ruffmans

English

Alternative forms

• ruffemans

Etymology

rough +‎ -mans

Noun

ruffmans (uncountable)

1. (obsolete, UK, thieves' cant) Woods, hedges or bushes.
   • 1611, Thomas Middleton, “The Roaring Girl”, in Arthur Henry Bullen, editor, The Works of Thomas Middleton‎^[1], volume 4, published 1885, act 5, scene 1, pages 128–129:

     Ben mort, shall you and I heave a bough, mill a ken, or nip a bung, and then we'll couch a hogshead under the ruffmans, and there you shall wap with me, and I'll niggle with you.

   • 1994, Amanda Scott, Dangerous Illusions, →ISBN:

     Happen we seen there was a damber in the ruffmans, and since we'd no yen t' deck the chates, we'd ha' binged a wast but for the rhino we was promised.

References

• [Francis Grose] (1788) “Ruffmans”, in A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 2nd edition, London: […] S. Hooper, […], →OCLC.
• Albert Barrère and Charles G[odfrey] Leland, compilers and editors (1889–1890) “ruffmans”, in A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant […], volumes II (L–Z), Edinburgh: […] The Ballantyne Press, →OCLC, page 191.
• John S[tephen] Farmer; W[illiam] E[rnest] Henley, compilers (1903) “ruffmans”, in Slang and Its Analogues Past and Present. […], volume VI, [London: […] Harrison and Sons] […], →OCLC, pages 71–72.