1898. Pink 'Un and Pelican, 209. I soon rumbled he was in it when I heard Bull givin' him the 'me lord' for it.
Rumbler, subs. (old).—A hackney
coach. Hence rumbler's-flunkey
= (1) a footman and
(2) a cab-runner; running-rumbler
= a carriage thief's
confederate.
c. 1816. Maher, Song, 'The Night Before Larry was Stretched.' The rumbler jugg'd off from his feet, And he died with his face to the city.
c. 1819. Old Song, 'The Young Prig' [Farmer, Musa Pedestris (1896), 82]. I first held horses in the street, But being found defaulter, Turned rumbler's flunkey for my meat.
1823. Moncrieff, Tom and Jerry, ii. 4. A rattler . . . is a rumbler, otherwise a jarvey, better known, perhaps, by the name of a rack.
Rumbling, subs. (Old Cant: now
recognised).—'The rolling of
Thunder, motion of a Wheelbarrow,
or the noise in the Gutts.'—B.
E. (c. 1696).
Rum-blossom (or -bud), subs.
phr. (common).—A nasal pimple:
cf. GROG-BLOSSOM.
1889. Bush, Effects of Ardent Spirits. Redness and eruptions generally begin with the nose . . . they have been called rum-buds, when they appear in the face.
Rumbo, subs.—1. Rum grog: also
RUMBULLION and RUMBOWLING:
cf. rum-booze (Grose).
1651. MS. Descrip. of Barbadoes [Academy, 5 Sep., 1885, 155]. The chief fudling they make in the island is Rumbullion, alias Kill-Divil, and this is made of sugar canes distilled.
1751. Smollett, Per. Pickle, ii. He and my good master . . . come hither every evening, and drink a couple of cans of rumbo a-piece. Ibid. (1762), Sir L. Greaves, 1. i. Three of the travellers . . . agreed to pass the time . . . over a bowl of rumbo.
1821. Scott, Pirate, xxxix. Regaling themselves with a can of rumbo.
1885. D. News, 12 August, 5, 2. When sailors speak of their grog as Rum bowling the expression is really a survival of the old word [i.e., Rumbullion, supposed to be the original name of "Rum," and of which the tatler is a corruption].
2. (old).—A prison: also RUMBO-KEN.
3. (dockyard).—Stolen rope (Clark Russell).
Adj. (old).—Good; plenty.
1870. Hazlewood and Williams, Leave it to Me, i. Fifty pounds! Oh, what a coal and tater shop I will have. . . . Is that rumbo? (holds out his hand).
1876. Hindley, Cheap Jack, 192. Mo exclaimed to his man, 'Chuck rumbo (eat plenty), my lad.'
1895. Pall Mall Gaz., 21 Dec, 8, 1. But if the carts are all rumbo, and the 'orses was all rumbo, and there was no tickets and no jumpers.
Rumbo-KEN, subs. phr. (old).—1.
A pawnbroker's shop.
2. (old).—A prison: also RUMBO.
1724. Harper [Harlequin Sheppard, 'Frisky Moll's Song']. But filing of a rumbo ken, My Boman is snabbled again.
Rumbowline (or Rambowline),
subs. (nautical).—1. Condemned
stores: rope, canvas, &c.;
whence (2) anything inferior or
deteriorated: as adj. = adulterated.
See Rumbo.
Rumbusticate, verb. (venery).—To
copulate: see Greens and
Ride.
RUMFORD. TO RIDE TO ROMFORD,
verb. phr. (old).—To get new
breeches. [Grose: 'Rumford
was formerly a famous place for
leather breeches: a like saying is
current of Bungay.'] Also see
quot.
