Citations:ruse

English citations of ruse

Noun

1. (countable, by extension) An action intended to deceive; a trick.
   • 1851, “Fireside Amusements. Ruses.”, in The Family Economist; a Penny Monthly Magazine, for the Industrious Classes, volume IV, London: Groombridge and Sons, […], →OCLC, page 19, column 2:

     A great number of amusing tricks, and ruses will be found in "Parlour Magic," (Bogue, London) […]

Verb

1. (intransitive) To fall or slip down (related to rese).
   • 1871, George Philip Rigney Pulman, Rustic Sketches: Being Rhymes and "skits" on Angling and Other Subjects, in One of the South-western Dialects: With a Copious Glossary, and General Remarks on Country Talk:

     Ruse. To fall or sink in, to slide or slip down, as land on a hill side sometimes does, or to fall in bodily. "My well's rused in." So Rusement is the land slipped away.

   • 1886, Publications, volume 50, English Dialect Society:

     Inasmuch as any movement would cause earth or stones to ruse, it may be that the word is Ang.-Sax. hrýsian, Old Low Germ. hrisian, Goth. hrisjian, to move, to shake. […] Over-ripe corn is said "to ruse out," that is, the grain falls out of the ear or pod in handling.

   • 1965, Publications - Issue 50, page 637:

     I be always [u-foo'us] forced to put tim'er in they deep graves, else they'd sure to ruse in, and then they wid'n look well, an' I must drow it all out again, nif did'n vall in tap o' me.