1610. Rowlands, Martin Mark-all, 40 (H. Club, 1874). Ruffmans, not the hedge or bushes as heretofore: but now the eauesing of houses or roofes: Cragmans is now vsed for the hedge.
1611. Middleton and Dekker, Roaring Girl, v. 1. I woud lib all the lightmans . . . under the Ruffemans.
1622. Fletcher, Beggar's Busk, iii. 3. To mill from the Ruffmans commissions and slates.
Ruff-peck, subs. phr. (Old Cant).—Bacon.—Harman
(1567);
Rowlands (1610); Head (1665);
B. E. (c. 1696); Coles (1724).
1608. Dekker, The Beggars' Curse [Grosart, Works, iii. 203]. If we maund Pannam, lap, or Ruff-peck.
1641. Brome, Jovial Crew, 'The Merry Beggars.' Here's Ruffpeck and Casson, and all of the best.
1707. Shirley, Triumph of Wit, 'Rum-Mort's Faithless Maunder.' Ruff-peck still hung on my back.
Rufty-tufty, adj. and adv. (old).—Rough;
boisterous; indecent.
Also as intj. = hey-day.
1592. Breton, Pilgrimage to Paradise, 16. To sweare and stare until we come to shore, then rifty-tufty each one to his skore.
1606. Chapman, Gentleman Usher, v. 1. Were I as Vince is, I would handle you In rufty-tufty wise.
1606. Wily Beguiled [Hawkins, Eng. Drama, iii. 302]. Rufty, tufty, are you so frolick?
d. 1821. Keats, Cap and Bells, 86. Ruffy-tuffy heads Of cinder wenches meet and soil each other.
Rufus, subs. (venery).—The female
pudendum: see Monosyllable.
Rug, subs. (Rugby School).—A
Rugbeian.
1892. Evening Standard, 25 Nov., 4, 5. The controversy was started by the death of one who succumbed to his exertions. "An Old Medical Rug" describes the sufferings he endured.
2. (old).—A sort of drink.
1653. Taylor, Certaine Travailes, &c. And . . . of all drinks potable, Rug is most puisant, potent, notable.
3. (old).—A tug. Whence as verb. = to pull roughly; to get a rug = to get a share; to get there (q.v.).
13[?]. York Plays, 286. No ruthe were it to rug the and ryue the in ropes.
1734. Pope, Donne, iv. 134. He knows . . . who got his pension rug.
1814. Scott, Waverley, xlii. The gude auld times of rugging and riving . . . are come back again. Ibid. (1824), Red-*gauntlett, xi. Sir John . . . voted for the Union, having gotten it was thought, a rug of the compensations.
All rug, phr. (Old Cant).—All right; certain (B. E., Grose).
1714. Lucas, Gamesters, 104. His great dexterity of making all Rugg at Dice, as the Cant is for securing a Die between two fingers.
See Bug and Ruggins.
Ruge. See Rouge.
Rugger, subs. (schools').—Football:
the Rugby game.
1902. Pall Mall Gaz., 2 Jan., 9, 2. The article which, so far as figures go, proves to the hilt England's degeneracy at Rugger, and most lucidly gives the reason why.
Ruggin's, subs. (Old Cant).—Bed;
at rug = asleep: e.g., 'the
whole gill is safe at rug' = 'the
household are asleep' (Grose).
1828. Lytton, Pelham, lxxxii. Stash the lush . . . ay, and toddle off to Ruggins.
Ruin. See Blue Ruin.
Rule. To run the rule over,
verb. phr. (thieves').—See quot;
to frisk (q.v.).
1879. J. W. Horsley [Macm. Mag., xl. 504]. I am going to run the rule over (search) you.
