ragamuffin
An ill-clad vagabond, a tatterdemalion.
English · UK & Ireland 17968
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Expressions you’ll hear in Britain and Ireland — distinctly British usage first, then widespread staples.
rainbow
Knight of the rainbow; a footman: from being commonly clothed in garments of different colours. A meeting of gentlemen, styled of the most ancient order of the rainbow, was advertised to be held at the Foppington's Head, Moorfields.
rainy day
a time of financial difficulty
raise the wind
To obtain credit, or money,—generally by pawning or selling property, but not unusually by borrowing. Sometimes varied to WHISTLE UP THE BREEZE.
raker
TO GO A, is, in racing parlance, to put more money than usual on a certain horse. "Going a RAKER" often leads to "coming a cropper."
rammer
The arm. The busnapper's kenchin seized my rammer; i.e. the watchman laid hold of my arm. CANT.
rammish
Rank. Rammish woman; a sturdy virago.
ramp
To hustle, to rob with violence, to levy blackmail in a ferocious manner; to extort by means of threats. RAMPING is generally done in gangs.
rampage
TO BE ON THE, on the drink, on the loose. Dickens, in Great Expectations, refers to Mrs. Jo as being on the RAMPAGE when 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 from RAM-SHATTER, or possibly from RANSACK.
ramshackled
Out of repair. A ramshackled house; perhaps a corruption of RANSACKED, i.e. plundered.
ran-tan
"on the RAN-TAN," drunk.
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 pronounced RANCH now.
randall
(Jack), a Few Selections from his Scrap-book; to which are added Poems on the late Fight for the Championship, 12mo. 1822.
randall’s
(Jack, the Pugilist, formerly of the "Hole in the Wall," Chancery Lane) Diary of Proceedings at the House of Call for Genius, edited by Mr. Breakwindow, to which are added several of Mr. B.’s minor pieces, 12mo. 1820.
randan
A boat impelled by three rowers, the midship man sculling, and the bowman and strokesman rowing with oars.
randle
A set of nonsensical verses, repeated in Ireland by schoolboys, and young people, who have been guilty of breaking wind backwards before any of their companions; if they neglect this apology, they are liable to certain kicks, pinches, and fillips, which are accompanied with divers admonitory couplets.
random
Three horses driven in line. See TANDEM, SUDDEN DEATH, HARUM-SCARUM.
randy
Obstreperous, unruly, rampant.
randy
Rampant, violent, warm.—North. RANDY-BEGGAR, a gipsy tinker.
rangling
Intriguing with a variety of women.
rank
Stinking, rammish, ill-flavoured; also strong, great. A rank knave; a rank coward: perhaps the latter may allude to an ill savour caused by fear.
rank
To cheat. Modification of RAMP.
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 of RANK DUFFER.
rantallion
One whose scrotum is so relaxed as to be longer than his penis, i.e. whose shot pouch is longer that the barrel of his piece.
rantipole
A rude romping boy or girl; also a gadabout dissipated woman. To ride rantipole; the same as riding St. George. See ST. GEORGE.
rantipoll
A noisy rude girl, a madcap.
rantum scantum
Playing at rantum scantum; making the beast with two backs.
rap
A halfpenny; frequently used generically for money, thus:—"I haven’t a RAP," i.e., I have no money whatever; "I don’t care a RAP," &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 called RAPPEN in the Swiss cantons. Irish robbers were formerly termed RAPPAREES.
rapparees
Irish robbers, or outlaws, who in the time of Oliver Cromwell were armed with short weapons, called in Irish RAPIERS, used for ripping persons up.
rapper
A swinging great lie.
rapping
Enormous; "a RAPPING big lie."
rapscallion
A low tattered wretch—not worth a RAP.
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."
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