rope-ripe
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Adjective
rope-ripe (comparative more rope-ripe, superlative most rope-ripe)
- (obsolete, of people) Deserving of being hanged.
- 1579, Thomas Churchyard, “A Pirates Tragedie”, in A General Rehearsall of Warres, called Churchyard's Choise[1]:
- Sometymes our coyne, could stop a gappe, / And purchace pardon by a traine: / But gallows lucke, and ropripe happe, / At length was gwerdon for our paine.
- 2016, J. A. Shea, Paul Yachnin, “The Well-Hung Shrew”, in Bruckner, Lynne, Brayton, Dan, editors, Ecocritical Shakespeare, →ISBN, page 120:
- As we argued already, Shakespeare's representation of the rope-ripe shrew likely was inspired by abundant accounts of the well-hanged and well-hung shrewmouse.
- (obsolete, of actions) Punishable by being hanged.
- 1553, Thomas Wilson, The Arte of Rhetorique[2], Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1909, page 107:
- Therefore the reporting of our tale, may ſone appere plain if we firſt expreſſe our minde in plaine words, and not ſeeke theſe roperipe termes, which betraie rather a foole, then commende a wiſe man […]
- 1611, George Chapman, May Day[3], act 3, scene 1, page 29:
- Lord, how you roule in your rope-ripe termes.
Synonyms
- hangworthy, gallows-ripe; See also Thesaurus:hangworthy