ruffler

English

Etymology

From ruffle +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɹʌflə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɹʌflɚ/
• Rhymes: -ʌflə(ɹ)

Noun

ruffler (plural rufflers)

1. (historical) A ruffian, bully, or villain, especially a 16th-17th-century vagabond operating under the guise of a maimed soldier or sailor.
   • 1840-1841, Charles Dickens, Master Humphrey's Clock

     […] and then how he grasped his club and longed to do battle with a dozen rufflers, for the love of Mistress Alice!

   • 1978, Michael Moorcock, chapter 1, in Gloriana; or, The Unfulfill'd Queen:

     The ruffler in leather, who lately went fighting through the door, has returned, presumably by means of another entrance.

2. A sewing machine attachment for making ruffles.

Further reading

• “ruffler”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.