1855. Taylor, Still Waters, ii. 2. 'How are you?' . . . 'Right as a trivet, my prince of prospectus mongers.
1856. Stowe, Dred, 1. 209. She had right smart of life in her, and was always right busy 'tending to something or other. Ibid., 1. Get the carriage out for me RIGHT AWAY.
1856. Webster, Correspondence, 1. 339. We will shut ourselves up in the office and do the work right off.
1857. Olmsted, Texas, 301. Each man's ration consisting of a pint of mouldy corn and a right smart chunk of bacon.
1876. Macaulay, Life and Letters, 1. 235. I guess I must answer him right slick away.
1882. McCabe, New York, xliii. 570 Take hold of it, my boy, right now.
1883. Hawley Smart, At Fault, 111. viii. 125. "Right you are, Dickinson," replied Mr. Usher, rubbing his hands softly.
1899. Whiteing, John Street, ix. If yer want to get it to rights. Ibid., xviii. He is simply 'right' from top to toe.
Right-abouts (The), subs. (military).—The
Gloucestershire Regiment.
Also "The Old Braggs";
"The Slashers"; and "The
Whitewashes."
Right-eye (or hand). My right-eye
itches, phr. (old colloquial).—See
quot.
1708-10. Swift, Polite Conversation, iii. Lady Answ. And my Right Eye itches; I shall cry. Ibid. Lady Smart. And my Right Hand itches; I shall receive Money.
Right-hander, subs. phr. (pugilists').—A
hit with the right
hand.
1857. Hughes, Tom Brown's Schooldays, ii. 5. Tom gets . . . deposited on the grass by a right-hander from the Slogger.
Right-side. To rise on the
RIGHT-SIDE, verb. phr. (old).—A
happy augury: cf. wrong
side (q.v.) of the bed.
1607. Marston, What you Will [Works (1633), sig. Rb]. You rise on your right side to-day, marry.
1614. Terence in English [Nares]. C. What doth shee keepe house alreadie? D. Alreadie. C. O good God: we rose ON THE RIGHT SIDE to-day.
c. 1620. Fletcher, Women Pleased, i. [end of act].
1633. Machin, Dumb Knight, iv. 1. Sure I said my prayers, ris'd on my right side . . . No hare did cross me, nor no bearded witch, Nor other ominous sign.
Right-sort, subs. phr. (old).—Gin:
see White Satin.—The
Fancy (1820).
Righteous, adj. (colloquial).—An
inverted appreciation: e.g., a
righteous (i.e., fine) as distinguished
from a wicked (q.v.)
day, &c.: cf. Religious.
More holy than righteous, phr. (common).—Applied to a tattered garment or person.
Rigmarole, subs. (colloquial).—A
tedious story; twaddle; a rambling
statement: also ragman roll,
RIG-MY-ROLL, and RIG-MAROLE.
As adj. = roundabout, nonsensical
(Grose). [A corruption of Ragman
roll—i.e., the Devil's Roll:
cf. Rageman—applied apparently
to any document containing many
details; also to an old game in
which a parchment roll played a
part.]
d. 1529. Skelton, Garlande of Laurell [Dyce, i. 420], 1490. I did what I cowde to scrape out the scrollis, Apollo to rase out of her ragman rollis.
1533. Pardoner and Frere [Halliwell]. Mayster parson, I marvayll ye wyll gyve lycenc To this false knave . . . To publish his ragman rolles with lyes.
