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 1880. Scribner's Mag., 770. The crow of an early-rising rooster.

2. (old: now American).—A street brawler; a rough.

1821. Egan, Life in London, 11. v. Roosters and the 'peep-o'-day boys' were out on a prowl for a spree.

1885. N. Am. Rev., cxli. 434. The toughest set of roosters that ever shook the dust of any town.

3. (venery).—The female pudendum: see Monosyllable.

See Queer.

Roost-lay, subs. phr. (old).—Poultry stealing: see LAY.—Grose.

Root (The), subs. (common).—1. Money. ['The root of all Evil.']

1899. D. Telegraph, 7 Ap., 8, 3. All the week they do their little bit o' graft an' take home the root on Sat'days to the missus or the mam.

2. (venery).—The penis: see Prick. Also Man-root.

Verb. (common).—To kick. Whence (The Leys School) root-about = promiscuous football practice: also as verb.

Rooter, subs. (colloquial).—A superlative: as a brutal attack; a very smart dress; a priceless gem; a flagrant untruth, and so forth: see Whopper.

Rootle, verb. (venery).—To copulate: see Ride. Also To do a rootle.

Rooty, subs. (military).—See quot.

1883. G. A. S[ala], in Illustr. L. News, 7 July, 3, 3. [A correspondent in S. Travancore says that in Tamil and Teluga "Rôtie" means a loaf of bread.] Long since Private Tommy Atkins, returning from Indian service, has acclimatised "Rôtie" (pronounced "Rooty") in the vocabulary of the British barrack. At least eight years ago I heard of a private soldier complaining in his barrack-room that he had not had his "proper section of rooty," i.e., his proper ration of bread.

Rope, subs. (football).—1. In pl. = a half-back.

2. (old).—A trick or knack; spec. (nautical) to know the ROPES (or TO BE UP TO THE ropes) = (1) to be expert, and (2) to be artful, fly (q.v.); TO pull (or work) the ropes = to control or direct; TO ROPE IN (or ROPE) = (1) to lose a race by pulling (q.v.) or other foul means; (2) to decoy (in a mock-auction, gambling-den, &c.): hence roper-in = a decoy; and (3) to pull (or gather) in: as TO ROPE IN THE PIECES = to make money. Hence plenty of rope = lots of choice; at the end of one's rope = exhausted, done for.

1623. Mabbe, English Rogue [Oliphant, New Eng., ii. 83. Among the verbs we see give him line.

1670. Ray, Proverbs [Bell], 176. I thought I had given her rope enough, said Pedley, when he hanged his mare. Ibid., 59. Let him alone with the saints' bell and give him rope enough.

1840. Dana, Two Years before the Mast, ix. The captain, who had been on the coast before, and knew the ropes, took the steering oar.

1854. Cruise in Undine, 15. I don't mind young fellows having plenty of rope.

c. 1859. New York Tribune [Bartlett]. Mr. A complained that a roper-in of a gambling-house had enticed him away, by whose means he had lost all his money.

1863. Fraser's Magazine, Dec., 'The English Turf.' An order to pull a horse back, i.e., to 'rope' him, or, as in a late suspicious case it was expressed, to 'put the strings on,' is seldom resorted to.