violence, to levy blackmail in a ferocious manner; to extort by means of threats.Rampingis generally done in gangs.Rampage,TO BE ON THE, on the drink, on the loose. Dickens, inGreat Expectations, refers to Mrs. Jo as being on theRAMPAGEwhen she is worse tempered than usual.Ramper, a ruffian of the most brutal description, who infests racecourses and similar places on welching expeditions during summer, and finds pleasure and profit in garrotte robberies during winter.Ramshackle, queer, rickety, knocked about, as standing corn is after a high wind. Corrupted fromRAM-SHATTER, or possibly fromRANSACK.Rancho, originally a Spanish-American word, signifying a hunting-lodge, or cattle-station, in a wood or desert far from the haunts of men. A hunting or fishing station in the Highlands or elsewhere. In Washington, with their accustomed ingenuity in corrupting words and meanings, the Americans use the appellation for a place of evil report. The word is generally pronouncedRANCHnow.Randals-man.SeeBILLY.Randan, a boat impelled by three rowers, the midship man sculling, and the bowman and strokesman rowing with oars.Random, three horses driven in line.SeeTANDEM,SUDDEN DEATH,HARUM-SCARUM.Randy, rampant, violent, warm.—North.RANDY-BEGGAR, a gipsy tinker.Rank, to cheat. Modification ofRAMP.Ranker, a commissioned officer in the army who has risen from the ranks. Usually employed in a disparaging sense. Purely military. Also, among street folk, a corruption ofRANK DUFFER.Ran-tan, “on theRAN-TAN,” drunk.Rantipoll, a noisy rude girl, a madcap.Rap, a halfpenny; frequently used generically for money, thus:—“I haven’t aRAP,”i.e., I have no money whatever; “I don’t care aRAP,” &c. Originally a species of counterfeit coin used for small change in Ireland, against the use of which a proclamation was issued, 5th May, 1737. Small copper or base metal coins are still calledRAPPENin the Swiss cantons. Irish robbers were formerly termedRAPPAREES.Rap, to utter rapidly and vehemently; “heRAPPEDout a volley of oaths.”Rapping, enormous; “aRAPPINGbig lie.”Rapscallion, a low tattered wretch—not worth aRAP.Raree-show, a collection of curiosities.Rat, a sneak, an informer, a turn-coat, one who changes his party for interest. The late Sir Robert Peel was called theRAT, or theTamworth ratcatcher, for altering his views on the Roman Catholic question. FromRATSdeserting vessels about to sink. The term is often used amongst printers to denote one who works under price. Old cant for a clergyman.Rat,TO SMELL A, to suspect something, to guess that there is something amiss.Rather!a ridiculous street exclamation synonymous with yes; “Do you like fried chickens?” “RATHER!” “Are you going out of town?” “RATHER!” Very often pronounced “RAYTHER!”Rattening, the punishment inflicted on non-unionists by Sheffield grinders, through the instrumentality of “Mary Ann.”SeeParliamentary Inquiry Report on the subject.Rattlecap, an unsteady, volatile person. Generally applied to girls.Rattler, a cab, coach, or cart.—Old Cant.Rattletrap, the mouth. Anything shaky and mean, but pretentious and vulgar, is said to belong to theRATTLETRAPorder of things.Rattling, jolly, pleasant, well-appointed. “ARATTLINGgood spread” means an excellent repast, while a true friend is said to be a “RATTLINGgood fellow.”Raw, a tender point, or foible; “to touch a man upon theRAW,” is to irritate one by alluding to, or joking him on, anything on which he is peculiarly susceptible or “thin-skinned.” Originally stable slang.“Liver and bacon, kidneys, ten pounds one!He thinks meRAW. I think I’m ratherDONE.”Phantom Barber.Raw, uninitiated; a novice.—Old.FrequentlyJohnny Raw.Reach me downs, orHAND ME DOWNS, clothes bought at secondhand shops. From “Reach me downthat, and let’s see if it fits.” In Houndsditch and other celebrated old clothes’ marts, the goods are kept hanging on pegs so as to be well within view of intending buyers.Reader, a pocket-book; “Touch him for hisREADER,”i.e., rob him of his pocket-book.Ready, orREADY GILT(maybeGELT), money. Used by Arbuthnot—“Lord Strut was not very flush inREADY.”Ready-reckoners, the Highland regiments of the British army.Real jam, a sporting phrase, meaning anything exceptionally good. It is said to beREAL JAMfor those who back a horse at a long price, when the animal wins, or comes to a short figure.Recent incision, the busy thoroughfare on the Surrey side of the Thames, known to sober people as the New Cut. Even this latter name has now been changed—if indeed the place ever was so called properly. Although to the general public the street which runs from opposite Rowland Hill’s Chapel to Westminster Bridge Road is known as the New Cut, its name to the Board of Works is Lower Marsh.Redge, gold.Red herring, a soldier. The terms are exchangeable, the fish being often called a “soldier.”Red lane, the throat.Red liner, an officer of the Mendicity Society.Red rag, the tongue.Red un, a gold watch.Redtape, official routine. A term which was much in vogue during the Crimean campaign, so famous for War Office blunderings.Regulars, a thief’s fair share of plunder.Reliever, a coat worn in turn by any party of poor devils whose wardrobes are in pawn.Relieving Officer, a significant term for a father.—University.Renage, to revoke, a word used in Ireland at the game of five-card.Rench, vulgar pronunciation ofRINSE. “(W)renchyour mouth out,” said a fashionable dentist one day.Re-raw, “on theRE-RAW,” tipsy or drunk.Resurrection pie, once a school but now a common phrase, used in reference to a pie supposed to be made of the scraps and leavings that have appeared before.Ret, an abbreviation of the wordREITERATION, used to denote the forme which, in a printing-office, backs or perfects paper already printed on one side.Rhino, ready money.—Old.“Some as I know,Have parted with their readyRINO.”The Seaman’s Adieu, Old Ballad, 1670.Rhinoceral, rich, wealthy, abounding inRHINO. At first sound it would seem as though it meant a man abounding in rhinoceroses.Rib, a wife. Derivation, of course, Biblical.Ribbon, gin, or other spirits. Modification of white satin.Ribbons, the reins. “To handle theRIBBONS,” to drive.Ribroast, to beat till the ribs are sore.—Old; but still in use:—“And he departs, not meanly boastingOf his magnificentRIBROASTING.”—Hudibras.Rich, spicy; also used in the sense of “too much of a good thing;” “aRICHidea,” one too absurd or unreasonable to be adopted.Richard, a dictionary.SeeDICK.Ride, “toRIDEthe high horse,” or “RIDEroughshod over one,” to be overbearing or oppressive; “toRIDEthe black donkey,” to be in an ill humour.Rider, in a University examination, a problem or question appended to another, as directly arising from or dependent on it;—beginning to be generally used for any corollary or position which naturally arises from any previous statement or evidence.Rider, a supplementary clause in a document.Riff-raff, low, vulgar rabble.Rig, or trick, “spree,” or performance; “run aRIG,” to play a trick.—SeeJohn Gilpin. “RIGthe market,” in reality to play tricks with it,—a mercantile slang phrase often used in the newspapers.Rigged, “wellRIGGED,” well dressed.—Old Slang, in use in 1736.See Bailey’s Dictionary.—Sea.Rigging, a process well known in connexion with sales by auction, by which articles are secured at prices considerably below their real value.SeeKNOCK-OUTS. ToRIGthe market is to do similar business on a larger scale for the purpose of affecting the supplies, and thereby increasing the profits on an original purchase of the goods thus made scarce.Right as ninepence, orNICE AS NINEPENCE(possible corruption ofNINE-PINS), quite right, exactly right, comfortable.SeeNINEPENCE.Right you are, a phrase implying entire acquiescence in what has been said or done. The expression is singularly frequent and general amongst the lower and middle classes of the metropolis.Rights, “to have one toRIGHTS,” to be even with him, to serve him out properly. “ToRIGHTS” is also an ejaculation signifying satisfaction of the highest order.Rigmarole, a prolix story.Rile, to offend, to render very cross, irritated, or vexed. Properly, to render liquor turbid.Ring, to change; “RINGINGcastors,” changing hats; “toRINGthe changes,” in low life means to change bad money for good; in respectablesociety the phrase is sometimes employed to denote that the aggressor has been paid back in his own coin, as in practical joking, when the laugh is turned against the jester. The expression originally came from the belfry.Ring, a generic term given to horse-racing and pugilism,—the latter was sometimes termed thePRIZE-RING. From the rings used for betting and fighting in, respectively.Ring, formerly “to go through theRING,” to take advantage of the Insolvency Act, or be “whitewashed.” Now obsolete.Ring, the open space in front of a racecourse stand, which is used for betting purposes. Betting men are nowadays known as members of the ring, especially if they are in the habit of attending race-meetings.Ring, in America, is a combination of speculators whose object is to force the market for their own especial benefit without any regard to order or decency. We have similar arrangements here, but hitherto no one word has fairly described them.Ringdropping, is a pursuit to which London “magsmen” and “street-muggers” are prone. A ring or other spurious article is supposed to be found just in front of a “soft-looking party,” and he or she is tempted to buy it at less than half its supposed value.Rip, a rake, “an oldRIP,” an old libertine, or a debauchee. Corruption ofREPROBATE.Rip, to go at a rare pace. This is an American term, and often means to burst up. “Let herRIP, I’m insured.”Ripper, a first-rate man or article.—Provincial.Ripping, excellent, very good. Equivalent to “stunning.”Rise, “to take aRISEout of a person.” A metaphor from fly-fishing, the silly fishRISINGto be caught by an artificial fly; to mortify, outwit, or cheat him, by superior cunning.“There is only one thing, unfortunately, of which Oxford men are economical, and that is, their University experience. They not only think it fair that Freshmen should go through their ordeal unaided, but many have a sweet satisfaction in their distresses, and even busy themselves in obtaining elevations, or, as it is vulgarly termed, in ‘gettingRISESout of them.’”—Hints to Freshmen, Oxford, 1843.Rise, or raise, a Barney, to collect a mob; term used by patterers and “schwassle-box” (Punch and Judy) men.Roarer, a broken-winded horse; or, in the more polite speech of the stable, “a high blower.”Roaring, as applied to horses, is often termed “talking” by turf-men. It is often said delicately by sporting writers, when speaking of a broken-winded racehorse, that “he makes a noise.”Roaring trade, a very successful business.—Shopkeepers’ Slang.Roast, to expose a person to a running fire of jokes for the amusement and with the assistance of a whole company. A performance not indulged in by gentlemen.Quizzingis done by a single person only.Robin redbreast, the ancient Bow Street runner. So called from the colour of his waistcoat.Rock-a-low, an overcoat. Corruption of theFrench,ROQUELAURE.Rocked, “he’s onlyHALF-ROCKED,”i.e., half-witted.SeeHALF-ROCKED.Rogue’s yarn, a thread of red or blue worsted, worked into the ropes manufactured in the Government dockyards, to identify them if stolen. Also a blue thread worked into canvas, for the same purpose.Roll of snow, a piece of linen, or bundle of underclothing.Romany, a gipsy, or the gipsy language; the speech of the Roma or Zincali.—Spanish Gipsy.“Can you patterROMANY?”i.e., can you talk “black,” or gipsy lingo?Rook, a cheat, or tricky gambler; the opposite of “pigeon.”Rook, to cheat, to play “rook” to another’s “pigeon.”Rook, a clergyman, not only from his black attire, but also, perhaps, from the old nursery favourite, theHistory of Cock Robin.“I, says theROOK,With my little book,I’ll be the parson.”Rookery, a low neighbourhood inhabited by dirty Irish and thieves—as St. Giles’sROOKERY.—Old.In military slang that part of the barracks occupied by subalterns, often by no means a pattern of good order.Rooky, rascally, rakish, scampish.Roost, synonymous withPERCH, whichsee.Rooster, a cock, whether bantam, game, barndoor, or of any other kind. This is an Americanism which obtains full currency on the other side of the Atlantic, though its use would infer that hens do not roost. As the outcome of transpontine delicacy it must, however, be respected.Rooter, anything good, or of a prime quality; “that is aROOTER,”i.e., a first-rate one of the sort.Rope, to lose a race of any kind purposely, to swindle one’s backers or the public by means of a “cross” or pre-arranged race, in which the best man or best horse is made toROPE, or run behind.Roper,Mistress, “to marryMrs. Roper” is to enlist in the Royal Marines.Ropes, the ways of London lower life. “To know theROPES,” is to be conversant with the minutiæ of metropolitan dodges, as regards both the streets and the sporting world.Roping, the act of pulling or restraining a horse, by its rider, to prevent its winning a race—a trick not unfrequently practised on the turf. Also when a pedestrian or other athlete loses where he should have won, according to his backer’s calculations, he is accused ofROPING.Rose, “under the rose” (frequently used in itsLatinform,sub rosâ),i.e., under the obligation of silence and secrecy, of which the rose was anciently an emblem, perhaps, as Sir Thomas Browne remarks, from the closeness with which its petals are enfolded in the bud. The Rose of Venus was given, says the classic legend, to Harpocrates, the God of Silence, by Cupid, as a bribe to keep silent about the goddess’samours. It was commonly sculptured on the ceilings of banqueting rooms, as a sign that what was said in free conversation there was not afterwards to be divulged; and about 1526 was placed over the Roman confessionals as an emblem of secrecy. The White Rose was also an emblem of the Pretender, whose health, as king, his secret adherents used to drink “under theROSE.”Rosin, beer or other drink given to musicians at a dancing party.Rosin-the-bow, a fiddler. From a famous old song of that name.Rot, nonsense, anything bad, disagreeable, or useless.Rot-gut, bad, small beer.SeeBUMCLINK. In America, cheap whisky.Rough, bad; “ROUGHfish,” bad or stinking fish.—Billingsgate.Rough-it, to put up with chance entertainment, to take pot-luck and what accommodation “turns up,” without sighing for better.Roughs, coarse, or vulgar men. By many thought to beRUFF, corruption ofRUFFIAN.Rouleau, a packet of sovereigns.—Gaming.Round, to tell tales, toSPLIT, whichsee; “toROUNDon a man,” to swear to him as being the person, &c. Synonymous withBUFF, whichsee. Also to turn round upon and abuse or rate. Shakspeare hasROUNDING, whispering.Round, “ROUNDdealing,” honest trading; “ROUNDsum,” a large sum. Synonymous also, in a slang sense, withSQUARE, whichsee.Round(in the language of the street), the beat or usual walk of a costermonger to sell his stock. A term used by street folk generally.“Watchmen, sometimes they made their sallies,And walk’d theirROUNDSthrough streets and allies.”Ned Ward’s Vulgus Britannicus, 1710.The word “beat” has, so far as our modern guardians are concerned, deposed “round.”Round robin, a petition, or paper of remonstrance, with the signatures written in a circle,—to prevent the first signer, or ringleader, from being discovered.Round un, an unblushingly given and well-proportioned lie. Sometimes known as a “whacker.”Roundabout, a large swing with four compartments, each the size, and very much the shape, of the body of a cart, capable of seating six or eight boys and girls, erected in a high frame, and turned round by men at a windlass. Fairs and merry-makings generally abound with these swings. The frames take to pieces, and are carried in vans from fair to fair by miserable horses.Roundem, a button.Row, “theRow,”i.e., Paternoster Row. The notorious Holywell Street is now called by its denizens “Bookseller’s Row.”Row, a noisy disturbance, tumult, or trouble. Originally Cambridge, now universal. Seventy years ago it was writtenROUE, which would almost indicate a French origin, fromroué, a profligate or disturber of thepeace.—VideGeorge Parker’sLife’s Painter, 1789, p. 122. This is, however, very unlikely, as the derivation of the French word shows.Rowdy, money. In America, a ruffian, a brawler, a “rough.” Rowdyism is the state of being of New York roughs and loafers.Rowdy-dow, low, vulgar “not theCHEESE,” or thing.Rub, a quarrel or impediment; “there’s theRUB,”i.e., that is the difficulty.—Shakspeare and L’Estrange.Rubbed out, dead,—a melancholy expression, of late frequently used in fashionable novels.Rubbed outis synonymous withWIPED OUT, whichsee.Rubber, a term at whist, &c., the best of three games.Ruck, the undistinguished crowd; “to come in with theRUCK,” to arrive at the winning-post among the thick of the unplaced horses.—Racing term.Ruction, an Irish row. A faction fight.Ruggy, fusty, frowsy.Rule.“To run theRULEover,” is, among thieves, to try all a person’s pockets quietly, as done by themselves, or to search any one thoroughly, as at the police-station.Rule the roast, to be at the head of affairs, to be “cock of the walk.”Rum, like its opposite,QUEER, was formerly a much-used prefix, signifying fine, good, gallant, or valuable; perhaps in some way connected withRome. Nowadays it means indifferent, bad, or questionable, and we often hear even persons in polite society use such a phrase as, “What aRUMfellow he is, to be sure,” in speaking of a man of singular habits or appearance. The term, from its frequent use, long since claimed a place in our dictionaries; but, with the exception of Johnson, who saysRUM, a cant word for a clergyman(!), no lexicographer has deigned to notice it.“ThusRUMLYfloor’d, the kind Acestes ran,And pitying, raised from earth the game old man.”Virgil’s Æneid, book v., Translationby Thomas Moore.Rum cull, the manager of a theatre, generally the master of a travelling troop.Rumbler, a four-wheeled cab. Not so common asBOUNDER.SeeGROWLER.Rumbowling, anything inferior or adulterated.—Sea.Rumbumptious, haughty, pugilistic.Rumbustious, orRUMBUSTICAL, pompous, haughty, boisterous, careless of the comfort of others.Rumgumption, orGUMPTION, knowledge, capacity, capability,—hence,RUMGUMPTIOUS, knowing, wide-awake, forward, positive, pert, blunt.Rum-mizzler, Seven Dials cant for a person who is clever at making his escape, or getting out of a difficulty.Rump, to turn the back upon any one. A still more decided “cut direct” than the “cold shoulder.”Rumpus, a noise, disturbance, a “row.”Rum-slim, orRUM SLING, rum punch.Rumy, a good woman or girl.—Gipsy Cant.In the ContinentalGipsy,ROMI, a woman, a wife, is the feminine ofRO, a man.Run(good or bad), the success or duration of a piece’s performance.—Theatrical.Run, to comprehend, &c.; “I don’tRUNto it,”i.e., I can’t do it, I don’t understand; also not money enough, as, “I should like to, but it wontRUNto it.”Run, “to get theRUNupon any person,” to have the upper hand, or be able to laugh at him.Rundown, to abuse or backbite any one; to “lord it,” or “drive over” him. Originally stable slang.Run for the money,TO HAVE A, to have a start given in with a bet. As 20 to 1 against Doncaster, with aRUNgiven.SeeP.P.To have aRUN FOR ONE’S MONEYis also to have a good determined struggle for anything.Run-in, to lock up in the station-house. The police are very fond of threatening toRUN-INany person to whom they may take exception, and, as recent revelations have shown, are by no means averse from putting their threats into execution.Running patterer, a street seller who runs or moves briskly along, calling aloud his wares.Running stationer, a hawker of books, ballads, dying speeches, and newspapers. Persons of this class formerly used to run with newspapers, blowing a horn, when they were sometimes termedFLYING STATIONERS. Nowadays, in the event of any political or social disturbance, the miserable relics of these peripatetic newsmen bawl the heads of the telegram or information in quiet London thoroughfares, to the disturbance of the residents. The race is very nearly extinct, the evening-paper boys having run them to earth.Rush, to come upon suddenly, generally for the purpose of borrowing. To “give a man theRUSH,” is to spunge upon him all day, and then borrow money at the finish, or pursue some such similar mode of procedure.Rush, “doing it on theRUSH,” running away, or making off.Rust, “to nab theRUST,” to take offence.Rusty, cross, ill-tempered, morose; not able to go through life like a person of easy and “polished” manners.Rustication, the sending of an offender from the University for one term or more, thus hindering his qualifying for a degree.Rusty guts, a blunt, rough, old fellow. Corruption ofRUSTICUS.Rye.Gipsy term for a young man. In the same parlance “rawnie” is a young woman.
R. M. D., cash down, immediate payment. The initial letters ofREADY MONEY DOWN. Another version of this isP. Y. C.(pay your cash), often seen in the market quotations,—as, “Meat fetched 6s.4d.a stone,P. Y. C., and 6s.6d.for the account.”
Rabbit, when a person gets the worst of a bargain, he is said “to have bought theRABBIT.” From an old story about a man selling a cat to a foreigner for a rabbit.
Racket, a dodge, manœuvre, exhibition; a disturbance.
Rackety, wild or noisy.
Racks, the bones of a dead horse. Term used by horse-slaughterers.
Raclan, a married woman. Originally Gipsy, but now a term with English tramps.
Rafe, orRALPH, a pawnbroker’s duplicate.—Norwich.
Raff, a dirty, dissipated fellow;RAFFISH, looking like aRAFF.
Rag, to divide or share; “let’sRAG IT,” or “goRAGS,”i.e., share it equally between us.—Norwich.
Rag, a bank-note.
Rag and Famish, the Army and Navy Club. From EnsignRAGand CaptainFAMISH, imaginary characters, out of whom Leech some years back obtained much amusement.
Rag-shop, a bank.
Rag-splawger, a rich man.
Ragamuffin, an ill-clad vagabond, a tatterdemalion.
Rain napper, an umbrella.
Raise the wind, to obtain credit, or money,—generally by pawning or selling property, but not unusually by borrowing. Sometimes varied toWHISTLE UP THE BREEZE.
Raker,TO GO A, is, in racing parlance, to put more money than usual on a certain horse. “Going aRAKER” often leads to “coming a cropper.”
Ramp, to hustle, to rob with violence, to levy blackmail in a ferocious manner; to extort by means of threats.Rampingis generally done in gangs.
Rampage,TO BE ON THE, on the drink, on the loose. Dickens, inGreat Expectations, refers to Mrs. Jo as being on theRAMPAGEwhen she is worse tempered than usual.
Ramper, a ruffian of the most brutal description, who infests racecourses and similar places on welching expeditions during summer, and finds pleasure and profit in garrotte robberies during winter.
Ramshackle, queer, rickety, knocked about, as standing corn is after a high wind. Corrupted fromRAM-SHATTER, or possibly fromRANSACK.
Rancho, originally a Spanish-American word, signifying a hunting-lodge, or cattle-station, in a wood or desert far from the haunts of men. A hunting or fishing station in the Highlands or elsewhere. In Washington, with their accustomed ingenuity in corrupting words and meanings, the Americans use the appellation for a place of evil report. The word is generally pronouncedRANCHnow.
Randals-man.SeeBILLY.
Randan, a boat impelled by three rowers, the midship man sculling, and the bowman and strokesman rowing with oars.
Random, three horses driven in line.SeeTANDEM,SUDDEN DEATH,HARUM-SCARUM.
Randy, rampant, violent, warm.—North.RANDY-BEGGAR, a gipsy tinker.
Rank, to cheat. Modification ofRAMP.
Ranker, a commissioned officer in the army who has risen from the ranks. Usually employed in a disparaging sense. Purely military. Also, among street folk, a corruption ofRANK DUFFER.
Ran-tan, “on theRAN-TAN,” drunk.
Rantipoll, a noisy rude girl, a madcap.
Rap, a halfpenny; frequently used generically for money, thus:—“I haven’t aRAP,”i.e., I have no money whatever; “I don’t care aRAP,” &c. Originally a species of counterfeit coin used for small change in Ireland, against the use of which a proclamation was issued, 5th May, 1737. Small copper or base metal coins are still calledRAPPENin the Swiss cantons. Irish robbers were formerly termedRAPPAREES.
Rap, to utter rapidly and vehemently; “heRAPPEDout a volley of oaths.”
Rapping, enormous; “aRAPPINGbig lie.”
Rapscallion, a low tattered wretch—not worth aRAP.
Raree-show, a collection of curiosities.
Rat, a sneak, an informer, a turn-coat, one who changes his party for interest. The late Sir Robert Peel was called theRAT, or theTamworth ratcatcher, for altering his views on the Roman Catholic question. FromRATSdeserting vessels about to sink. The term is often used amongst printers to denote one who works under price. Old cant for a clergyman.
Rat,TO SMELL A, to suspect something, to guess that there is something amiss.
Rather!a ridiculous street exclamation synonymous with yes; “Do you like fried chickens?” “RATHER!” “Are you going out of town?” “RATHER!” Very often pronounced “RAYTHER!”
Rattening, the punishment inflicted on non-unionists by Sheffield grinders, through the instrumentality of “Mary Ann.”SeeParliamentary Inquiry Report on the subject.
Rattlecap, an unsteady, volatile person. Generally applied to girls.
Rattler, a cab, coach, or cart.—Old Cant.
Rattletrap, the mouth. Anything shaky and mean, but pretentious and vulgar, is said to belong to theRATTLETRAPorder of things.
Rattling, jolly, pleasant, well-appointed. “ARATTLINGgood spread” means an excellent repast, while a true friend is said to be a “RATTLINGgood fellow.”
Raw, a tender point, or foible; “to touch a man upon theRAW,” is to irritate one by alluding to, or joking him on, anything on which he is peculiarly susceptible or “thin-skinned.” Originally stable slang.“Liver and bacon, kidneys, ten pounds one!He thinks meRAW. I think I’m ratherDONE.”Phantom Barber.
Raw, a tender point, or foible; “to touch a man upon theRAW,” is to irritate one by alluding to, or joking him on, anything on which he is peculiarly susceptible or “thin-skinned.” Originally stable slang.
“Liver and bacon, kidneys, ten pounds one!He thinks meRAW. I think I’m ratherDONE.”Phantom Barber.
“Liver and bacon, kidneys, ten pounds one!He thinks meRAW. I think I’m ratherDONE.”
Raw, uninitiated; a novice.—Old.FrequentlyJohnny Raw.
Reach me downs, orHAND ME DOWNS, clothes bought at secondhand shops. From “Reach me downthat, and let’s see if it fits.” In Houndsditch and other celebrated old clothes’ marts, the goods are kept hanging on pegs so as to be well within view of intending buyers.
Reader, a pocket-book; “Touch him for hisREADER,”i.e., rob him of his pocket-book.
Ready, orREADY GILT(maybeGELT), money. Used by Arbuthnot—“Lord Strut was not very flush inREADY.”
Ready-reckoners, the Highland regiments of the British army.
Real jam, a sporting phrase, meaning anything exceptionally good. It is said to beREAL JAMfor those who back a horse at a long price, when the animal wins, or comes to a short figure.
Recent incision, the busy thoroughfare on the Surrey side of the Thames, known to sober people as the New Cut. Even this latter name has now been changed—if indeed the place ever was so called properly. Although to the general public the street which runs from opposite Rowland Hill’s Chapel to Westminster Bridge Road is known as the New Cut, its name to the Board of Works is Lower Marsh.
Redge, gold.
Red herring, a soldier. The terms are exchangeable, the fish being often called a “soldier.”
Red lane, the throat.
Red liner, an officer of the Mendicity Society.
Red rag, the tongue.
Red un, a gold watch.
Redtape, official routine. A term which was much in vogue during the Crimean campaign, so famous for War Office blunderings.
Regulars, a thief’s fair share of plunder.
Reliever, a coat worn in turn by any party of poor devils whose wardrobes are in pawn.
Relieving Officer, a significant term for a father.—University.
Renage, to revoke, a word used in Ireland at the game of five-card.
Rench, vulgar pronunciation ofRINSE. “(W)renchyour mouth out,” said a fashionable dentist one day.
Re-raw, “on theRE-RAW,” tipsy or drunk.
Resurrection pie, once a school but now a common phrase, used in reference to a pie supposed to be made of the scraps and leavings that have appeared before.
Ret, an abbreviation of the wordREITERATION, used to denote the forme which, in a printing-office, backs or perfects paper already printed on one side.
Rhino, ready money.—Old.“Some as I know,Have parted with their readyRINO.”The Seaman’s Adieu, Old Ballad, 1670.
Rhino, ready money.—Old.
“Some as I know,Have parted with their readyRINO.”The Seaman’s Adieu, Old Ballad, 1670.
“Some as I know,Have parted with their readyRINO.”
Rhinoceral, rich, wealthy, abounding inRHINO. At first sound it would seem as though it meant a man abounding in rhinoceroses.
Rib, a wife. Derivation, of course, Biblical.
Ribbon, gin, or other spirits. Modification of white satin.
Ribbons, the reins. “To handle theRIBBONS,” to drive.
Ribroast, to beat till the ribs are sore.—Old; but still in use:—“And he departs, not meanly boastingOf his magnificentRIBROASTING.”—Hudibras.
Ribroast, to beat till the ribs are sore.—Old; but still in use:—
“And he departs, not meanly boastingOf his magnificentRIBROASTING.”—Hudibras.
“And he departs, not meanly boastingOf his magnificentRIBROASTING.”—Hudibras.
Rich, spicy; also used in the sense of “too much of a good thing;” “aRICHidea,” one too absurd or unreasonable to be adopted.
Richard, a dictionary.SeeDICK.
Ride, “toRIDEthe high horse,” or “RIDEroughshod over one,” to be overbearing or oppressive; “toRIDEthe black donkey,” to be in an ill humour.
Rider, in a University examination, a problem or question appended to another, as directly arising from or dependent on it;—beginning to be generally used for any corollary or position which naturally arises from any previous statement or evidence.
Rider, a supplementary clause in a document.
Riff-raff, low, vulgar rabble.
Rig, or trick, “spree,” or performance; “run aRIG,” to play a trick.—SeeJohn Gilpin. “RIGthe market,” in reality to play tricks with it,—a mercantile slang phrase often used in the newspapers.
Rigged, “wellRIGGED,” well dressed.—Old Slang, in use in 1736.See Bailey’s Dictionary.—Sea.
Rigging, a process well known in connexion with sales by auction, by which articles are secured at prices considerably below their real value.SeeKNOCK-OUTS. ToRIGthe market is to do similar business on a larger scale for the purpose of affecting the supplies, and thereby increasing the profits on an original purchase of the goods thus made scarce.
Right as ninepence, orNICE AS NINEPENCE(possible corruption ofNINE-PINS), quite right, exactly right, comfortable.SeeNINEPENCE.
Right you are, a phrase implying entire acquiescence in what has been said or done. The expression is singularly frequent and general amongst the lower and middle classes of the metropolis.
Rights, “to have one toRIGHTS,” to be even with him, to serve him out properly. “ToRIGHTS” is also an ejaculation signifying satisfaction of the highest order.
Rigmarole, a prolix story.
Rile, to offend, to render very cross, irritated, or vexed. Properly, to render liquor turbid.
Ring, to change; “RINGINGcastors,” changing hats; “toRINGthe changes,” in low life means to change bad money for good; in respectablesociety the phrase is sometimes employed to denote that the aggressor has been paid back in his own coin, as in practical joking, when the laugh is turned against the jester. The expression originally came from the belfry.
Ring, a generic term given to horse-racing and pugilism,—the latter was sometimes termed thePRIZE-RING. From the rings used for betting and fighting in, respectively.
Ring, formerly “to go through theRING,” to take advantage of the Insolvency Act, or be “whitewashed.” Now obsolete.
Ring, the open space in front of a racecourse stand, which is used for betting purposes. Betting men are nowadays known as members of the ring, especially if they are in the habit of attending race-meetings.Ring, in America, is a combination of speculators whose object is to force the market for their own especial benefit without any regard to order or decency. We have similar arrangements here, but hitherto no one word has fairly described them.
Ringdropping, is a pursuit to which London “magsmen” and “street-muggers” are prone. A ring or other spurious article is supposed to be found just in front of a “soft-looking party,” and he or she is tempted to buy it at less than half its supposed value.
Rip, a rake, “an oldRIP,” an old libertine, or a debauchee. Corruption ofREPROBATE.
Rip, to go at a rare pace. This is an American term, and often means to burst up. “Let herRIP, I’m insured.”
Ripper, a first-rate man or article.—Provincial.
Ripping, excellent, very good. Equivalent to “stunning.”
Rise, “to take aRISEout of a person.” A metaphor from fly-fishing, the silly fishRISINGto be caught by an artificial fly; to mortify, outwit, or cheat him, by superior cunning.“There is only one thing, unfortunately, of which Oxford men are economical, and that is, their University experience. They not only think it fair that Freshmen should go through their ordeal unaided, but many have a sweet satisfaction in their distresses, and even busy themselves in obtaining elevations, or, as it is vulgarly termed, in ‘gettingRISESout of them.’”—Hints to Freshmen, Oxford, 1843.
Rise, “to take aRISEout of a person.” A metaphor from fly-fishing, the silly fishRISINGto be caught by an artificial fly; to mortify, outwit, or cheat him, by superior cunning.
“There is only one thing, unfortunately, of which Oxford men are economical, and that is, their University experience. They not only think it fair that Freshmen should go through their ordeal unaided, but many have a sweet satisfaction in their distresses, and even busy themselves in obtaining elevations, or, as it is vulgarly termed, in ‘gettingRISESout of them.’”—Hints to Freshmen, Oxford, 1843.
“There is only one thing, unfortunately, of which Oxford men are economical, and that is, their University experience. They not only think it fair that Freshmen should go through their ordeal unaided, but many have a sweet satisfaction in their distresses, and even busy themselves in obtaining elevations, or, as it is vulgarly termed, in ‘gettingRISESout of them.’”—Hints to Freshmen, Oxford, 1843.
Rise, or raise, a Barney, to collect a mob; term used by patterers and “schwassle-box” (Punch and Judy) men.
Roarer, a broken-winded horse; or, in the more polite speech of the stable, “a high blower.”Roaring, as applied to horses, is often termed “talking” by turf-men. It is often said delicately by sporting writers, when speaking of a broken-winded racehorse, that “he makes a noise.”
Roaring trade, a very successful business.—Shopkeepers’ Slang.
Roast, to expose a person to a running fire of jokes for the amusement and with the assistance of a whole company. A performance not indulged in by gentlemen.Quizzingis done by a single person only.
Robin redbreast, the ancient Bow Street runner. So called from the colour of his waistcoat.
Rock-a-low, an overcoat. Corruption of theFrench,ROQUELAURE.
Rocked, “he’s onlyHALF-ROCKED,”i.e., half-witted.SeeHALF-ROCKED.
Rogue’s yarn, a thread of red or blue worsted, worked into the ropes manufactured in the Government dockyards, to identify them if stolen. Also a blue thread worked into canvas, for the same purpose.
Roll of snow, a piece of linen, or bundle of underclothing.
Romany, a gipsy, or the gipsy language; the speech of the Roma or Zincali.—Spanish Gipsy.“Can you patterROMANY?”i.e., can you talk “black,” or gipsy lingo?
Rook, a cheat, or tricky gambler; the opposite of “pigeon.”
Rook, to cheat, to play “rook” to another’s “pigeon.”
Rook, a clergyman, not only from his black attire, but also, perhaps, from the old nursery favourite, theHistory of Cock Robin.“I, says theROOK,With my little book,I’ll be the parson.”
Rook, a clergyman, not only from his black attire, but also, perhaps, from the old nursery favourite, theHistory of Cock Robin.
“I, says theROOK,With my little book,I’ll be the parson.”
“I, says theROOK,With my little book,I’ll be the parson.”
Rookery, a low neighbourhood inhabited by dirty Irish and thieves—as St. Giles’sROOKERY.—Old.In military slang that part of the barracks occupied by subalterns, often by no means a pattern of good order.
Rooky, rascally, rakish, scampish.
Roost, synonymous withPERCH, whichsee.
Rooster, a cock, whether bantam, game, barndoor, or of any other kind. This is an Americanism which obtains full currency on the other side of the Atlantic, though its use would infer that hens do not roost. As the outcome of transpontine delicacy it must, however, be respected.
Rooter, anything good, or of a prime quality; “that is aROOTER,”i.e., a first-rate one of the sort.
Rope, to lose a race of any kind purposely, to swindle one’s backers or the public by means of a “cross” or pre-arranged race, in which the best man or best horse is made toROPE, or run behind.
Roper,Mistress, “to marryMrs. Roper” is to enlist in the Royal Marines.
Ropes, the ways of London lower life. “To know theROPES,” is to be conversant with the minutiæ of metropolitan dodges, as regards both the streets and the sporting world.
Roping, the act of pulling or restraining a horse, by its rider, to prevent its winning a race—a trick not unfrequently practised on the turf. Also when a pedestrian or other athlete loses where he should have won, according to his backer’s calculations, he is accused ofROPING.
Rose, “under the rose” (frequently used in itsLatinform,sub rosâ),i.e., under the obligation of silence and secrecy, of which the rose was anciently an emblem, perhaps, as Sir Thomas Browne remarks, from the closeness with which its petals are enfolded in the bud. The Rose of Venus was given, says the classic legend, to Harpocrates, the God of Silence, by Cupid, as a bribe to keep silent about the goddess’samours. It was commonly sculptured on the ceilings of banqueting rooms, as a sign that what was said in free conversation there was not afterwards to be divulged; and about 1526 was placed over the Roman confessionals as an emblem of secrecy. The White Rose was also an emblem of the Pretender, whose health, as king, his secret adherents used to drink “under theROSE.”
Rosin, beer or other drink given to musicians at a dancing party.
Rosin-the-bow, a fiddler. From a famous old song of that name.
Rot, nonsense, anything bad, disagreeable, or useless.
Rot-gut, bad, small beer.SeeBUMCLINK. In America, cheap whisky.
Rough, bad; “ROUGHfish,” bad or stinking fish.—Billingsgate.
Rough-it, to put up with chance entertainment, to take pot-luck and what accommodation “turns up,” without sighing for better.
Roughs, coarse, or vulgar men. By many thought to beRUFF, corruption ofRUFFIAN.
Rouleau, a packet of sovereigns.—Gaming.
Round, to tell tales, toSPLIT, whichsee; “toROUNDon a man,” to swear to him as being the person, &c. Synonymous withBUFF, whichsee. Also to turn round upon and abuse or rate. Shakspeare hasROUNDING, whispering.
Round, “ROUNDdealing,” honest trading; “ROUNDsum,” a large sum. Synonymous also, in a slang sense, withSQUARE, whichsee.
Round(in the language of the street), the beat or usual walk of a costermonger to sell his stock. A term used by street folk generally.“Watchmen, sometimes they made their sallies,And walk’d theirROUNDSthrough streets and allies.”Ned Ward’s Vulgus Britannicus, 1710.The word “beat” has, so far as our modern guardians are concerned, deposed “round.”
Round(in the language of the street), the beat or usual walk of a costermonger to sell his stock. A term used by street folk generally.
“Watchmen, sometimes they made their sallies,And walk’d theirROUNDSthrough streets and allies.”Ned Ward’s Vulgus Britannicus, 1710.
“Watchmen, sometimes they made their sallies,And walk’d theirROUNDSthrough streets and allies.”
The word “beat” has, so far as our modern guardians are concerned, deposed “round.”
Round robin, a petition, or paper of remonstrance, with the signatures written in a circle,—to prevent the first signer, or ringleader, from being discovered.
Round un, an unblushingly given and well-proportioned lie. Sometimes known as a “whacker.”
Roundabout, a large swing with four compartments, each the size, and very much the shape, of the body of a cart, capable of seating six or eight boys and girls, erected in a high frame, and turned round by men at a windlass. Fairs and merry-makings generally abound with these swings. The frames take to pieces, and are carried in vans from fair to fair by miserable horses.
Roundem, a button.
Row, “theRow,”i.e., Paternoster Row. The notorious Holywell Street is now called by its denizens “Bookseller’s Row.”
Row, a noisy disturbance, tumult, or trouble. Originally Cambridge, now universal. Seventy years ago it was writtenROUE, which would almost indicate a French origin, fromroué, a profligate or disturber of thepeace.—VideGeorge Parker’sLife’s Painter, 1789, p. 122. This is, however, very unlikely, as the derivation of the French word shows.
Rowdy, money. In America, a ruffian, a brawler, a “rough.” Rowdyism is the state of being of New York roughs and loafers.
Rowdy-dow, low, vulgar “not theCHEESE,” or thing.
Rub, a quarrel or impediment; “there’s theRUB,”i.e., that is the difficulty.—Shakspeare and L’Estrange.
Rubbed out, dead,—a melancholy expression, of late frequently used in fashionable novels.Rubbed outis synonymous withWIPED OUT, whichsee.
Rubber, a term at whist, &c., the best of three games.
Ruck, the undistinguished crowd; “to come in with theRUCK,” to arrive at the winning-post among the thick of the unplaced horses.—Racing term.
Ruction, an Irish row. A faction fight.
Ruggy, fusty, frowsy.
Rule.“To run theRULEover,” is, among thieves, to try all a person’s pockets quietly, as done by themselves, or to search any one thoroughly, as at the police-station.
Rule the roast, to be at the head of affairs, to be “cock of the walk.”
Rum, like its opposite,QUEER, was formerly a much-used prefix, signifying fine, good, gallant, or valuable; perhaps in some way connected withRome. Nowadays it means indifferent, bad, or questionable, and we often hear even persons in polite society use such a phrase as, “What aRUMfellow he is, to be sure,” in speaking of a man of singular habits or appearance. The term, from its frequent use, long since claimed a place in our dictionaries; but, with the exception of Johnson, who saysRUM, a cant word for a clergyman(!), no lexicographer has deigned to notice it.“ThusRUMLYfloor’d, the kind Acestes ran,And pitying, raised from earth the game old man.”Virgil’s Æneid, book v., Translationby Thomas Moore.
Rum, like its opposite,QUEER, was formerly a much-used prefix, signifying fine, good, gallant, or valuable; perhaps in some way connected withRome. Nowadays it means indifferent, bad, or questionable, and we often hear even persons in polite society use such a phrase as, “What aRUMfellow he is, to be sure,” in speaking of a man of singular habits or appearance. The term, from its frequent use, long since claimed a place in our dictionaries; but, with the exception of Johnson, who saysRUM, a cant word for a clergyman(!), no lexicographer has deigned to notice it.
“ThusRUMLYfloor’d, the kind Acestes ran,And pitying, raised from earth the game old man.”Virgil’s Æneid, book v., Translationby Thomas Moore.
“ThusRUMLYfloor’d, the kind Acestes ran,And pitying, raised from earth the game old man.”
Rum cull, the manager of a theatre, generally the master of a travelling troop.
Rumbler, a four-wheeled cab. Not so common asBOUNDER.SeeGROWLER.
Rumbowling, anything inferior or adulterated.—Sea.
Rumbumptious, haughty, pugilistic.
Rumbustious, orRUMBUSTICAL, pompous, haughty, boisterous, careless of the comfort of others.
Rumgumption, orGUMPTION, knowledge, capacity, capability,—hence,RUMGUMPTIOUS, knowing, wide-awake, forward, positive, pert, blunt.
Rum-mizzler, Seven Dials cant for a person who is clever at making his escape, or getting out of a difficulty.
Rump, to turn the back upon any one. A still more decided “cut direct” than the “cold shoulder.”
Rumpus, a noise, disturbance, a “row.”
Rum-slim, orRUM SLING, rum punch.
Rumy, a good woman or girl.—Gipsy Cant.In the ContinentalGipsy,ROMI, a woman, a wife, is the feminine ofRO, a man.
Run(good or bad), the success or duration of a piece’s performance.—Theatrical.
Run, to comprehend, &c.; “I don’tRUNto it,”i.e., I can’t do it, I don’t understand; also not money enough, as, “I should like to, but it wontRUNto it.”
Run, “to get theRUNupon any person,” to have the upper hand, or be able to laugh at him.Rundown, to abuse or backbite any one; to “lord it,” or “drive over” him. Originally stable slang.
Run for the money,TO HAVE A, to have a start given in with a bet. As 20 to 1 against Doncaster, with aRUNgiven.SeeP.P.To have aRUN FOR ONE’S MONEYis also to have a good determined struggle for anything.
Run-in, to lock up in the station-house. The police are very fond of threatening toRUN-INany person to whom they may take exception, and, as recent revelations have shown, are by no means averse from putting their threats into execution.
Running patterer, a street seller who runs or moves briskly along, calling aloud his wares.
Running stationer, a hawker of books, ballads, dying speeches, and newspapers. Persons of this class formerly used to run with newspapers, blowing a horn, when they were sometimes termedFLYING STATIONERS. Nowadays, in the event of any political or social disturbance, the miserable relics of these peripatetic newsmen bawl the heads of the telegram or information in quiet London thoroughfares, to the disturbance of the residents. The race is very nearly extinct, the evening-paper boys having run them to earth.
Rush, to come upon suddenly, generally for the purpose of borrowing. To “give a man theRUSH,” is to spunge upon him all day, and then borrow money at the finish, or pursue some such similar mode of procedure.
Rush, “doing it on theRUSH,” running away, or making off.
Rust, “to nab theRUST,” to take offence.Rusty, cross, ill-tempered, morose; not able to go through life like a person of easy and “polished” manners.
Rustication, the sending of an offender from the University for one term or more, thus hindering his qualifying for a degree.
Rusty guts, a blunt, rough, old fellow. Corruption ofRUSTICUS.
Rye.Gipsy term for a young man. In the same parlance “rawnie” is a young woman.