ready-reckoners
The Highland regiments of the British army.
English · UK & Ireland 17968
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Where will you be? Anywhere UK & IrelandUnited StatesOnline slangBusiness jargon
Expressions you’ll hear in Britain and Ireland — distinctly British usage first, then widespread staples.
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.
rhinoceral
Rich, wealthy, abounding in RHINO. At first sound it would seem as though it meant a man abounding in rhinoceroses.
rib
A wife: an allusion to our common mother Eve, made out of Adam's rib. A crooked rib: a cross-grained wife.
rib
A wife. Derivation, of course, Biblical.
ribaldry
Vulgar abusive language, such as was spoken by ribalds. Ribalds were originally mercenary soldiers who travelled about, serving any master far pay, but afterwards degenerated into a mere banditti.
ribbin
Money. The ribbin runs thick; i.e. there is plenty of money. CANT. Blue ribbin. Gin. The cull lushes the blue ribbin; the silly fellow drinks common gin.
ribbon
Gin, or other spirits. Modification of white satin.
ribbons
The reins. "To handle the RIBBONS," to drive.
ribroast
To beat till the ribs are sore.—Old; but still in use:—
rich
Spicy; also used in the sense of "too much of a good thing;" "a RICH idea," one too absurd or unreasonable to be adopted.
richard
A dictionary. See DICK.
richaud snary
A dictionary. A country lad, having been reproved for calling persons by their christian names, being sent by his master to borrow a dictionary, thought to shew his breeding by asking for a Richard Snary.
ride
"to RIDE the high horse," or "RIDE roughshod over one," to be overbearing or oppressive; "to RIDE the black donkey," to be in an ill humour.
rider
A person who receives part of the salary of a place or appointment from the ostensible occupier, by virtue of an agreement with the donor, or great man appointing. The rider is said to be quartered upon the possessor, who often has one or more persons thus riding behind him. See QUARTERED.
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.
ridge
A guinea. Ridge cully; a goldsmith. CANT.
riding st
GEORGE. The woman uppermost in the amorous congress, that is, the dragon upon St. George. This is said to be the way to get a bishop.
riff raff
Low vulgar persons, mob, tag-rag and bob-tail.
rig
Fun, game, diversion, or trick. To run one's rig upon any particular person; to make him a butt. I am up to your rig; I am a match for your tricks.
rig
Or trick, "spree," or performance; "run a RIG," to play a trick.—See JOHN GILPIN. "RIG the market," in reality to play tricks with it,—a mercantile slang phrase often used in the newspapers.
rigged
"well RIGGED," well dressed.—Old Slang, in use in 1736. See Bailey’s Dictionary.—Sea.
rigging
Clothing. I'll unrig the bloss; I'll strip the wench. Rum Rigging; fine clothes. The cull has rum rigging, let's ding him and mill him, and pike; the fellow has good clothes, let's knock him down, rob him, and scour off, i.e. run away.
rigging
A process well known in connexion with sales by auction, by which articles are secured at prices considerably below their real value. See KNOCK-OUTS. To RIG the 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
All right! A favourite expression among thieves, to signify that all is as they wish, or proper for their purpose. All right, hand down the jemmy; every thing is in proper order, give me the crow.
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 to RIGHTS," to be even with him, to serve him out properly. "TO RIGHTS" is also an ejaculation signifying satisfaction of the highest order.
rigmarole
Roundabout, nonsensical. He told a long rigmarole story.
rile
To offend, to render very cross, irritated, or vexed. Properly, to render liquor turbid.
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