Page:Farmer - Slang and its analogues past and present - Volume 6.pdf/21

 ronds; rouis caillons; rubis; sable; sauvette; sine quâ non; sitnomen; soldats; sonnettes; sous; thune (or tune); vaisselle de poche; zinc.

Italian synonyms.—Generic. Agresto (= sour grapes); albume; argume; asta (or asti); brunotti; contramiglia; cucchi; lugani; penne; smilzi; squame.

Spanish synonyms.—Generic. Amigos (= friends); caire; florin; lana; lozurraco; morusa; mosca; numerario; plume (= feathers); sangré (= blood); á toca teja; unguento (or unguento de Mejica).

1670. Old Ballad, 'The Seaman's Adieu' [Notes and Queries, 7 S., v. 417]. Some as I know, Have parted with their ready rino.

1688. Shadwell, Sq. of Alsatia, i. Cole is, in the language of the witty, money; the ready, the rhino. Thou shalt be rhino-cerical, my lad.

1772. Bridges, Burlesque Homer, 139. For getting rhino here's the spot.

1840. Barham, Ingold. Leg. (Sir Rupert the Fearless). And to sum up the whole, in the shortest phrase I know, Beware of the Rhine, and take care of the Rhino!

1848. Lowell, Biglow Papers, 1 S., Intro. A gold mine Containing heaps heaps of native rhino.

1899. Scarlet City, 65. He added, throwing a sovereign on the table, 'Split up that bit of rhino.'

Rhody (Little), subs. phr. (American).—The State of Rhode Island: the smallest in the Union.

Rhyme-slinger, subs. phr. (common).—A poet.

Rhyming Slang.—A method of indicating words by a rhyming or quasi-rhyming substitute; e.g., Abraham's willing = shilling; stand-and-shiver = river; elephant's trunk = drunk; penny-come-quick = trick; and so forth. First in vogue during the late Fifties, but artistically developed of late years by The Sporting Times or Pink 'Un. With use the rhyme has been suppressed by experts: e.g., I'm-so-frisky = whiskey becomes I'm-so, while flounder-and-dab = cab is merely flounder.

Rib, subs. (common).—1. A wife: whence crooked rib = a cross-grained wife.—Grose (1785). See Dutch.

1609. Hall, Soloman's Divine Arts. How many have we known whose heads have been broken by their own rib.

1632. Jonson, Magnetic Lady, ii. 1. An ample portion for a younger brother, With a soft, tender, delicate rib of man's flesh.

1707. Farquhar, Beaux' Stratagem, v. Mrs. Sullen. Spouse! Squire Sul. Rib.

1732. Fielding, Mock Doctor, i. Go thrash your own Rib, Sir, at home.

1772. Bridges, Burlesque Homer, 133. Your dunder-pate Shan't use your rib at such a rate.

1857. Trollope, Three Clerks, xlvi. Half a dozen married couples all separating, getting rid of their ribs and buckling again, helter-skelter, every man to somebody else's wife.

2. (common).—In pl. = a stout person.

See Devil's Bones.

Ribald (Ribold or Ribaud), subs. (old colloquial: long recognised).—A profligate, male or female; spec. (a) a harlot, and (b) a ponce (q.v.) or mutton-monger (q.v.). Whence ribaldry (ribaudry, or ribble-rabble) = (1) indecency, 'profligate talk' (Grose), and (2) the mob, the scum of of society; ribaudour = a retailer of smut (q.v.); ribaldist