ruffin

a "gintleman entirely," and determined to escape from the obnoxious attentions of the "ruffin" already mentioned, the lady, having learned that her disagreeable suitor had resolved to carry her off, employed two men to aid her the night before the proposed abduction, and, before morning, built the tower and took up her abode in the topmost chamber.

Irish Wonders 1878

(Thanks, oxblood ruffin, and Om, who blogged about it here.)

Boing Boing: August 6, 2006 - August 12, 2006 Archives 2006

The ruffin cly the nab of Stephen Hand as give me the jady coppaleen.

Ulysses 2003

It is al-rite fer boys who are used to ruffin it, but it is not nice fer girls so if I was you I wood go easy on it, and hot dogs aint machine guns, they are sausidges that are made from those low-down german dogs that heve short legs, but say they test buly in a roll.

Deer Godchild Marguerite Bernard

He says, "Mr. Church here observes, that _ruffin_ is reddish, from the Latin _rufus_."

Notes and Queries A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Geneologists, etc Various

The nuthatch is Pic Macon, and the mum-ruffin is Pendolin, and the robin is Marie-Godrie.

Masters of the Guild L. Lamprey 1910

"They were so fast set on drowning me," he continued with a wink, "they couldn't spare time to look i 'my pocket -- the ruffin cly them!"

The Splendid Spur Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch 1903

Brave constable has 'arf a quid's worth out of an infuriated ruffin!'

Cleek: the Man of the Forty Faces Thomas W. Hanshew 1885

When I was a-crossin 'deh street deh chump runned plump inteh me, an' den he turns aroun 'an' says, 'Yer insolen' ruffin, 'he says, like dat.

Maggie, a Girl of the Streets Stephen Crane 1885

Now let's back, and see what's chanced to the rest o 'this ruffin crew.

The Death Shot A Story Retold Mayne Reid 1850