1830. Buckstone, Wreck Ashore, i. 2. There never shall be no disgraceful rumpusses, now I'm come into power.
1850. Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin, xxiv. And Marie routed up Mammy nights, and rumpussed and scolded.
1876. Eliot, Daniel Deronda, xii. She is a young lady with a will of her own, I fancy. Extremely well-fitted to make a rumpus.
Rum-slim (or Rum-slum), subs.
phr. (old).—Punch.
1789. Geo. Parker, Life's Painter, 162. Bobstick of rum slim. That is, a shilling's worth of punch.
1821. Egan, Life in London, I. 131. He was up to the rum-slum.
Rum-sucker, subs. phr. (American).—A
toper; lushington
(q.v.).
1858. New York Tribune, 9 July An acquired appetite as strong as that of a rum-sucker.
Rum Tom Pat, subs. phr. (old).—A
clergyman.
1781. Parker, Variegated Characters. "What, are Moll and you adamed?" "Yes, we are, and by a rum Tom Pat too."
Rumtitum, adj. (old).—'On prime
twig, in fine order or condition:
a flash term for a game bull'
(Grose).
Rum-un. See Rum.
Run, subs. and verb. phrs. (colloquial).—Generic
for freedom or
continuance. Thus (subs. phrs.),
run (of dice, cards, or luck)
= a spell or period of good or
bad fortune; run (of a play,
book, fashion, &c.) = the course
of representation, sale, popularity;
the run of things = the state
of affairs; the run of a
place = freedom of range; the
run of one's teeth (or knife
and fork) = victuals for nothing;
a run on a bank = a steady
call, through panic, on its resources;
cattle-run = a farm
where cattle roam at will; a
run to town (or into the
country) = a trip; to have
(or lose) the run = to lose
sight of; to get (or have) the
run on = (1) to turn a joke on,
and (2) to have the upper hand;
to have a run = (1) to take a
walk, a constitutional (q.v.);
(2) to get an opportunity: see
P.P.; and (3) to make a fight
for anything; to run = to
manage; to run a bluff =
to carry things with a high
hand; to run a buck (see
Buck); to run for office
(parliament, congress, &c.)
= to start as a candidate; to
run a rig = to play a trick; to
run a chance (or risk) = to
take the odds; to run a tilt
at = to attack; to run the
cutter = to smuggle; to run
an eye over = (1) to glance at;
to run the gauntlet (see
Gauntlet); to run across =
to meet casually; to run after
to court; to run against
(1) to come in collision with, (2) to calumniate, (3) to attack, and (4) to meet casually; to run amuck (see Amuck); to run away with = (1) to elope, (2) to steal; to run away with a notion = to be over credulous; to run big = to be out of training; to run counter = to oppose; to run down = to pursue, depreciate, attack; to run dry = to give out; to run foul of = to attack or antagonise; to run hard = (1) to threaten, endanger, make difficult, and (2) to equal or almost achieve; to run high
