1880. Athenæum [Century]. One there is . . . who out-Herod s everyone else in rampagiousness and lack of manners.
1881. Black, beautiful Wretch, xx. If only . . . Frank got to hear of it, I suppose there would soon be a noble rampage.
1890. Spectator; 28 June. A diplomatist like Prince Bismarck . . . out for the time on the rampage, seems to Continental Courts a terror.
Rampallian, subs. (old).—A villain;
a Hector: cf. ramp and
rapscallion.
1593. Nash, Strange News [Oliphant, New Eng., ii. 11. . . . stands the word rampalian, whence may have come the later rapscallion.]
1598. Shakspeare, 2 Henry IV. ii. 1. Away you scullion, you rampallian, you fustilarian!
1599. Green, Tu Quoque [Dodsley, Old Plays (Reed), vii. 23]. Who feeds you?—'tis not your sausage face, thick, clouted cream, rampallian, at home.
1613. Beaumont and Fletcher, Honest Man's Fortune, ii. 1. Out upon them, Rampallions, I will keep myself safe enough Out of their fingers.
1639. Davenport, New Trick, &c. S.t. And bold rampallion like, swear and drink drunk.
1822. Scott, Fortunes of Nigel, xxvi. I was almost strangled with my own band by twa rampallians wha wanted yestreen . . . to harle me into a change-*house.
Ram-reel, subs. phr. (Scots').—A
dance of men; a bull-dance:
cf. stag-party.
1813. D. Anderson, Poems, 122. The chairs they coup, they hurl and loup, A ram-reel now they're wantin'.
Ramrod, subs. (venery).—The
penis: see Prick.
c.1796. Morris, Plenipotentiary. The Nymphs of the Stage did his ramrod engage.
2. (Winchester).—A ball bowled along the ground; a Raymonder (q.v.)—Mansfield (c.1840).
Ramshackle. See Rumgumption.
Rance-sniffle, subs. phr. (American).—See
quot.
1869. Overland Monthly, 111. 131. Rance-sniffle is a strange combination of words to express a mean and dastardly piece of malignity.
Randal's-man (or Randlesman),
subs. phr. (pugilists').—A green
handkerchief with white spots:
Jack Randal's colours: cf. Belcher,
Bird's-eye fogle, &c
Randan, adv. (colloquial).—1.
See quot., and (2) see Rant.
18[?]. Dickens, Down with the Tide [Reprinted Pieces]. These duty boats . . . were rowed randan which . . . may be explained as rowed by three men, two pulling an oar each, and one a pair of sculls.
Randem- (or Random-) tandem,
subs. phr. (University).—Three
horses driven abreast: cf. Harum
Scarum; Sudden Death;
Tandem; and Unicorn.
Randle, verb. (various).—See
quots.
1847. Halliwell, Archaic Words, s.v., Randle. To punish a schoolboy for an indelicate but harmless offence.
1879. Thos. Satchell [Notes & Queries, 5th S. xi. 405]. From the evidence given in a case before the police magistrate at Birkenhead, it appeared that when any apprentice, at the Britannia Works in that town, remains at work, while the others have decided on taking a holiday, he is punished by a process known as randling. He is surrounded by his companions, who seize him by the hair and pull it at intervals until his scruples are overcome.
Randy, Rand, Randan. See
Rant.
