To ruck (or rucket) along, verb. phr. (Oxford University).—To walk quickly.
Ruction, subs. (common).—An uproar.—Halliwell
(1847).
1833. Neal, Down-Easters, ii. 14. Ryled, all over, inside and out—Ryled—ructions.
1884. Echo, 19 March, 2, 3. The police, when there is a ruction, drop quietly over a wall into the midst of the combatants.
1894. Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 29 Mar., 4, 7. The ructions at the Freeman meeting yesterday.
1900. White, West End, 124. Ructions took place . . . and . . . he went so far as to tell his wife that "he didn't care a damn what she did."
Rudder, subs. (venery).—The
penis: see Prick. Also (Somerset)
= copulation.
d. 1638. Carew, Rapture. My rudder with thy bold hand . . . thou shalt steer and guide . . . into Love's channel.
1760. Robertson of Struan, Poems, 95. Sure Venus never can be tir'd While pow'rful Mars directs the Rudder.
Ruddocks (or Red, or Golden,
Ruddocks), subs. (old).—Money:
specifically gold: also ruddy.
[Formerly gold was conventionally
"red" ('a girdle of gold so
red' and 'good red gold'—Percy
Rel.).] Cf. Ridge and Redge.
1570. Turberville [Chalmer's, Poets, ii. 647]. The greedie carle came . . . and saw the pot behind Where ruddocks lay, but ruddocks could not find.
1585. Choise of Change [Cens. Literaria, ix. 435]. He must have his red ruddockes ready.
1598. Florio, Worlde of Wordes, s.v. Zanfrone. Used also for crownes, great pieces of gold, as our countrymen say red-ruddockes.
1600. Munday and Drayton, Old-*castle, i. 2. My fingers' end do itch To be upon those golden ruddocks.
1607. Heywood, Fair Maid [Works, II. 277]. I believe they be little better than pirates, they are so flush of their rudocks.
Rudesby, subs. (old colloquial).—A
rude boisterous person.
[Johnson (1745) 'a low word.']
Cf. sneaksby, idlesbie, wigsby,
&C.
1593. Shakspeare, Taming of the Shrew, iii. 2. A mad-brain rudesby, full of spleen. Ibid. (1602), Twelfth Night, iv. 1. Be not offended, dear Cesario,—Rudesby, begone.
Rudge-gown, subs. (old).—An
outcast: also rug-gown. Whence
rug-gowned = meanly; rug-headed
= shock-headed.
1597. Shakspeare, Richard II., ii. 1, 156. We must supplant these rough rug-headed kerns.
1622. Fletcher and Massinger, Prophetess, ii. 2. I had rather meet An enemy in the field than stand thus nodding Like to a rug-gouned watchman.
1654. Witt's Recr. [Nares]. A rudg-gowns ribs are good to spur a horse.
Rue, subs. (colloquial).—Repentance:
as rue-quarrel, verb. =
to repent and withdraw; rue-bargain
= smart-money.
1817. Scott, Rob Roy, xxvii. He said it would cost him a guinea of rue-bargain to the man who had bought his pony before he could get it back again.
c. 1852. Traits of Amer. Humour, I. 226. I'm for no rues and after-claps.
Ruff, subs. (old).—'An old-fashioned
double band.'—B. E.
(c. 1696).
2. (old).—A court card: hence to ruff = to trump. [Ruff = a game similar to whist, 'in which the greatest sorte of sute carrieth away the game.'—Peele, I, 211, note.] See Trump.
1593. Florio, Worlde of Wordes, s.v. Ronfar. A game at cardes called ruffe or trump.
