R. M. D., cash down, immediate payment. The initial letters of READY MONEY DOWN. Another version of this is P. 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 the RABBIT.” 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, or RALPH, a pawnbroker’s duplicate.—Norwich.

Raff, a dirty, dissipated fellow; RAFFISH, looking like a RAFF.

Rag, to divide or share; “let’s RAG IT,” or “go RAGS,” i.e., share it equally between us.—Norwich.

Rag, a bank-note.

Rag and Famish, the Army and Navy Club. From Ensign RAG and Captain FAMISH, 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 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.”

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.

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.

Randals-man. See BILLY.

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. See TANDEM, SUDDEN DEATH, HARUM-SCARUM.

Randy, rampant, violent, warm.—North. RANDY-BEGGAR, a gipsy tinker.

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.

Ran-tan, “on the RAN-TAN,” drunk.

Rantipoll, a noisy rude girl, a madcap.

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.

Rap, to utter rapidly and vehemently; “he RAPPED out a volley of oaths.”

Rapping, enormous; “a RAPPING big lie.”

Rapscallion, a low tattered wretch—not worth a RAP.

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 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.

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.” See Parliamentary 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 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.”

Raw, uninitiated; a novice.—Old. Frequently Johnny Raw.

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; “Touch him for his READER,” i.e., rob him of his pocket-book.

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.

Real jam, a sporting phrase, meaning anything exceptionally good. It is said to be REAL JAM for 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 of RINSE. “(W)rench your mouth out,” said a fashionable dentist one day.

Re-raw, “on the RE-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 word REITERATION, used to denote the forme which, in a printing-office, backs or perfects paper already printed on one side.

Rhinoceral, rich, wealthy, abounding in RHINO. 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 the RIBBONS,” to drive.

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.

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, 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 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, 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 as ninepence, or NICE AS NINEPENCE (possible corruption of NINE-PINS), quite right, exactly right, comfortable. See NINEPENCE.

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, a prolix story.

Rile, to offend, to render very cross, irritated, or vexed. Properly, to render liquor turbid.

Ring, to change; “RINGING castors,” changing hats; “to RING the changes,” in low life means to change bad money for good; in respectable society 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 the PRIZE-RING. From the rings used for betting and fighting in, respectively.

Ring, formerly “to go through the RING,” 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 old RIP,” an old libertine, or a debauchee. Corruption of REPROBATE.

Rip, to go at a rare pace. This is an American term, and often means to burst up. “Let her RIP, I’m insured.”

Ripper, a first-rate man or article.—Provincial.

Ripping, excellent, very good. Equivalent to “stunning.”

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. Quizzing is 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 the French, ROQUELAURE.

Rocked, “he’s only HALF-ROCKED,” i.e., half-witted. See HALF-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 patter ROMANY?” 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.”

Rookery, a low neighbourhood inhabited by dirty Irish and thieves—as St. Giles’s ROOKERY.—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 with PERCH, which see.

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 a ROOTER,” 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 to ROPE, or run behind.

Roper, Mistress, “to marry Mrs. Roper” is to enlist in the Royal Marines.

Ropes, the ways of London lower life. “To know the ROPES,” 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 of ROPING.

Rose, “under the rose” (frequently used in its Latin form, 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’s amours. 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 the ROSE.”

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. See BUMCLINK. In America, cheap whisky.

Rough, bad; “ROUGH fish,” 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 be RUFF, corruption of RUFFIAN.

Rouleau, a packet of sovereigns.—Gaming.

Round, to tell tales, to SPLIT, which see; “to ROUND on a man,” to swear to him as being the person, &c. Synonymous with BUFF, which see. Also to turn round upon and abuse or rate. Shakspeare has ROUNDING, whispering.

Round, “ROUND dealing,” honest trading; “ROUND sum,” a large sum. Synonymous also, in a slang sense, with SQUARE, which see.

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, “the Row,” 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 written ROUE, which would almost indicate a French origin, from roué, a profligate or disturber of the peace.—Vide George Parker’s Life’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 the CHEESE,” or thing.

Rub, a quarrel or impediment; “there’s the RUB,” i.e., that is the difficulty.—Shakspeare and L’Estrange.

Rubbed out, dead,—a melancholy expression, of late frequently used in fashionable novels. Rubbed out is synonymous with WIPED OUT, which see.

Rubber, a term at whist, &c., the best of three games.

Ruck, the undistinguished crowd; “to come in with the RUCK,” 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 the RULE over,” 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 cull, the manager of a theatre, generally the master of a travelling troop.

Rumbler, a four-wheeled cab. Not so common as BOUNDER. See GROWLER.

Rumbowling, anything inferior or adulterated.—Sea.

Rumbumptious, haughty, pugilistic.

Rumbustious, or RUMBUSTICAL, pompous, haughty, boisterous, careless of the comfort of others.

Rumgumption, or GUMPTION, 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, or RUM SLING, rum punch.

Rumy, a good woman or girl.—Gipsy Cant. In the Continental Gipsy, ROMI, a woman, a wife, is the feminine of RO, a man.

Run (good or bad), the success or duration of a piece’s performance.—Theatrical.

Run, to comprehend, &c.; “I don’t RUN to it,” i.e., I can’t do it, I don’t understand; also not money enough, as, “I should like to, but it wont RUN to it.”

Run, “to get the RUN upon any person,” to have the upper hand, or be able to laugh at him. Run down, 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 a RUN given. See P.P. To have a RUN FOR ONE’S MONEY is 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 to RUN-IN any 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 termed FLYING 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 the RUSH,” 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 the RUSH,” running away, or making off.

Rust, “to nab the RUST,” 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 of RUSTICUS.

Rye. Gipsy term for a young man. In the same parlance “rawnie” is a young woman.