- prancer = a fine horse; rum-quidds
= a large booty; rum-ruffpeck = Westphalian ham; rum-squeeze = fiddlers' drink in plenty; rum-snitch = a hard blow on the nose; rum-topping = a rich head-dress; rum-ville = London.—Awdeley (1560); Harman (1567); Rowlands (1610); Head (1665); B.E. (c. 1696); Coles (1724); Bailey (1726); Parker (1781); Grose (1785); Vaux (1812); Bee (1823).
1567. Harman, Caveat, 86. Byng We to ROME-VYLE.
1607. Dekker, Jests to make you Merie in Wks. (Grosart), II. 308. A rum coves bung (so called in their canting vse of speech) (and as much as to say in ours, a rich chuffes purse).
1610. Rowlands, Martin Mark-All, 'Toure Out Ben Morts.' For all the Rome coues are budgd a beake. Ibid. The quire coves are budgd to the bowsing ken As Romely as a ball.
1611. Middleton and Dekker, Roaring Girl, v. 1. So my bousy nab might skew rome bouse.
1612. Dekker, O per se O, 'Bing Out, Bien Morts.' On chates to trine, by Rome-coues dine for his long lib at last. Ibid. Bingd out bien morts, and toure, and toure, bing out of the Rome-vile; . . . And Jybe well Ierkt, tick rome-comfeck.
1641. Brome, Jovial Crew, 'Morts' Drinking Song.' This bowse is better than rom-bowse.
1653. Urquhart, Rabelais, II. i. Note. Piot a common cant word used by French clowns and other tippling companions; it signifies rum-booze as our gypsies call good-guzzle.
1656. Blount, Gloss., 538. Ram-buze. A compound drink at Cambridge, and is commonly made of eggs, ale, wine, and sugar; but in summer, of milk, wine, sugar, and rose-water.
1664. Cotton, Virgil Travestie (1st ed.), 108. With that she set it to her Nose, And off at once the Rumkin goes.
1665. Head, Eng. Rogue [Ribton-Turner, 621]. We straight took ourselves to the Boozing ken; and having bubb'd rumly, we concluded an everlasting friendship.
1688. Shadwell, Sq. of Alsatia, ii. [Works (1720), iv. 47]. Belf. Sen. . . . Here's a nabb! you never saw such a one in your life. Cheat. A rum nabb: it is a beaver of £5.
c. 1696. B.E., Dict. Cant. Crew, passim. Also, more particularly, s.v. Rum-dukes, c. the boldest or stoutest Fellows (lately) amongst the Alsatians, Minters, Savoyards, &c. Sent for to remove and guard the Goods of such Bankrupts as intended to take Sanctuary in those Places. Ibid., s.v. Peck. The Gentry Cove tipt us rum Peck and rum Gutlers, till we were all Bowsy, and snapt all the Flickers.
1706. Farquhar, Recruiting Officer, ii. 3. You are a justice of peace, and you are a king, and I am a duke, and a rum duke, a'n't I?
1707. Shirley, Triumph of Wit, 'Rum-Mort's Praise of Her Faithless Maunder.' By the rum-pad maundeth none, . . . Like my clapper-dogeon.
1724. Harper, in Harlequin Sheppard, 'Frisky Moll's Song.' I Frisky Moll, with my rum coll.
1760. Old Song, 'Come All You Buffers Gay' [The Humourist, 2]. Come all you buffers gay, That rumly do pad the city. Ibid. If after a rum cull you pad.
1781. Parker, View of Society, II. 174. Rum-mizzlers. Fellows who are clever in making their escape. Ibid. (b. 1789), Cantata, 'The Sandman's Wedding.' For he's the kiddy rum and queer.
1819. Moore, Tom Crib, 76. The brandy and tea, rather thinnish. That knights of the Rumpad so rurally sip. Ibid. Thus rumly floored.
c. 1819. Song, 'The Young Prig' [Farmer, Musa Pedestris (1896), 83. But my rum-chants ne'er fail, sirs; The dubs-man's senses to engage.
1821. Egan, Life in London, II. iii. From a rum ken we bundled.
1823. Moncrieff, Tom and Jerry, ii. 6. Now, your honours, here's the rum peck, here's the supper.
1825. JONES, Old Song, 'The True Bottom'd Boxer' [Univ. Songst., ii. 96] Spring's the boy for rum going and coming it. Ibid. You'll find him a rum-'un, try on if you can.
