RECKON. To reckon with one's host; to make an erronéous judgment in one's own favour. To cast up one's reckoning or accounts; to vomit. TO RECRUIT. To get a fresh supply of money. RECRUITING SERVICE. Robbing on the highway. RED LANE. The throat. Gone down the red lane; swallowed. RED RIBBIN. Brandy. RED LATTICE. A public house. RED LETTER DAY. A saint's day or holiday, marked in the calendars with red letters. Red letter men; Roman Catholics from their observation of the saint days marked in red letters. RED RAG. The tongue. Shut your potatoe trap, and give your red rág a holiday; i. c. shut your mouth, and let your tongue rest. Too much of the red rag; too much tongue. RED SAIL-YARD DOCKERS. Buyers of stores stolen out of the royal yards and docks. RED SHANK. A Scotch highlander. REGULARS. Share of the booty. The coves cracked the swell's crib, fenced the swag, and each cracksman napped his regular; some fellows broke open a gentleman's house, and after selling the property which they had stolen, they divided the money between them. RELIGIOUS HORSE. One much given to prayer, or apt to be down upon his knees. RELIGIOUS PAINTER. One who does not break the commandment which prohibits the making of the likeness of any thing in heaven or earth, or in the waters under the earth. THE RELISH. The sign of the Cheshire cheese. REMEDY CRITCH. A chamber pot, or member mug. REP. REP. A woman of reputation. REPOSITORY. A lock-up or spunging-house, a gaol. Also livery stables where horses and carriages are sold by auction. RESCOUNTERS. The time of settlement between the bulls and bears of Exchange-alley, when the losers must pay their differences, or become lame ducks, and waddle out of the Alley. RESURRECTION MEN. Persons employed by the students in anatomy to steal dead bodies out of church-yards. REVERENCE. An ancient custom, which obliges any person easing himself near the highway or foot-path, on the word reverence being given him by a passenger, to take off his hat with his teeth, and without moving from his station to throw it over his head, by which it frequently falls into the excrement; this was considered as a punishment for the breach of delicacy. A person refusing to obey this law, might be pushed backwards. Hence, perhaps, the term, sir-reverence. REVERSED. A man set by bullies on his head, that his money may fall out of his breeches, which they afterwards by accident pick up. See HoISTING. REVIEW OF THE BLACK CUIRASSIERS. A visitation of the clergy. See CROW FAIR. RHINO. Money. Cant. RIB. A wife: an allusion to our common mother Eve, made out of Adam's rib. A crooked rib: a cross-grained wife. RIBALDRY. Vulgar abusive language, such as was spoken by ribalds. Ribalds were originally mercenary soldiers who travelled about, serving any master for pay, but afterwards degenerated into a mere banditti. RIBBIN. Money. The ribbin runs thick; i. e. there is plenty of money. Cant. Blue ribbin. Gin. The cull lushes the blue ribbin; the silly fellow drinks common gin. To RIBROAST. To beat: I'll ribroast him to his heart's content. RICH FACE, or Nose. A red pimpled face. RICHARD SNARY. A dictionary. A country lad, having been reproved for calling persons by their christian names, being sent by his master to borrow a dictionary, thought to shew his breeding by asking for a Richard Snary. RIDER. A person who receives part of the salary of a place or appointment from the ostensible occupier, by virtue of an agreement with the donor, or great man appointing. The rider is said to be quartered upon the possessor, who often has one or more persons thus riding behind him. See QUARTERED. RIDGE. A guinea. Ridge cully; a goldsmith. Cant. RIDING ST. GEORGE. The woman uppermost in the amorous congress, that is, the dragon upon St. George. This is said to be the way to get a bishop. RIDING SKIMMINGTON. A ludicrous cavalcade, in ridicule of a man beaten by his wife. It consists of a man riding behind a woman, with his face to the horse's tail, holding adistaff in his hand, at which he seems to work, the woman all the while beating him with a ladle; a smock displayed on a staff is carried before them as an emblematical standard, denoting female superiority: they are accompanied by what is called the rough music, that is, frying-pans, bulls horns, marrow-bones and cleavers, &c. A procession of this kind is admirably described by Butler in his Hudibras. He rode private, i. e. was a private trooper. RIFF RAFF. Low vulgar persons, mob, tag-rag and bob-tail. RIG. Fun, game, diversion, or trick. To run one's rig upon any particular person; to make him a butt. up to your rig; I am a match for your tricks. RIGGING. Clothing. I'll unrig the bloss; I'll strip the wench. Rum Rigging; fine clothes. The cull has rum rigging, let's ding him and mill him, and pike; the fellow has good clothes, let's knock him down, rob him, and scour off, i.e. run away. I am RIGHT. All right! A favourite expression among thieves, to signify that all is as they wish, or proper for their purpose. All right, hand down the jemmy; every thing is in proper order, give me the crow. RIGMAROLE. Roundabout, nonsensical. He told a long rigmarole story. RING. Money procured by begging: beggars so called it from its ringing when thrown to them. Also a circle formed for boxers, wrestlers, and cudgel-players, by a man styled Vinegar; who, with his hat before his eyes, goes round the circle, striking at random with his whip to prevent the populace from crowding in. TO RING A PEAL. To scold; chiefly applied to women. His wife rung him a fine peal! RING THE CHANGES. When a person receives silver in change to shift some good shillings and put bad ones in their place. The person who gave the change is then requested to give good shillings for these bad ones. RIP. A miserable rip; a poor, lean, worn-out horse. A shabby mean fellow. RIP RIPPONS. Spurs: Rippon is famous for a manufactory of ROARING TRADE. A quick trade. To ROAST. To arrest. I'll roast the dab; I'll arrest the rascal.-Also to jeer, ridicule, or banter. He stood the roast; he was the butt.-Roast meat clothes; Sunday or holiday-clothes. To cry roast meat; to boast of one's situation. To rule the roast; to be master or paramount. ROAST AND BOILED. A nick name for the Life Guards, who are mostly substantial house-keepers, and eat daily of roast and boiled. ROBERT'S MEN. The third old rank of the canting crew, mighty thieves, like Robin Hood. ROBY DOUGLASS, with one eye and a stinking breath. The breech. ROCHESTER PORTION. Two torn smocks, and what na ture gave. ROCKED. He was rocked in a stone kitchen; a saying meant to convey the idea that the person spoken of is a fool, his brains having been disordered by the jumbling of his cradle. ROGER. A portmanteau; also a man's yard. ROGER, OF TIB OF THE BUTTERY. A goose. Roger; a flag hoisted by pirates. To ROGER. To bull, or lie with a woman; from the name of Roger being frequently given to a bull. Cant. ROGUES. The fourth order of canters. A rogue in grain ; a great rogue, also a corn chandler. A rogue in spirit; a distiller or brandy merchant. ROGUM POGUM, or DRAGRUM POGRAM. Goat's beard, eaten for asparagus; so called by the ladies who gather cresses, &c. who also deal in this plant. ROMBOYLES. Watch and ward. Romboyled; sought after with a warrant. ROME MORT. A queen. ROMEVILLE. London. Cant. ROMP. A forward wanton girl, a tomrig. Grey, in his notes to Shakespeare, derives it from arompo, an animal found in South Guinea, that is a man eater. See Hox DEN. ROOK. A cheat: probably from the thievish disposition of the birds of that name. Also the cant name for a crow used in house-breaking. To rook; to cheat, particularly ~ ROOM. at play, ROOM. She lets out her fore room and lies backwards: saying of a woman suspected of prostitution, ROOST LAY. Stealing poultry. ROPES. Upon the high ropes; elated, in high spirits, cock-a-hoop. ROSE. Under the rose: privately or secretly. The rose was, it is said, sacred to Harpocrates, the God of silence, and therefore frequently placed in the ceilings of rooms destined for the receiving of guests; implying, that whatever was transacted there, should not be made public. ROSY GILLS. One with a sanguine or fresh-coloured coun tenance. ROTAN. A coach, cart, or other wheeled carriage. ROT GUT. Small beer; called beer-a-bumble---will burst one's guts before it will make one tumble, ROVERS. Pirates, vagabonds. ROUGH. To lie rough; to lie all night in one's clothes: called also roughing it. Likewise to sleep on the bare deck of a ship, when the person is commonly advised to chuse the softest plank. ROUGH MUSIC. Saucepans, frying-pans, poker and tongs, marrow-bones and cleavers, bulls horns, &c. beaten upon and sounded in ludicrous processions. ROULEAU. A number of guineas, from twenty to fifty or more, wrapped up in paper, for the more ready circulation at gaming-tables: sometimes they are inclosed in ivory boxes, made to hold exactly 20, 50, or 100 guineas. ROUND DEALING. Plain, honest dealing. ROUND HEADS. A term of reproach to the puritans and partizans of Oliver Cromwell, and the Rump Parliament, who it is said made use of a bowl as a guide to trim their hair. ROUND ROBIN. A mode of signing remonstrances practised by sailors on board the king's ships, wherein their names are written in a circle, so that it cannot be discovered who first signed it, or was, in other words, the ringleader, ROUND SUM. A considerable sum. ROUND ABOUT. An instrument used in housebreaking, This instrument has not been long in use, It will cut a round piece about five inches in diameter out of a shutter or door. ROUND MOUTH, The fundament. Brother round mouth speaks: he has let a fart. ROUT. A modern card meeting at a private house; also an order from the Secretary at War, directing the march and quartering of soldiers. Row, |
