1611. Cotgrave, Dict., s.v. Ronfle. Hand-ruff at cards.
1837. Dickens, Pickwick, xxxv. Miss Bolo would inquire . . . why Mr. Pickwick had . . . ruffed the spade, or finessed the heart.
3. (old).—See quots.
1592. Harvey, Four Letters. He . . . in the ruff of his greatest jollity was fain to cry M. Churchyard a mercy to print.
1610. Mirr. Mag., 607. In the ruffe of his felicitie . . . he began disdaine His bastard lord's usurp'd authority.
4. (racing).—Ruff's Guide to the Turf.
The wooden ruff, subs. phr. (old).—The pillory.
Ruffian, subs. (old).—1. Spec. the
Devil: also old ruffian.
Whence (2) anyone behaving
roughly or severely: as a magistrate,
and esp. a pimp (see Ponce)
or bawdy-house bully, 'a brutal
bully or assassin' (B. E., Rowlands,
Coles, Grose), also a
pugilist all spirit and no science;
and so forth. Hence as adj. =
(1) wanton (Grose); (2) =
brutal; and (3) = violent. As
verb. = (1) to pimp, (2) to bully,
and (3) to maul. Also ruffianly
(or ruffinous) = wanton,
outrageous. 'Ruffian cook
ruffian, he scalded the devil
in his feathers' (Grose), said of
a bad cook. Ruffian's-hall
(see quot. 1679). Cf. Rough.
c. 1450. York Plays [Shakspeare Soc.], i. 17. [Oliphant, New Eng., i. 288. The Devil is spoken of as Ruffyne, which perhaps led to our ruffian.]
d. 1556. Udall [Richardson]. Repent of light ruffianyng and blasphemous carnal gospelling.
1567. Harman, Caveat, 86. Gerry gan, the ruffian clye thee. A torde in thy mouth, the deuyll take thee.
1593. Harvey, Four Letters [Century]. Ruffianly hair, unseemly apparel, and more unseemly company.
1593. Shakspeare, Com. Errors, ii. 2, 135. That this body, consecrate to thee, By ruffian lust should be contaminate. Ibid. (1598), 2 Hen. IV., iii. 1, 22. The winds, Who take the ruffian billows by the top. Ibid., iv. 5, 125. Have you a ruffian that will swear, drink, dance, Revel in the night? Ibid. (1602). If it hath ruffian'd so upon the sea, What ribs of oak . . . can hold the mortice?
1598. Florio, Worlde of Wordes, s.v. Ruffiano, a ruffin, a swagrer, a swashbuckler. Ibid., Ruffo, a rufian, a ruffling roister; . . . also rude, ruffe, or rough.
1603. Chapman, Iliad, vi. 456. To shelter the sad monument from all the ruffinous pride Of storms and tempests.
1609. Dekker, Lanthorne and Candlelight [Grosart, Wks. (1886), iii. 203]. The Ruffin cly the nab of the Harman beck.
1622. Fletcher, Beggar's Bush, 'Maunder's Initiation.' Strine and trine to the Ruffin (justice of peace).
1657. Smith, Sermons, 208. She could not mince finer . . . nor carry more trappings about her, than our ruffians and wantons do at this day.
d. 1679. Blount [Halliwell]. Ruffians Hall.—So that part of Smithfield was antiently called, which is now the horse-market, where tryals of skill were plaid by ordinary ruffianly people with sword and buckler.
1819. Moore, Tom Crib, 57. Hammering right and left with ponderous swing, Ruffian'd the reeling youngster round the ring.
1834. Ainsworth, Rookwood, III. ii. 'Not now, in the devil's name!' said Turpin, stamping impatiently. 'We shall have Old Ruffin himself amongst us presently, if Peter Bradley grows gallant.'
Ruffle, subs. (Old Cant).—A
handcuff: usually in pl. (Grose,
Vaux).
1826. Old Song, 'Bobby and His Mary' [Univ. Songst., iii. 108]. And ruffles soon they popped on.
1839. Ainsworth, Jack Sheppard, II. ix. 'I'll accommodate you with a pair of ruffles,' and he proceeded to handcuff his captive.
