rapscallion
A low tattered wretch—not worth a RAP.
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Expressions you’ll hear in Britain and Ireland — distinctly British usage first, then widespread staples.
raree shew men
Poor Savoyards, who subsist by shewing the magic lantern and marmots about London.
raree-show
A collection of curiosities.
rascal
A rogue or villain: a term borrowed from the chase; a rascal originally meaning a lean shabby deer, at the time of changing his horns, penis, &c. whence, in the vulgar acceptation, rascal is conceived to signify a man without genitals: the regular vulgar answer to this reproach, if uttered by a woman, is the offer of an ocular demonstration of the virility of the party so defamed. Some derive it from RASCAGLIONE, an Italian word signifying a man. without testicles, or an eunuch.
rat
A drunken man or woman taken up by the watch, and confined in the watch-house. CANT. To smell a rat; to suspect some intended trick, or unfair design.
rat
A sneak, an informer, a turn-coat, one who changes his party for interest. The late Sir Robert Peel was called the RAT, or the TAMWORTH RATCATCHER, for altering his views on the Roman Catholic question. From RATS deserting vessels about to sink. The term is often used amongst printers to denote one who works under price. Old cant for a clergyman.
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!"
rats
Of these there are the following kinds: a black rat and a grey rat, a py-rat and a cu-rat.
rattening
The punishment inflicted on non-unionists by Sheffield grinders, through the instrumentality of "Mary Ann." See Parliamentary Inquiry Report on the subject.
rattle
A dice-box. To rattle; to talk without consideration, also to move off or go away. To rattle one off; to rate or scold him.
rattle-pate
A volatile, unsteady, or whimsical man or woman.
rattle-traps
A contemptuous name for any curious portable piece of machinery, or philosophical apparatus.
rattlecap
An unsteady, volatile person. Generally applied to girls.
rattler
A coach. Rattle and prad; a coach and horses.
rattler
A cab, coach, or cart.—Old Cant.
rattletrap
The mouth. Anything shaky and mean, but pretentious and vulgar, is said to belong to the RATTLETRAP order of things.
rattling
Jolly, pleasant, well-appointed. "A RATTLING good spread" means an excellent repast, while a true friend is said to be a "RATTLING good fellow."
rattling mumpers
Beggars who ply coaches. CANT.
raw
A tender point, or foible; "to touch a man upon the RAW," is to irritate one by alluding to, or joking him on, anything on which he is peculiarly susceptible or "thin-skinned." Originally stable slang.
rawhead and bloody bones
A bull beggar, or scarechild, with which foolish nurses terrify crying brats.
re-raw
"on the RE-RAW," tipsy or drunk.
reach me downs
Or HAND ME DOWNS, clothes bought at secondhand shops. From "REACH ME DOWN that, 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. CANT.
reader
A pocket-book; "Touch him for his READER," i.e., rob him of his pocket-book.
reader merchants
Pickpockets, chiefly young Jews, who ply about the Bank to steal the pocket-books of persons who have just received their dividends there.
ready
The ready rhino; money. CANT.
ready
Or READY GILT (maybe GELT), money. Used by Arbuthnot—"Lord Strut was not very flush in READY."
ready-reckoners
The Highland regiments of the British army.
rebus
A riddle or pun on a man's name, expressed in sculpture or painting, thus: a bolt or arrow, and a tun, for Bolton; death's head, and a ton, for Morton.
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.
reckon
To reckon with one's host; to make an erroneous judgment in one's own favour. To cast-up one's reckoning or accounts; to vomit.
recruiting service
Robbing on the highway.
red herring
A soldier.
red lane
The throat.
red letter day
A special or memorable day
red rag
The tongue. Shut your potatoe trap, and give your red rag a holiday; i.e. shut your mouth, and let your tongue rest. Too much of the red rag (too much tongue).
red sail-yard dockers
Buyers of stores stolen out of the royal yards and docks.
red shank
A Scotch Highlander.
redtape
Official routine. A term which was much in vogue during the Crimean campaign, so famous for War Office blunderings.
reeb
Beer. "Top o’ REEB," a pot of beer.
regulars
Share of the booty. The coves cracked the swell's crib, fenced the swag, and each cracksman napped his regular; some fellows broke open a gentleman's house, and after selling the property which they had stolen, they divided the money between them.
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.
religious horse
One much given to prayer, or apt to be down upon his knees.
religious painter
One who does not break the commandment which prohibits the making of the likeness of any thing in heaven or earth, or in the waters under the earth.
relish
Carnal connection with a woman.
remedy critch
A chamber pot, or member mug.
remember parson melham
Drink about: a Norfolk phrase.
renage
To revoke, a word used in Ireland at the game of five-card.
rench
Vulgar pronunciation of RINSE. "(W)RENCH your mouth out," said a fashionable dentist one day.
rendezvous
A place of meeting. The rendezvous of the beggars were, about the year 1638, according to the Bellman, St. Quinton's, the Three Crowns in the Vintry, St. Tybs, and at Knapsbury: there were four barns within a mile of London. In Middlesex were four other harbours, called Draw the Pudding out of the Fire, the Cross Keys in Craneford parish, St. Julian's in Isleworth parish, and the house of Pettie in Northall parish. In Kent, the King's Barn near Dartford, and Ketbrooke near Blackheath.
rep
A woman of reputation.
repository
A lock-up or spunging-house, a gaol. Also livery stables where horses and carriages are sold by auction.
rescounters
The time of settlement between the bulls and bears of Exchange-alley, when the losers must pay their differences, or become lame ducks, and waddle out of the Alley.
resurrection men
Persons employed by the students in anatomy to steal dead bodies out of church-yards.
ret
An abbreviation of the word REITERATION, used to denote the forme which, in a printing-office, backs or perfects paper already printed on one side.
reverence
An ancient custom, which obliges any person easing himself near the highway or foot-path, on the word REVERENCE being given him by a passenger, to take off his hat with his teeth, and without moving from his station to throw it over his head, by which it frequently falls into the excrement; this was considered as a punishment for the breach of delicacy, A person refusing to obey this law, might be pushed backwards. Hence, perhaps, the term, SIR-REVERENCE.
reversed
A man set by bullies on his head, that his money may fall out of his breeches, which they afterwards by accident pick up. See HOISTING.
review of the black cuirassiers
A visitation of the clergy. See CROW FAIR.