Page:Farmer - Slang and its analogues past and present - Volume 6.pdf/33

 1855. Taylor, Still Waters, ii. 2. 'How are you?' 'Right as a trivet, my prince of prospectus mongers.

1856. Stowe, Dred, 1. 209. She had right smart of life in her, and was always right busy 'tending to something or other. Ibid., 1. Get the carriage out for me RIGHT AWAY.

1856. Webster, Correspondence, 1. 339. We will shut ourselves up in the office and do the work right off.

1857. Olmsted, Texas, 301. Each man's ration consisting of a pint of mouldy corn and a right smart chunk of bacon.

1876. Macaulay, Life and Letters, 1. 235. I guess I must answer him right slick away.

1882. McCabe, New York, xliii. 570 Take hold of it, my boy, right now.

1883. Hawley Smart, At Fault, 111. viii. 125. "Right you are, Dickinson," replied Mr. Usher, rubbing his hands softly.

1899. Whiteing, John Street, ix. If yer want to get it to rights. Ibid., xviii. He is simply 'right' from top to toe.

Right-abouts (The), subs. (military).—The Gloucestershire Regiment. Also "The Old Braggs"; "The Slashers"; and "The Whitewashes."

Right-eye (or hand). My right-eye itches, phr. (old colloquial).—See quot.

1708-10. Swift, Polite Conversation, iii. Lady Answ. And my Right Eye itches; I shall cry. Ibid. Lady Smart. And my Right Hand itches; I shall receive Money.

Right-hander, subs. phr. (pugilists').—A hit with the right hand.

1857. Hughes, Tom Brown's Schooldays, ii. 5. Tom gets deposited on the grass by a right-hander from the Slogger.

Right-side. To rise on the RIGHT-SIDE, verb. phr. (old).—A happy augury: cf. wrong side (q.v.) of the bed.

1607. Marston, What you Will [Works (1633), sig. Rb]. You rise on your right side to-day, marry.

1614. Terence in English [Nares]. C. What doth shee keepe house alreadie? D. Alreadie. C. O good God: we rose ON THE RIGHT SIDE to-day.

c. 1620. Fletcher, Women Pleased, i. [end of act].

1633. Machin, Dumb Knight, iv. 1. Sure I said my prayers, ris'd on my right side No hare did cross me, nor no bearded witch, Nor other ominous sign.

Right-sort, subs. phr. (old).—Gin: see White Satin.—The Fancy (1820).

Righteous, adj. (colloquial).—An inverted appreciation: e.g., a righteous (i.e., fine) as distinguished from a wicked (q.v.) day, &c.: cf. Religious.

More holy than righteous, phr. (common).—Applied to a tattered garment or person.

Rigmarole, subs. (colloquial).—A tedious story; twaddle; a rambling statement: also ragman roll, RIG-MY-ROLL, and RIG-MAROLE. As adj. = roundabout, nonsensical (Grose). [A corruption of Ragman roll—i.e., the Devil's Roll: cf. Rageman—applied apparently to any document containing many details; also to an old game in which a parchment roll played a part.]

d. 1529. Skelton, Garlande of Laurell [Dyce, i. 420], 1490. I did what I cowde to scrape out the scrollis, Apollo to rase out of her ragman rollis.

1533. Pardoner and Frere [Halliwell]. Mayster parson, I marvayll ye wyll gyve lycenc To this false knave To publish his ragman rolles with lyes.