▪ I. rob, n. Now rare.
(rɒb)
Also 6 robbe, 8–9 robb.
[a. mod.L. or F. rob, = Sp. rob, Pg. robe, arrobe, It. rob, robbo; also G. and older Da. rob. The ultimate source is Arab. robb, rubb or Pers. rob, rub fruit-syrup.]
The juice of a fruit, reduced by boiling to the consistency of a syrup and preserved with sugar; a conserve of fruit.
| 1578 Lyte Dodoens 683 The Robbe or dried iuyce thereof. Ibid., The rob made with the iuyce of common Ribes and Sugar, is very good for all the diseases aboue sayde. 1620 Venner Via Recta vii. 124 The Rob, that is, the iuyce of the berries boyled with a third part..of sugar added vnto it,..is preferred before the raw berries. 1656 W. Coles Art of Simpling xxv. 80 Continue boyling it..till it attaine unto the consistence of Honey, and then it is by Physitians called the Rob. 1694 Westmacott Script. Herb. 203 These Robs,..and Conserves, are not to be given to costive Bodies. 1747 Wesley Prim. Physick (1765) 122 Take an ounce of Rob of Elder in Broth. 1796 Withering Brit. Pl. (ed. 3) II. 351 note, The berries are so very acid that birds will not eat them, but boiled with sugar they form a most agreeable rob or jelly. 1821 W. P. C. Barton Flora N. Amer. I. 61 A rob might also be prepared..by evaporating the syrup obtained from them. 1864 Chambers's Encycl. VI. 603/1 A rob made of it [white mulberry] is useful in sore throat. |
| fig. 1790 H. Walpole Let. to Miss Berry 31 Oct., There is..a quantity of calculations, and one is forced to..boil milliards of livres down to a rob of pounds sterling. |
▪ II. rob, v.
(rɒb)
Forms: 3–5 robben, 5 robbyn; 4 robbi, robby, 4–6 robbe, 5 (6 Sc.) rub, 6– rob, 7 robb (Sc. robe).
[ad. OF. robber, rober, rouber, etc., = Sp. robar, Pg. roubar, It. rubare, of Teutonic origin, the stem roub- being that represented in English by reave v.]
1. a. trans. To deprive (a person) of something by unlawful force or the exercise of superior power; to despoil by violence. Also fig. and refl.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 86 Þe knihte þet robbeð his poure men. Ibid. 150 Him luste leosen hit & beon irobbed. c 1290 St. Eustace 57 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 394 Þo comen þeoues and robbeden him. 1340 Ayenb. 39 Þise greate prelates þet benimeþ and robbeþ hire onderlinges. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. iii. 188 Withouten pite, pilour! pore Men þou robbedest. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) IV. 443 Þerfore anon the hous was i-broke; þe pore men were i-spoylled and i-robbed. 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 183 The extorcioner rubbyth and Preyeth good men. 1535 Coverdale Prov. xxii. 22 Se y{supt} thou robbe not y⊇ poore because he is weake. 1595 Shakes. John iv. iii. 78 Must I rob the Law? 1604 ― Oth. i. iii. 209 He robs himselfe, that spends a bootlesse griefe. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. i. viii. 35 When a man robbs one to pay another. 1715 De Foe Fam. Instruct. i. iv. (1841) I. 74 Oh, thieves, thieves, I am robbed. 1759 Mills tr. Duhamel's Husb. i. iv. 10 To hinder weeds from robbing the cultivated plants. 1791 Mrs. Radcliffe Rom. Forest i, Their intention was to rob and murder him. 1857 Kingsley Two Y. Ago I. 280 As usual; poor Nature is being robbed and murdered by rich grace. 1892 Tennyson Foresters iii, We never robb'd one friend of the true King. We robb'd the traitors that are leagued with John. 1926 Publishers' Weekly 19 June 1966/1 You may improve your golf game... Why not get rid of that disconcerting slice which robs your drive? 1948 R. M. Ayres Missing Tide i. 44 The food's quite good, and they don't rob you, anyway. |
b. to rob Peter to pay († give to, clothe) Paul (see Peter n.1 2).
| c 1380 Wyclif Sel. Wks. III. 174 Lord, hou schulde God approve þat þou robbe Petur, and gif þis robbere to Poule in þe name of Crist? c 1440 Jacob's Well 305 Þei robbyn seynt petyr & ȝeuyn it seynt Poule. 1515 [see Peter n.1 2]. 1546 J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 26 Lyke a pyckpurs pilgrim, ye prie and ye proule At rouers, to rob Peter and paie Poule. 1596 Nashe Saffron Walden Ep. Ded. B ij b, Thow shalt not find many powling pence about him neither, except he rob Peter to pay Powle. 1657–1692 [see Peter n.1 2]. 1737 Gentl. Mag. VII. 172/1 This Scheme is..calculated..to Rob Peter to pay Paul, or, to remove y⊇ Burthen from one Part of the Community, and lay it upon another. [1855 Motley Dutch Rep. iii. v. (1866) 430 It was not desirable to rob Saint Peter's altar in order to build one to Saint Paul.] |
c. Mining. (See quot.)
| 1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) II. 86/2 Sometimes it [antimony] is blended with the richer ores of silver, and renders the extraction of that metal difficult by volatilizing a part of the silver, or, in the language of the miners, robbing the ore. |
d. Assoc. Football. To deprive (an opposing player) of the ball.
| 1882 Blackburn Times 1 Apr. 6/3 Goodhart started the ball from the centre, but he was instantly robbed by Strachan. 1970 Times 30 Sept. 15/4 Novak held on too long in midfield and was robbed by Graham. 1976 Morecambe Guardian 7 Dec. 8/2 Towers and Thomas forced the defence into some confusion when a backpass went astray. Finch had to move quickly to rob Thomas who was charging through. |
2. a. To plunder or strip (a person) feloniously of (something belonging to him); to deprive (one) of (something due). Also transf. or fig. (with a thing as object).
| 13.. Coer de L. 2286 In an evil tyme our emperour Robbed King Richard of his tresour. 1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 789 To robbe men of hure riht ful redy ben alle. c 1400 Destr. Troy 6419 Ector..Wold haue Robbit the Renke of his riche wede. c 1440 Jacob's Well 217 Myn eyȝe has robbyd my soule of his lyif with watyr of lustys. 1535 Coverdale 2 Sam. xvii. 8 As a Beer that is robbed of hir yonge ones in the felde. 1563 Winȝet Wks. (S.T.S.) I. 105 He hes..rubbit him of his geris or honouris. 1591 Spenser M. Hubberd 16 My weake bodie..Was rob'd of rest and naturall reliefe. 1634 Milton Comus 390 For who would rob a Hermit of his Weeds. 1665 Boyle Occas. Refl. iv. xii. (1675) 240 A Cloud, which does no longer receive or transmit the Light, but robs the Earth of it. 1692 Dryden St. Euremont's Ess. 11 The Zeal of the Citizen robbed the Man of Himself. 1765 A. Dickson Treat. Agric. (ed. 2) 92 By allowing them to grow, we allow the land..to be robbed of its vegetable food. 1784 Cowper Task iv. 458 His victims, robb'd of their defenceless all. 1807–8 Irving Salmagundi (1824) 265 [It] long since ceased bearing,..every tempest robs it of a limb. 1867 Trollope Chron. Barset lxiii, The troubles of life had almost robbed the elder lady of her beauty. 1878 Huxley Physiogr. 78 The air..which had been thus robbed of its oxygen. |
† b. Similarly with double object. Obs. (Cf. 5.)
| c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 4323 (Kölbing), Kepe we þe strait wais..& robben hem her sustenaunce. 1613 Heywood Silver Age iii. i, Ceres nor loue, nor all the Gods aboue, Shall rob me this rich purchase. |
3. a. To plunder, pillage, rifle (a place, house, etc.).
| c 1230 Hali Meid. 15 Wes helle irobbed, & heuene beð ifulled. a 1240 Sawles Warde in O.E. Hom. I. 247 Ah ne bihoueð hit nawt þat tis hus beo irobbet. 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 38 Þe Danes vp aryued, Souhamptone þei brent, & robbed Cornwaile. c 1400 Destr. Troy 1912 He..told furth of his tale,..How þe rewme was robbet. c 1465 in Three 15th Cent. Chron. (Camden) 23 The Kynge off Scottes..robbed and revid the contre aboute Derham. 1513 Douglas æneis xii. v. 103 Ȝon ilk stranger..our marchis..Invadis, rubbis, and spulȝeis. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, iii. vi. 106 One that is like to be executed for robbing a Church. 1651 tr. De-las-Coveras' Don Fenise 198 Pirats who..rob upon the sea all the vessells they could render themselves masters of. a 1716 South Serm. (1744) IV. 153 Robbing the Spittle. 1816 J. Wilson City of Plague ii. iii. 249 Wilt thou rob a church And share..The general spoil? 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xii. III. 221 In the country his house was robbed. |
| transf. 1877 Raymond Statist. Mines & Mining 316 Former operations were principally confined to robbing the rich pockets, while good milling-ore was left standing. |
b. Const. of that which is taken.
| c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 5105 (Kölbing), Mani cursed painem..hadden robbed þis cuntray Of al þis ich fair pray. c 1400 Destr. Troy 3209 To the tempull full tyte [he] turnyt agayne, To rob of þe Riches, and Renkes to helpe. c 1420 Cont. Brut ccxxvii. (1908) 298 Þe toun..of al þing þat myȝte be bore & caryed out was robbid and despoyled. 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. vi. 4 All the rest it seemd they robbed bare Of bounty, and of beautie. 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, iii. ii. 255 Thy Ambition..robb'd this bewailing Land Of Noble Buckingham. |
4. a. absol. To commit depredations; to plunder; to take away property by force.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 6041 Hii drowe hom toward kanterbury, to robbi þere al so. 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 38 Of Danmark dukes riche.. Men & women slouh, & robbed þorgh þe lond. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 134 For every thief upon richesse Awaiteth forto robbe and stele. c 1400 Rom. Rose 5686 To swinke and traveile he not feynith, For for to robben he disdeynith. 1534 More Comf. agst. Trib. Wks. 1200, I mene not, to let euery malefactor passe furth vnpunished, and frely runne out and rob at rouers. 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, ii. ii. 10, I am accurst to rob in that Theefe company. 1662 Hibbert Body Divinity I. 165 A man may rob with a pair of ballances or metewand in his hand. 1682 Lond. Gaz. No. 1737/4 They Robbed the night before on Brainford-Road. 1831 Insect Misc. (L.E.K.) 330 Sometimes..small parties of three or four [bees] will unite to rob, as we may say, on the highway. |
b. Mining. (See quots.)
| 1881 Raymond Mining Gloss., Rob, to extract pillars previously left for support; or, in general, to take out ore or coal from a mine with a view to immediate product, and not to subsequent working. 1883 Gresley Gloss. Coal-mining, Rob, to cut away or reduce the size of pillars of coal, &c. |
5. a. To carry off as plunder; to steal. Now rare.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 381 Þat strange men..asaileden is lond..& robbed is bestes & is game. 13.. K. Alis. 3450 (Laud MS.), Hij robbeden tresores & cloþes. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 160 He anon hem wolde assaile And robbe what thing that thei ladden. 1426 Lydg. De Guil. Pilgr. 16014 Swych goostly goodys euerychon Ben yrobbyd And agon. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 91 A man gais to the were for.. to pele and rub gudis. 1530 Palsgr. 693/1, I robbe his treasour from hym. 1579 W. Wilkinson Confut. Fam. of Love Ep. Ded. *ij, Whiche Vine the Foxes sometimes spoyle and endamage by robbyng the fruite. 1646 R. Baillie Anabapt. (1647) 10 The Priests vestments, which he had robbed in the Cathedrall. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 312 They themselves contrive To Rob the Honey, and subvert the Hive. 1830 Campbell Farewell to Love 7 But Passion robs my peace no more. 1850 Thackeray Pendennis xxxvii[i], There was a sideboard robbed out of the carved work of a church in the Low Countries. 1887 C. A. Moloney Forestry W. Africa 176 The descendants of the Negroes who were robbed from Africa. 1919 G. B. Shaw Heartbreak House ii. 77, I should rob all the money back from Mangan. 1939 Joyce Finnegans Wake (1964) iii. 453 Robbing leaves out of my taletold book. 1953 [see robber trench s.v. robber 2 b]. 1977 Irish Press 29 Sept. 5/5 Vincent Walker..was found guilty of robbing the sum of {pstlg}8,798. |
† b. fig. To remove, take away, cut off from something; to ravish. Obs. rare.
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xiv. 132 Allas! þat ricchesse shal reue and robbe mannes soule Fram þe loue of owre lorde. 1594 Shakes. Rich. II, i. iii. 173 What is thy sentence then, but speechlesse death, Which robs my tongue from breathing natiue breath? 1596 Spenser F.Q. iv. iv. 16 The which..to it drew The eyes of all,..And hearts quite robbed with so glorious sight. 1627 Lisander & Cal. Ded., By their conversation they may endeavour to rob away teadiousnes though but from one houre. |
6. Card-playing. (See quots.)
With quot. 1611 compare Littré s.v. Piller 6.
| 1611 Cotgr., Piller,..also, to rub, or rob, at cards. 1897 Foster Compl. Hoyle 277 (Spoil Five), Robbing the trump card. If the trump card is an ace, the dealer may discard any card he pleases in exchange for it. Ibid. 299 (Cinch), He may search the remainder of the pack, and take from it any cards that he pleases. This is called robbing the deck. |
[1.] [a.] For def. read: trans. To deprive (a person) of something by unlawful force or the exercise of superior power; to despoil by violence. Also fig., esp. recently in sense ‘to overcharge (a customer)’, and refl. (Further examples.)
| 1934 G. B. Shaw On Rocks ii. 236 Out of those wages the laborer has to pay half or quarter as rent to the landlord. The laborer is ignorant: he thinks he is robbed by the landlord; but the robbed victim is me. 1976 Church Times 30 July 7/2 She may have been fleeced in Florence, robbed in Ravenna, grossly overcharged in Ostia..; but Baedeker at least has not tried to put one over on her. 1987 Sunday Express Mag. 1 Feb. 14/3 Bob still thinks my Chanel suit cost 70 quid, and even then he thinks I was robbed. |
[3.] [a.] For def. read: To plunder, pillage, rifle (a place, house, etc.). Also transf., esp. in recent use in Archæol. (freq. with out). (Further transf. examples.)
| 1977 [implied in *robbed ppl. a. 1 b]. 1982 Rescue News No. 26. 4/4 The grave was partially cut into a wall trench which had already been robbed out. 1987 Bull. Glasgow Archaeol. Soc. Mar. 18 On top of the mound there were stone buildings, which have been continually robbed over the centuries. |
[5.] [a.] For def. read: To carry off as plunder; to steal. Also transf. in Archæol., to remove (stones, etc.) from a structure for use as building material. (Further example.)
| 1981 Glasgow Archaeol. Jrnl. VIII. 52/1 Almost everything above the Roman floor levels had been destroyed or robbed away. |
▪ III. rob
obs. form of robe.