Page:Farmer - Slang and its analogues past and present - Volume 5.pdf/372

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Ramhead, subs. (old).—A cuckold: hence ramheaded = horned (q.v.).

1630. Taylor, Works [Nares]. To be cald ramhead is a title of honour, and a name proper to all men.

1713. Poor Robin [Nares]. Listen a little to my rime, The more because 'tis cuckow time; For fear you should be this day wedded, And on the next day be ram-*headed.


Ramjam, subs. (American).—A surfeit: as verb. = TO stuff (q.v.).


Ramjollock, verb. (old).—To shuffle cards.


Rammaged, adj. (Scots').—Drunk: see Drinks and Screwed.


Rammer, subs. (Old Cant).—The arm.—Grose (1785).


Rammish, adj. (colloquial).—1. Stinking, hircine, abominable to the nose: cf. goatish. Also rammy.

1383. Chaucer, Canterbury Tales, 16,409. Her savour is so rammish and so hoot.

d.1529. Skelton [Dyce, Works, i. 124]. Thou rammysche stynkyng gote.

1601. Jonson, Poetaster, iii. 1. Hang him, fusty satyr, he smells all goat; he carries a ram under his armholes.

1607. Middleton, Phœnix, i. 2. Whose father being a rammish ploughman, himself a perfumed gentleman.

1611. Cotgrave, Dict., s.v. Bouquin. Ranke, rammish, goatlike.

1621. Burton, Anat. Melan,, III. 111. iii. 1. A nasty rank, rammy, filthy, beastly quean.

1670. Cotton, Scoffer Scofft [Works (1725), 165]. Do you not love to smell the Roast Of a good Rammish Holocaust?

2. (colloquial).—Lustful; on heat (q.v.): also Rammy and Rammishness; rammaking = wantonness and ram-skyt (see quot. c.1400).—B. E. (c.1696); Grose (1785).

c.1400. Townley Myst. [Oliphant, New Eng., i. 200. We see ram-skyt . . . applied to a woman skittish as a ram].

1635. Quarles, Emblems, ii. 1. Go, Cupid's rammish pander, go.


Ramnuggar Boys (The), subs. phr. (military).—The 14th (The King's) Hussars. [They encountered enormous odds at the battle in question.] Also "The Emperor's Chambermaids."


Ramp (see Romp), subs. (old).—1. A wanton; a whore: see Tart; and (2) = lascivious horseplay. As verb. = to wanton, to back up (q.v.); and rampant (or rampish: Palsgrave, 1530) = wanton (B. E., c.1696). Cf. Cotgrave, s.v. Rampeau. Droict de rampe, A priviledge, or power. A lecher.

1548. Halle, Henry VI. (an. 6). Ione . . . was a rampe of such boldnesse, that she would . . . do thynges that other yong maidens both abhorred and wer ashamed to do.

1550. Udall, Roister Doister, ii. 4. Good wenches would not so rampe abrode ydelly.

1551. Still, Gammer Gurton's Needle [Dodsley, Old Plays (Reed), ii. 43]. Nay, fye on thee, thou rampe, thou ryg.

1591. Lyly, Sapho and Ph., iii. 1. What victlers follow Bacchus campes? Fools, fidlers, panders, pimpes, and rampes.

1593. Harvey, Pierces Supererog. [Wks., 11. 229]. Although she were a lustie bounsing rampe, somewhat like Gallemetta, or maide Marian.

1598. Florio, Worlde of Wordes, s.v. Galluta . . . a cockring wench, a ramp.