Russia, subs. (thieves').—A pocket-book; a reader (q.v.).
1877. Five Years' Penal Servitude, iii. 244. It was the swell's Russia—a Russia, you know, is a pocket-book.
Russian-law, subs. phr. (old
colloquial).—See quot.
1641. John Day, Parliament of Bees, 65 (Bullen). This three-pile-velvet rascall, widows decayer, The poore fryes beggerer and rich Bees betrayer, Let him have Russian law for all his sins. Dic. What's that? Imp. A 100 blowes on his bare shins.
Rust, verb. (streets').—See quot.
1884. Cornhill Mag., June, 620. So far as Slinger has any business, it is that of rusting, i.e., collecting—on the chiffonier system—old metal and disposing of it to the marine-store dealers . . . though rust is the primary object of his explorations of rubbish heaps, all is fish that comes to his net.
To nab the rust, verb. phr. (old).—1. To take offence; to get restive: cf. rusty.—Grose (1785).
English synonyms.—To chew oneself; to comb one's hair; to cut up rusty; to get dandered (or one's dander up); huffed or huffy; in a pelter; in a scot; in a wax; one's mad up; on the high ropes; the needle; the monkey up; the monkey on one's back; popped; shirty; the spur; waxy; to have one's bristles raised; one's shirt or one's tail out; to lose one's vest; to be miffed; to pucker up; to squall; to stand on one's hind leg; to throw up buckets.
French synonyms.—Avoir mangé de l'oseille; avoir son cran; avoir son arnaud (also être arnaud); en rester tout bleu; avoir son bœuf; gober sa chèvre; entrer en tempête; monter à l'arbre or l'eschelle.
Spanish synonyms.—Amontanar; atocinar; barba; desbantizarse despampanar; embersencharse; escamonearse; mosquear.
2. (old).—To receive punishment unexpectedly.
3. (old).—See quot.
1858. A. Mayhew, Paved with Gold, 111. v. There's no chance of nabbing any rust (taking any money).
Rustic, subs. (old: now recognised).—'A
clownish Country
Fellow.'—B. E. (c. 1696).
Rusticate, verb. (University).—To
banish by way of punishment;
To send down (q.v.). Hence
rustication (Grose).
1714. Spectator, 596. After this I was deeply in love with a milliner, and at last with my bedmaker, upon which I was sent away, or, in the university phrase, rusticated for ever.
1779. Johnson, Life of Milton, 12. It seems plain . . . that he had incurred rustication . . . with perhaps the loss of a term.
1794. Gent. Mag., 1085. And was very near rustication, merely for kicking up a row after a beakering party.
1841. Lever, Charles O'Malley, lxxix. Cecil Cavendish . . . has been rusticated for immersing four bricklayers in that green receptacle of stagnant water and duckweed yclept "the Haha."
1843. Thackeray, Fitz-Boodle's Confess. Then came demand for an apology; refusal on my part; appeal to the dean; convocation; and rustication of George Savage Fitz-Boodle.
1853. Bradley, Verdant Green, iv. Our hero . . . missed the moral of the story and took the rustication for a kind forgiveness of injuries.
1885. D. Telegraph, 29 Oct. Students who are liable at any moment to be rusticated.
Rustle, verb. (American).—To
bestir oneself; to grapple with
circumstances; to rise superior
to the event. Whence rustler
