ROOKERY, a low neighbourhood inhabited by dirty Irish and thieves—as
ST. GILES’ ROOKERY.—_Old._ In _Military slang_ that part of the
barracks occupied by subalterns, often by no means a pattern of good
order.
ROOKY, rascally, rakish, scampish.
ROOST, synonymous with PERCH, which see.
ROOTER, anything good or of a prime quality; “that is a ROOTER,”
_i.e._, a first-rate one of the sort.
ROSE, an orange.
ROSE, “under the ROSE” (frequently used in its _Latin_ form, _Sub
rosâ_), _i.e._, under the obligation of silence and secresy, of which
the rose was anciently an emblem, perhaps, as Sir Thomas Browne
remarks, from the closeness with which its petals are enfolded in
the bud. The Rose of Venus was given, says the classic legend, to
Harpocrates, the God of Silence, by Cupid, as a bribe not to “peach”
about the Goddess’ amours. It was commonly sculptured on the ceilings
of banquetting rooms, as a sign that what was said in free conversation
there was not afterwards to be divulged and about 1526 was placed over
the Roman confessionals as an emblem of secrecy. The White Rose was
also an emblem of the Pretender, whose health, as king, his secret
adherents used to drink “under the ROSE.”
ROT, nonsense, anything bad, disagreeable, or useless.
ROT GUT, bad small beer,—in _America_, cheap whisky.
ROUGH, bad; “ROUGH fish,” bad or stinking fish.
ROUGH IT, to put up with chance entertainment, to take pot luck, and
what accommodation “turns up,” without sighing for better. “ROUGHING IT
_in the Bush_” is the title of an interesting work on Backwoods life.
ROUGHS, coarse, or vulgar men.