ribble-rabble, adv. and n.
(ˈrɪb(ə)l-ˈræb(ə)l)
Also 5 rebylle rable, 7 rible rable, 8– dial. rivel-ravel, 9 Sc. ribble rabbill.
[A reduplication of rabble n.1, of the same type as fiddle-faddle, gibble-gabble, etc.]
A. adv. In great confusion. rare.
| c 1460 Play Sacram. 598 Here master master, ware how ye tugg..for yt gooth rebylle rable. 1882 in Jamieson's Sc. Dict. IV. 25. |
B. n. 1. Confused meaningless language; rigmarole, gibble-gabble. Now
arch.| 1601 Munday Downf. Earl of Hunt. in Hazl. Dodsley VIII. 110 High time 'tis for me, To leave off my babble And fond ribble-rabble. 1668 R. L'Estrange Vis. Quev. (1708) 202 Then with a certain Ribble Rabble of Mysterious Words, he proceeds to his Calculation. 1677 Cary Chronol. ii. ii. vii. 219 That other Rible Rable..of that other Annotatour upon Clement. 1709 High German Looking-Glass in Wright Prov. Dial., A great deal more of such rivel-ravel, of which they knew no more than the man in the moon. 1737 Byrom Rem. (1856) II. i. 142, I saw the name of Mademoiselle Bourignon, and ribble rabble, fiddle faddle. 1876 E.D.D., Rivel-ravel. 1883 Hall Caine Cobw. Crit. ii. 44 The ribble-rabble of the Examiner's poetical animosity. |
| attrib. 1598 Florio, Fanfaluche,..flim flam tales, old wiues fables, a ribble rabble discourse. 1601 Munday Downf. Earl of Hunt. iv. ii. in Hazl. Dodsley VIII. 185 You fall into your vein Of ribble-rabble rhymes Skeltonical. 1655 tr. Sorel's Com. Hist. Francion i. 11, I cry God mercy..if thou gratest my eares any more with thy ribble rabble discourse. |
2. = rabble n.1 2.
| 1635 Shirley Traitor v. iii, My ends are compassed: hang the ribble rabble! 1653 Urquhart Rabelais i. xxi, Perpetual drinking in a rible rable like ducks. 1769 Trinculo's Trip 41 Wrangling with the ribble-rabble. 1771 Smollett Humph. Cl. 18 July iii, A mischievous mob of colliers, and such promiscuous ribble rabble. 1819 Tennant Papistry Storm'd (1827) 105 A gabble O' tongues..Frae that wine-flister't ribble-rabbill. 1854 A. E. Baker Northampt. Gloss. s.v., What a set of ribble-rabble there are about! |
| attrib. 1600 Lane Tom Tel-troth 110 So will I leaue to write Against this popish ribble rabble route. |
So
† ribble-row, a rigmarole.
Obs. rare.
| 1664 Cotton Scarron. iv. Wks. (1715) 106 This Witch a Ribble-row rehearses Of scurvy Names in scurvy Verses. 1685 ― tr. Montaigne (1877) I. 458 Superscribing them with a long ribble-row of qualities and titles. |