▪ I. rib, n.1
Forms: 1– rib, 1–8 ribb, 4–7 ribbe; 5–6 ryb (5 rybe), rybb(e; 6 reb.
[Comm. Teut.: OE. rib, ribb neut., = OFris. rib, reb (WFris. rib spar, rack; NFris. rabb, robb rib), ON. rif (Norw. riv; MSw. rif, riff, Sw. ref; MDa. riff, reff), MLG. ribbe, rebbe, OHG. ribbi, rippi (MHG. rippe, ripp); also OS. ribba fem., MDu. ribbe, rebbe (Du. rib; WFris. ribbe), OHG. rippa (MHG. rippe, ribbe, riebe; G. rippe), Da. ribbe, Norw. ribba; Sw. ribba lath. Outside of Teutonic the stem is represented by Russ. rebro.]
I. 1. a. One of the curved bones articulated in pairs to the spine in men and animals and enclosing or tending to enclose the thoracic or body cavity, whose chief organs they protect.
asternal ribs, floating ribs: see those adjs. false rib = asternal rib. sternal ribs or true ribs, those attached to the breast-bone or sternum. abdominal ribs, certain osseous formations in the abdominal wall of some reptiles (Huxley).
to smite (one) under the fifth rib: see fifth a. 1 b.
| c 725 Corpus Gloss. 585 Costa, rib. a 900 O.E. Martyrol. 23 Mar., On þæm [dæᵹ] wæs Adam ᵹescæpen.., & Eua his wif wæs ᵹescæpen of his ribbe. a 1000 Soul & Body 113 Rib reafiað reðe wyrmas. c 1000 ælfric Gen. ii. 21 Þa ᵹenam he an ribb of his sidan & ᵹefilde mid flæsce, þær þær þæt ribb wæs. c 1205 Lay. 1603 Corineus heom tobrutte ban & heora ribbes. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 227 Ut of his side he toc a rib, And made a wimman him ful sib. c 1300 Havelok 1900 Þer mithe men wel se boyes bete, And ribbes in here sides breke. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. iv. 149 Bote I Rule þus þi Reame, Rend out my Ribbes! c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 161 Wiþ þese .vij. boonys ben maad fast .vij. ribbis þat ben grete ribbis.., & þese ribbis ben crokid. c 1440 York Myst. xxvi. 285 Fro we may reche þat rekeles His ribbis schall we rappe. 1523 Fitzherb. Husb. §56 Se that he haue a brode ryb,..and to be lose-skinned, that it stycke not harde nor streyte to his rybbes. 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 28 That I might refreshe my crackte ribbes in her bountie and goodnesse. 1604 Shakes. Oth. i. ii. 5 Nine, or ten times I had thought t' haue yerk'd him here vnder the Ribbes. 1667 Milton P.L. x. 512 His Visage drawn he felt to sharp and spare, His Armes clung to his Ribs. 1741 A. Monro Anat. (ed. 3) 222 The Ribs are commonly divided into True and False. 1795 Burke Regic. Peace iv. Sel. Wks. (1892) 265 We require some food that will stick to the ribs. 1842 Tennyson Vision of Sin iv. i, Take my brute, and lead him in, Stuff his ribs with mouldy hay. 1871 T. R. Jones Anim. Kingd. (ed. 4) 652 In Serpents the ribs are wanted for locomotion, and are accordingly developed from the head nearly to the tail. |
| transf. 1605 1st Pt. Jeronimo (1901) iii. ii, Noble rib of honor, valliant carcasse. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. cvii, The wood which grides and clangs Its leafless ribs and iron horns Together. |
† b. ellipt. (See
quot.)
Obs.—0| a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Rib, or Ribroasting, a Dry-basting. |
c. Zool. One of the meridional plates characteristic of the
Ctenophora; a ctenophore.
| 1890 in Cent. Dict. 1896 tr. Boas' Text-bk. Zool. 118 Each of these lines or ribs, as they are called, is composed of a series of tiny laminæ. |
d. A joke; a teasing or joking remark. Chiefly
U.S.| 1929 J. P. McEvoy Hollywood Girl iii. 39 Of course it was just a rib to see him, as the only thing I know about newspapers is that they smell fresh. 1952 Herald-Tribune (N.Y.) 25 Jan. 18/3 Wilt said, ‘He is a parasite.’ Maybe this was a rib. 1958 J. Wain Contenders 8 The mere idea of Robert as a schoolmaster is, of course, a screaming rib. 1964 ‘E. Queen’ in Cavalier Aug. 15/2 ‘Dad, is this a rib?’ ‘I wish I could joke about it.’ |
e. Slang
phr. to get into (someone's) ribs: to borrow or otherwise obtain money from (someone). (Only in Wodehouse.)
| 1939 Wodehouse Uncle Fred in Springtime iii. 47 Leave it to me. I will get into his ribs for you. 1951 ― Old Reliable xviii. 200 It was..the worst possible moment anyone could have selected to approach him with the idea of getting into his ribs for twenty thousand dollars. a 1975 ― Sunset at Blandings (1977) viii. 59 Did he discover that Jeff was the son of the man who got into his ribs for that substantial sum, there would be no question of engaging him as his secretary. |
2. One of these bones taken from an ox, pig, etc., with the meat adhering to it, as used for cooking.
| 1426–7 Recs. St. Mary at Hill (1905) 65 In bred & ale & ij rybbes beff & oþer costes, xvjd. c 1430 Two Cookery-bks. 8 Take Pypis, Hertys, Nerys, Myltys, an Rybbys of the Swyne. Ibid. 10 Take Rybbys of Venysoun. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. iii. (1586) 152 b, A peece of Porke of two Ribs, that waied three and twentie pound. 1647 Ward Simp. Cobler 88 Sixe ribs of beefe, are worth sixe weeks of Lent. 1666 Pepys Diary 25 Dec., Dined well on some good ribbs of beef roasted and mince pies. 1802 Pinkerton Mod. Geogr. (1811) 660 A savoury dish, called chuleta, or ribs of pork, which they have fresh throughout the year. 1848 [see pork1 2]. 1883 [see joint n. 8]. |
| fig. 1576 Gascoigne Steele Glas (Arb.) 45 Though the skorneful do mocke me for a time, yet in the ende I hope to giue them al a rybbe of roste for their paynes. |
| transf. 1595 Shakes. John iii. iii. 9 The fat ribs of peace Must by the hungry now be fed vpon. |
3. a. With allusion to the creation of Eve (
Gen. ii. 21): A (person's) wife; a woman.
| 1589–90 Jas. VI in Reg. Privy Council Scot. IV. 470 note, Recommending me and my new rib to your daylie prayers. 1654 Whitlock Zootomia 61, I am confident a practising Rib shall kill more then the Iaw-bone of an Asse; and a Quacking Dalilah, than a valiant Sampson. 1732 Fielding Mock Doctor ii, Go thrash your own rib, sir, at home. 1759 Sterne Tr. Shandy i. xvi, He would..place his rib and self in so many tormenting lights and attitudes. 1802 Lamb Let. to Manning Feb., The Professor's Rib has come out to be a disagreeable woman. 1822 Byron Juan xi. xlvi, A rib's a thorn in a wed gallant's side. 1862 Borrow Wales liv, Near to it was the portrait of his rib, Dame Middleton. |
b. So
rib of man(kind),
lost rib. ?
Obs.| 1609 Ev. Wom. in Hum. i. i. in Bullen O. Pl. IV, I cannot holde to see a rib of man, A moytie of it selfe, commaund the whole. 1621–3 Middleton & Rowley Changeling v. iii, That broken rib of mankind. 1647 Trapp Marrow Gd. Authors in Comm. Ep. 612 Surely if feasting ever be in season it is at the recovery of the lost rib [i.e. marriage]. |
II. 4. a. The central or principal nerve or vein of a leaf, extending from the petiole to the apex,
= midrib 2; also, one of the smaller or secondary nerves. Now
Bot.| c 1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 48 Take cole and strype hom þorowghe þi honde And do away þo rybbys. c 1450 M.E. Med. Bk. (Heinrich) 204 Tak þe rote of hemelok,..& þe rybbe of dokke. 1578 Lyte Dodoens 90 The great Plantayne hath great large leaves..with seven ribbes behinde. 1688 Holme Armoury ii. 85/1 The Rib is the chief vein, from the stalk to the end of the leaf: the Master-vein. 1698 Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 178 Sending forth from the main Rib some Fibres. 1776 J. Lee Introd. Bot. 386 Where the Margin is plaited, but the Folds do not reach to the middle Rib of the Disk. 1796 Withering Brit. Plants (ed. 3) I. 354 The rib [of a fern-leaflet], with the Stamens upon it. 1849 Balfour Man. Bot. §144 There is occasionally an obscure rib running close to the edge of the leaf, and called intramarginal. 1884 Bower & Scott De Bary's Phaner. 433 In the petioles and ribs of the leaves. |
b. The shaft or quill of a feather.
| 1545 R. Ascham Toxoph. Wks. (1904) 88 In settyng on of your fether, whether it be pared or drawen w{supt} a thicke rybbe, or a thinne rybbe (the rybbe is y⊇ hard quill whiche deuydeth the fether). 1727–38 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Feather, The shaft, or rib, is exceeding strong, but hollow below, for strength and lightness sake. 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 453 The ribs are scraped with a bit of glass cut circularly, in order to render them very pliant. |
c. Ent. A nervure in an insect's wing.
| a 1843 Encycl. Metrop. (1845) VII. 282/2 This frame consists of hollow horny tubes, to which have been indifferently applied the names ribs, nervures, and veins. Ibid., The ribs..are filled with a soft parenchyma. |
d. Bot. A more dense or firm part extending along or through an organ or structure.
| 1847 W. E. Steele Field Bot. 181 Leaves and sheaths glabrous;..the ribs of paleæ glabrous. 1857 Henfrey Bot. 114 The connective is normally a solid rib, running up the middle of the anther. |
5. a. A hard or rocky portion of a mountain, etc.,
esp. when in the form of a projecting ridge.
| c 1586 C'tess Pembroke Ps. civ. viii, That safe in rocks the conyes may remaine, To yield them caves, their rocky ribbs are torne. 1692 Bentley Boyle Lect. 271 If violent rains and tempests must not wash down the earth and gravel from..those mountains, and expose their naked ribbs to the face of the sun. 1697 Dryden æneid ix. 680 They rowl down Ribs of Rocks. 1822 Shelley Faust ii. 120 Cling tightly to the old ribs of the crag. 1871 L. Stephen Playgr. Eur. (1894) iii. 83 Nothing is visible but the black ribs of the mountains. |
b. A vein of ore, or the solid part of one; a stratum or dyke of stone or rock. Now
esp. Geol.| 1667 Milton P.L. i. 690 Soon had his crew Op'nd into the Hill a spacious wound And dig'd out ribs of Gold. 1747 Hooson Miner's Dict. Q iv, Most Veins carry their Ore in Ribbs, which is that solid Part of the Ore that sets forward according to the Sides..; many times a Vein will carry two Ribbs. 1839 Murchison Silur. Syst. i. xiv. 178 The firmest ribs of sandstone. 1878 Huxley Physiogr. 193 Lava is then injected into the cracks, forming, when cold, huge rocky ribs known as dykes. 1885 Seeley Phillips' Man. Geol. i. xxii. 401 The metallic matter occurs in an irregular vertical table, called a rib of ore. |
c. Mining. A wall of coal left standing to support the roof of the workings.
| 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 981 The ribs or walls of coal left standing round, constituting the side of work. 1867 W. W. Smyth Coal & Coal-mining 125 It is found to be the better course..to trust to pack-walls,..rather than to leave a rib of coal. 1895 Daily News 8 Feb. 5/6 They..would have left a rib as a support to part them from the old workings. |
6. a. A narrow strip of land, as that between furrows; also
dial., a furrow.
b. A narrow ridge separating a roadway from the ditch.
| 1670 Eachard Cont. Clergy 92 The Man of God fetching up his single Melancholy Cow, from a small rib of Land. 1778 W. H. Marshall Minutes Agric. 20 Oct. 1775, This, instead of laying the ribs of the lands convex, leaves them hollow. 1805 Forsyth Beauties Scot. II. 235 The ribs, as road-makers term the declivities on each side, should be kept very clear. 1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm I. 658 Ribs of hard land standing untouched in the subsoil. |
7. In technical use, an artificial ridge raised upon some object:
a. Jewellery. An edge separating two faces of a cut diamond. ?
Obs.| 1751 D. Jeffries Treat. Diamonds (ed. 2) Explan. Terms, The Ribs are the lines, or ridges, which distinguish the several parts of the work, both of Brilliants, and Roses. |
b. Mech. A raised band or flange,
esp. one made upon a metal plate in order to stiffen it.
| 1793 Smeaton Edystone L. §97 This ruler was preserved from bending..by a Rib raised upon its upper side. 1793 Trans. Soc. Arts V. 69 The upper roller, with its diagonal projecting ribs of iron. 1832 G. R. Porter Porcelain & Gl. 203 The glass is prevented from running off the sides of the table by ribs of metal. 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 477 The projecting ribs were forced into the surface of the ball..during its expulsion. 1856 Orr's Circle Sci., Mech. Philos. 289 This is often effected..by introducing ribs or flanges, and thus dispersing a given quantity of material in a better form. |
c. Gun-making. A bar or ridge of metal made on each barrel of a double-barrelled gun, and serving to connect the two.
| 1815 Sporting Mag. XLVI. 119 The construction of gun⁓locks, and elevated ribs. 1881 Greener Gun 267 Commoner ribs also are used, that is, either scelp twist, or plain iron, and there is not so much care taken to insure the rib being tapered, levelled [etc.]. |
d. A raised ridge in a knitted stocking, cloth, or the like.
Derby rib (see
quot. 1829).
| 1829 Glover Hist. Derby I. 242 Messrs. Jedediah Strutt and William Woollatt,..in the year 1758, produced a machine for making ribbed stockings. This was termed the Derby rib. 1834–6 Encycl. Metrop. (1845) VIII. 748/2 An additional looping, which..raises the rib above the plain intervals. 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 653 Needles are only placed where ribs or stripes are to be formed. |
e. Bookbinding. One of the raised bands upon the back of a book, serving as a covering for the cords and as an ornament.
| 1875 Knight Dict. Mech. 1935/2. |
8. a. Conch. A salient ridge upon a shell.
| c 1711 Petiver Gazophyl. Dec. vi. 2/1 A sort of Winckle-trope with Ribs finely chained. 1815 Burrow Conchol. 34 Costæ, ribs; keel-like processes reaching from the apex to the periphery of the shell. 1849 Murchison Siluria 211 A new species with two raised ribs in front. |
b. Bot. A prominent line or ridge upon any part of a plant, a fruit, etc. (Ogilvie, 1882.)
III. 9. Naut. a. One of the curved frame-timbers of a ship, extending from the keel to the top of the hull, upon which the planking of the side is nailed; also, in later use, a piece of strong iron-work serving the same purpose.
| 1553 Douglas's æneis i. p. xii, The storme ouerset [the ship], raif rebbis and syde semes. 1564 Rastell Confut. Jewel's Serm. 131 b, No boerde or rybb of the broken shipp. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. i. i. 29 Vailing her high top lower then her ribs. 1617 Moryson Itin. iii. 79 Their ships..are generally made large in the ribs. 1665 Manley Grotius' Low C. Wars 751 This victory of the Zelanders with so small loss, which happened because the ribs of their Ships were more solid and compact. 1762 Falconer Shipwr. ii. 260 The ribs, oppress'd by ponderous cannon, groan. 1799 J. Robertson Agric. Perth 236 Scotch oak..is found to snap over when used as ribs to a ship. 1810 Crabbe Borough i. 82 See the long keel,..See the strong ribs which form the roomy side. 1877 Bryant Sella 217 Bones of men Shipwrecked, and mighty ribs of foundered barks. |
b. ribs of the parrel,
ribs and trucks (see
quots.).
| 1627 Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. v. 20 Parrels are little round Balls called Trucks, and little peeces of wood called ribs, and ropes. 1644 H. Manwayring Seaman's Dict. 83 Those little long wooden peeces which..doe belong to the Parrells of the yards, are called the Ribbs of the Parrells. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine s.v. Parrel, There are four different sorts of parrels, one of which is formed..of a rope communicating with an assemblage of ribs and trucks. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Ribs and Trucks, used figuratively for fragments. Ibid., Ribs of a Parrel,..the ribs were pieces of wood, each about one foot in length, having two holes in them through which the two parts of the parrel-rope are reeved with a bull's-eye between. |
10. Building.
a. A piece of timber forming part of the framework or roof of a house; in
mod. dial., a purlin.
| 1378 Durh. Halm. Rolls (Surtees) 149 De cujus meremio sunt in manu Johannis fil. Rog. x spars et ribs. 1618 ? Dekker Owles Almanacke 56 The ribbes of tottring houses must be coated with a new paint against the christning of the next childe. 1648 Hexham, Ribben-lage, the Ribs or the Crosse-beames of a house. 1840 Parker Gloss. Archit., Ribs of Timber, a term applied in some districts to the purlins of the roof. 1869 Peacock Gloss. Lonsdale, Ribs, stout pieces of timber laid on the principals of a roof, and on which the spars are fastened. |
b. An arch supporting a vault; one or other of the transverse or oblique arches by which a compound vault is sustained; the edge or groin of two intersecting arches in a vault. Also, in later use, a projecting band or moulding on a groin or ceiling (whether vaulted or flat), or on some other architectural feature.
| 1726 Leoni Alberti's Archit. I. 55 The Ancients..made their Ribs of..Bricks, and..advise to fill up the interspaces of..Vaults with the lightest Stone. 1819 Scott Ivanhoe xvii, The ribs of two of these arches remained, though the roof had fallen down betwixt them. 1849 Ruskin Sev. Lamps ii. §7. 33 In the vaulting of a Gothic roof it is no deceit to throw the strength into the ribs of it. 1859 Gwilt Encycl. Archit. (ed. 4) 835 In the simple groin, the arches or ribs, and diagonal rib, carry the vaulting, a rebate being formed at the lower part of the ribs on which the vaulting lies. 1870 F. R. Wilson Ch. Lindisf. 63 The plaster work between the ribs of the roof is colored blue. |
| Comb. 1874 J. T. Micklethwaite Mod. Par. Churches 214 The rib-and-panel vault is, however, much less costly. |
† c. The haunch or flank of an
arch. Obs.—1| 1726 Leoni Alberti's Archit. I. 53 An Arch is..a conjunction of a number of wedges, whereof..those on the sides [are called] the Turn, or Ribs of the Arch. |
d. One of a set of arched wooden trusses used for the centering of a bridge; one of a set of parallel timbers or iron beams (whether arched or flat) serving to carry a bridge.
| 1735 J. Price Stone-Br. Thames 7 One of the Ribs, to carry the Planks, whereon the Arch is to lie. 1836 Penny Cycl. V. 413/1 The first iron bridge built in England..consists of one arch upwards of 100 ft. wide, composed of five ribs. 1842 Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. V. 279/1 Each tubular rib is composed of 23 pieces. Ibid., These keys enabled us..to set the ribs with great precision. 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator I. 108 Each of these girders rests immediately on a pile, so that the bridge is supported by seven ribs. |
e. One of the curved pieces of stone-, timber-, or iron-work which form the framework of a dome.
| 1766 in Entick London IV. 205 The spandrels.., having large planes between the stone ribs, are capable of further ornaments of painting. 1842 Gwilt Encycl. Archit. §2049 The dome is boarded from the base upwards, hence the ribs are fixed horizontally at near distances to each other. 1879 Cassell's Techn. Educ. II. 138 The ribs..are alternated by narrower ones,..the main ribs being constructed of five thicknesses of timber. |
11. a. A bar or rod (of wood or iron) serving to strengthen or support a structure. Also
fig.| a 1547 Surrey æneid ii. 141 Of clinched ribbes of firre This hors was made. 1589 Pasquil's Return B ij, One of the first Lawes that Romulus layd, as a ribbe of yron into his gouernment. 1599 Shakes. Much Ado iv. i. 153 Confirm'd, confirm'd, O That is stronger made Which was before barr'd vp with ribs of iron. 1646 Evelyn Diary 23 Mar., He consulted to remove the whole wall by binding it about with ribs of iron and timber. 1748 Anson's Voy. iii. x. 415 The sails are made of matt, strengthened every three feet by an horizontal rib of bamboo. 1823 J. Badcock Dom. Amusem. 152 The boiler is to have ribs of wood, like small joists, fastened at half way from its bottom, about two inches thick, and three or four inches apart. 1827 Q. Jrnl. Sci. XXIV. 168 A kind of wicker basket..fixed in the earth by means of the points of the ribs of the wicker work. |
b. A bar of a grate or the like. Now only
Sc. and
north. dial.| 1651 Jer. Taylor Holy Dying iii. ix. §1 We should have..thought the Grid-iron fairer than the spondæ, the ribs of a marital bed. 1823 J. Badcock Dom. Amusem. 100 A wooden stand, which has several ribs across to sustain the tobacco. 1826 Galt Lairds xxxii, Ye wad see the ane fizz and flee away frae the ither up the lum, or out at the ribs. 1895 ‘Sarah Tytler’ Macdonald Lass x. 125 Balancing her egg-pan on the ribs of the grate. |
c. One of the two horizontal iron bars of a printing-press upon which or in the grooves of which the carriage supporting the bed slides on its way towards the platen.
| 1683 Moxon Mech. Exerc., Printing iv. 51 The Ribs lye within a Frame of four Foot five Inches long, one Foot eleven Inches broad. 1688 Holme Armoury iii. xxi. (Roxb.) 256/1 A Rib... This is a foure square Iron flat at the ends to be nailed on the wooden ribs for the cramp Irons at the bottom of the coffin to run ouer them. 1727–38 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Printing, On this carriage, which sustains the plank, are nailed two long iron-bars, or ribs. 1825 J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 296 The manner in which the wheels run in rebates or recesses in the edges of the ribs. 1845 Encycl. Metrop. VIII. 774/2 Beneath the plank of the carriage, cramp irons..are nailed, which slide upon two long iron bars or ribs. |
d. dial. (See
quots.)
| 1814 Pegge Suppl. Grose, Ribs, bindings in hedges. Kent. 1887 Parish & Shaw Dict. Kent Dial. s.v., Ribs are done up into bundles, with two wiffs, and are used for lighting fires and making raddle-fences. |
e. Aeronaut. A structural member in an aerofoil, positioned more or less fore-and-aft and serving to define the contour of the aerofoil and sometimes also as part of the load-bearing structure.
| 1888 [see propeller 3 c]. 1919 H. Shaw Text-bk. Aeronaut. ix. 109 The chief function of the ribs is to give the wing its correct shape, while they also serve as compression members between the two spars, and as a framework for the attachment of the fabric. 1941 N. H. Anderson Aircraft Layout & Detail Design ii. 24 The term ‘skewed rib’ is applied to a rib that is bent inboard or outboard along its line of intersection on a spar. 1965 C. N. Van Deventer Introd. Gen. Aeronaut. vii. 141/2 The ribs are secured to the spars, and since they are curved they give the wing its familiar aerodynamic shape when it is covered with a ‘skin’ of aluminium alloy. 1966 D. Stinton Anat. Aeroplane xi. 206 Ribs may be built up like frames, be light as formers, or be made like bulkheads. |
12. a. One of the curved pieces of wood forming the body of a lute or the sides of a violin.
| 1676 Mace Mus. Monum. 49 Then again observe the Number of Ribbs [in a lute]... Next, what Wood is Best for the Ribbs. 1839 Penny Cycl. XIV. 203/2 The body or belly, of the same wood or cedar, constructed of nine convex ribs joined. 1884 Heron-Allen Violin-making 287 To prevent the ribs from sticking to the mould if..the glue should run anywhere but on the blocks. |
b. One of the strips of whalebone or stout metal wires composing the framework of an umbrella or sunshade.
| 1716 Gay Trivia i. 213 Let Persian Dames th' Umbrella's Ribs display To guard their Beauties from the sunny Ray. 1771 Jefferson Writ. (1892) I. 395 A large umbrella with brass ribs. 1843 Penny Cycl. XXV. 500/2 In umbrellas of the ordinary construction the ends of the ribs are connected with the fixed ring upon the end of the stick. 1887 Times 27 Aug. 10/2 Japan imported..umbrella ribs to the value of {pstlg}9,769. |
c. One of the hoops which serve to form the folds in organ-bellows.
| 1881 W. E. Dickson Organ-Build. vi. 72 Organ-bellows..consist of..the middle board, the top board or table, and the feeder, and of thin plates of wood called ribs. Ibid. 75 The upper ribs of the reservoir are in a position the reverse of that of the lower ribs. |
IV. attrib. and
Comb. 13. a. Attributive, in sense 1, as
rib-bacon,
rib-bone,
rib-cartilage,
rib-chop,
rib-coat,
rib-end,
rib-lever,
rib-steak; also
rib-beads,
sign (see
quots.);
rib-cage, the chamber formed by the ribs and their connecting tissues, which contains the lungs, heart, etc.; also
fig.;
rib-eye N. Amer., a cut (
cf. eye n.1 16 e) of meat that lies along the outer side of the rib (of beef-cattle);
usu. attrib., as
rib-eye muscle,
rib steak.
| 1681 in Wood Life (O.H.S.) II. 520 *Rib-bacon, by the pound, 6d. |
| 1897 Allbutt's Syst. Med. III. 124 Other marks of rickets such as *rib beads, grooves and cartilage proliferation. |
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. ix. 34 Kynde..made man,..And Eue of his *ribbe-bon. 14.. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 632 Spondilia, rybbebone. 1769 Richardson De Foe's Tour Gt. Brit. (ed. 7) I. 4 A Rib-bone of a large Whale. 1816 Scott Old Mort. xliii, This second notch was made in the rib-bone of an impious villain. |
| 1909 Daily Chron. 9 July 9/4 By any outward pressure about the waist, the diaphragm is hampered in its movement, and breathing becomes costal; that is, a woman then breathes only within her chest or *rib-cage. 1932 W. Faulkner Light in August x. 212 Feeling..his white chest arch deeper and deeper within his ribcage. 1959 Times 17 Aug. 10/6 The builder showed me some of the points of a racing pigeon... The full rib-cage inside which the heart and lungs generated the energy for sustained flight. 1978 J. Irving World according to Garp i. 25 There were two waist gunners tucked into the rib cage of the plane. |
| 1899 Allbutt's Syst. Med. VI. 78 It might be necessary to remove one or more *rib cartilages. |
| 1936 *Rib chop [see best a. 5]. 1979 Lore & Lang. Jan. 29 Rib chops. |
| c 1720 Gibson Farrier's Guide i. iii. (1738) 24 A double Membrane arising from the Pleura or *Rib-coat. |
| 1851 H. Melville Moby Dick II. xxxix. 259 So did this old whale leave his aged bulk, and now and then partly turning over on his cumbrous *rib-ends, expose..the unnatural stump of his starboard fin. 1979 Lore & Lang. Jan. 27 Rib end of sirloin. |
| 1926 Nat. Provisioner 3 Feb. 10/1 Roast-ready rib is prepared..starting at a fixed point determined by measuring off 3 in. from extreme outer tip of *rib-eye muscle at 12th rib. 1943 P. T. Ziegler Meat we Eat xvi. 251 The quartering is done by inserting the knife at the desired spot below the rib eye muscle. Ibid. 255 A recent practice is to cut out the rib eye of the better grades of ribs and serve them as club steak. 1966 A. Hawkins Steak Book (end-paper), Club steak. Country Club steak. Delmonico steak. Ribeye steak. 1974 Greenville (S. Carolina) News Piedmont 20 Apr. 5/1 (Advt.), 4 oz. Ribeye steak... 59c. 1978 Chicago June 229/1 Recommended: the special rib-eye steak and the Lithuanian roast duck. |
| 1891 C. L. Morgan Anim. Sk. 197 By the movement of the *rib-levers the body [of a serpent] is drawn forwards. |
| 1898 Allbutt's Syst. Med. V. 758 Dr. William Ewart regards what he calls the ‘first *rib sign’ as important in the diagnosis of considerable pericardial effusion. |
| 1922 Joyce Ulysses 659 On the middle shelf..a small dish containing a slice of fresh *rib-steak. 1976 Columbus (Montana) News (Joliet Suppl.) 27 May 3/4 (Advt.), Rib steak..lb. $1.69. |
b. Objective, etc., in sense 1, as
rib-bearing,
rib-breaking,
rib-poking,
rib-sticking;
rib-grated,
rib-mauled,
rib-supported,
rib-like adjs.;
rib-bender, a severe blow on the ribs;
rib-digger, a person given to light-hearted banter; so
rib-digging ppl. a.;
rib-tickler, that which amuses; a joke or aphorism; hence
rib-tickling ppl. a.| 1839–47 Todd's Cycl. Anat. III. 825/2 The *rib-bearing vertebræ of the Fish. |
| 1861 H. Rhys Theatr. Trip through Canada & U.S. xii. 108 He was licked in five minutes by as many of Morrissey's *rib-benders. 1887 Daily News 24 June 2/2 Fippen..now took a most decided lead and delivered some good rib-benders. 1901 G. B. Shaw Admirable Bashville ii. 311 My calling hath apprenticed me to pangs. This is a rib-bender; but I can bear it. |
| 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. i. ii. 151 Is there yet another doates vpon *rib-breaking? |
| 1925 H. J. Laski Let. 28 Apr. in Holmes–Laski Lett. (1953) I. 737 In a very different genus, Love by the Countess von Arnim which seemed to me devilish clever, with a sly *rib-digging quality not unworthy of Jane Austen. |
| a 1892 Tennyson Leper's Bride viii. 3 This poor *rib-grated dungeon of the holy human ghost. |
| 1870 Rolleston Anim. Life 44 *Rib-like ossifications of the intermuscular aponeuroses are attached to the neural arches. 1881 Trans. Obstet. Soc. XXII. 74 The interval between the converging spinal columns is filled in by single rib-like bones. |
| 1871 Browning Balaust. 1952 *Rib-mauled, before he let the woman go. |
| 1888 Catholic Press 9 June 103/1 Some are foolish after a smiling and *rib-poking fashion. |
| 1829 Sporting Mag. XXIII. 205 Their [hounds] food should have less ‘*rib-sticking’ qualities. |
| 1871 Darwin Desc. Man ii. xii. (1890) 355 The little lizards of the genus Draco, which glide through the air on their *rib-supported parachutes. |
| 1933 P. Godfrey Back-Stage vii. 98 By the introduction of ‘stage business’..the skilled comedian can transform very thin stuff into a real ‘*rib-tickler’. 1963 Times Lit. Suppl. 24 May 379/2 He does include some real rib-ticklers. 1976 M. Millar Ask for me Tomorrow viii. 66 ‘Isn't that a funny idea?’ ‘A real rib-tickler.’ |
| 1936 J. L. Hodson Our Two Englands vi. 108 This centre for providing violent or exquisite or *rib-tickling emotions has a Fun-house resembling a super-modern factory. 1977 It June 26/4 Your old pal has written this rib-tickling tale specially for jubilee freaks all. |
c. In specific names of animals, etc., having rib-like markings (see
quots.).
| 1781 Pennant Quad. I. 107 marg., *Rib-faced [Deer]. 1817 Raffles Java I. 49 The rib-faced and axis deer. 1874 Jerdon Mammals India 265 The Rib-faced deer is found in all the thick jungles and forests of India. |
| 1897 Watts-Dunton Aylwin (1900) 93/2 A blue-faced *rib-nosed baboon. |
| 1832 J. Rennie Consp. Butterfl. & M. 147 The *Rib-striped Snout. |
| 1711 Petiver Gazophyl. 8/2 *Rib-welted Limington Tellen. |
14. a. Attrib., in sense 10, as
† rib-resen (
reason n.2);
rib-moulding,
rib-shaft,
rib-stone,
rib-vaulting, etc. Also
rib-pointed adj.| c 1340 Nominale (Skeat) 445 Treefs et guenchisons, bemes and ribresenes. |
| 1822 Ware in Gwilt Encycl. Arch. (1859) 836 On comparing rib-pointed vaulting with Roman vaulting [etc.]. 1837 Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. I. 57/2 This archway is composed of thirteen columns and rib-mouldings. 1848 Rickman Styles Archit. App. p. xiv, This tower has quoins and rib-stones like Barton-on-Humber. 1850 T. Inkersley Styles Roman. & Pointed Archit. France 308 The transverse rib-shaft, the diagonal on each side, and the wall-rib. 1859 Gwilt Encycl. Arch. (ed. 4) 837 The construction..is totally different from rib vaulting. |
b. Attrib., in sense 7 d, as
rib-bar,
rib-hosiery,
rib-knit,
rib-needle,
rib-stitch,
rib-weave, etc.
| 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 653 The whole of the rib-bar is not fitted with needles like the other. Ibid. 654 A small iron slider is placed behind the rib-needles. 1884 Knight Dict. Mech. Suppl., Rib Fabric Machine, a knitting machine adapted to make the rib stitch. Ibid., Rib-top Machine, a knitting machine adapted to make rib-tops of hosiery. 1892 Pall Mall G. 6 Aug. 2/3 Arkwright's rollers have perhaps played a larger part in the world than Strutt's rib hosiery machine. 1964 McCall's Sewing iv. 51/2 The Rib Weave which has ribbed or corded effects in either the warp or filling direction is another variation of the plain weave. 1968 J. Ironside Fashion Alphabet 247 A rib knit (i.e. purl and plain) fabric is much more elastic than a plain knit. Ibid. 261 Rib weave: the ribbed effect is obtained by using thicker or doubled yarn in one direction. 1973 Guardian 10 Apr. 13/2 Cape faced with chunky ribknit. |
c. Misc. combs.:
rib-cloud;
rib-chair (see
quot.);
rib-furrowing,
-ploughing,
= ribbing vbl. n.;
rib-joint U.S. slang, (
a) a brothel; (
b) a restaurant serving pork ribs and other ‘soul food’;
rib-randing Basketry (see
quot. 1953); also (as back-formation)
rib-rand vb. trans.;
rib-roll n., a farm roller with a ribbed or hooped surface; hence as
v. trans.;
rib-saw (see
quot.);
rib-stall, a set of wall-bars for physical exercises;
rib-wall (see sense 5 c).
| 1877 Thrupp Hist. Coaches 75 The *Rib Chair was a similar vehicle [to the whisky], but without springs. |
| 1868 G. M. Hopkins Jrnls. & Papers (1959) 170 At sunset featherbed sky with a fluffy and jointed *rib-cloud. |
| 1805 Dickson Pract. Agric. I. 579 This in some places is termed by farmers *rib-furrowing. |
| 1943 M. Shulman Barefoot Boy with Cheek xx. 192 One night Scott became involved in a fracas in a Minneapolis *rib joint. 1965 C. Colter in A. Chapman New Black Voices (1972) 70 Forty-third Street,..the street of rib joints and taverns. 1975 Amer. Speech 1969 XLIV. 91 The great majority represent middle-class restaurants. There are a few exceptions: a few drugstores, ‘rib-joints’, snack bars, and a couple of ‘soul food’ places in the black ghetto. |
| 1811 Keith Agric. Aberdeen 233 They are broke up from grass by what is called a *rib-ploughing. |
| 1912 T. Okey Introd. Art of Basket-Making ix. 92 *Rib-randing..is used..where it is desirable to break the monotony of a deep space of simple randing. 1953 A. G. Knock Willow Basket-Work (ed. 5) 17 Rib-Randing. This is produced by carrying the randing rod in front of two stakes instead of one, as in ordinary randing. 1959 D. Wright Baskets & Basketry ii. 36 Rib-randing..must be worked over a number of stakes not divisible by three. The close weave is useful on lids. |
| Ibid. iv. 125 *Rib-rand the ball..finishing with a round of pairing. |
| 1969 G. E. Evans Farm & Village 176 *Rib-roll, land roller with corrugated surface. 1971 Arable Farmer Feb. 29/2 The crop is not rib rolled until the peas have chitted and are just coming through. |
| 1794 Rigging & Seamanship 152 *Rib-saw is a long narrow saw used in a pit. |
| 1908 Mosquito Dec. 2 The heart of the Games' Mistress still yearns after some more *ribstalls, a Norwegian ladder, and a bench for remedial work. |
| 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 981 The upper coals are then begun to be worked, next the *rib-wall. |
Add:
[I.] [2.] b. Pottery. An implement (made
orig. of bone) for shaping or smoothing the surface of the piece being made.
| 1825, 1832 [see profile n. 6]. 1880 C. A. Janvier Pract. Keramics v. 55 He presses the bottom of the plate with an instrument called a profile, or rib, which..gives the exact profile of the outside of the plate. 1940 B. Leach Potter's Bk. iv. 72 The fingers of the left hand press outwards and upwards on the inside of the..pot and are supported on the outside..by a wooden rib if a smooth surface is required. 1964 H. Hodges Artifacts i. 27 This may be done by hand, but more commonly a curved piece of wood or bone, called a rib, is used. 1977 R. Fournier Illustr. Dict. Pract. Pottery (rev. ed.) 192/1 Ribs often have one flat and one curved edge and are made of a flat sheet of a rigid material. |
▪ II. † rib, n.2 Obs. Forms: 1, 3
ribbe, 5
ryb(be.
[OE. ribbe fem., prob. f. rib rib n.1 Cf. Gotland dial. sur-ribbor, leaves of dock or sorrel.] a. Hound's-tongue.
b. Ribwort.
Halliwell gives ‘
Rib,..the common water-cress.
East.’ There appears to be no other evidence for this.
| c 825 Epinal Gloss. 184 Canis lingua, ribbae. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. I. 210 Ðas wyrte þe man cynoglossam & oðrum naman ribbe nemneþ. c 1050 Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 362 Canis lingua, ribbe, hundestunge. |
| c 1265 Voc. Plants in Wr.-Wülcker 556 Lanceolata, launceleie, ribbe. c 1450 M.E. Med. Bk. (Heinrich) 176 Weybrode, rybbe, brusewort. Ibid. 227 Tak auence,..herbe water, weybrode, ryb, confyry. 1483 Cath. Angl. 306/2 Rybbe; herba est. |
▪ III. † rib, n.3 Obs. In 4, 6
ribbe, 5
rybbe,
ryb.
[= MLG. ribbe-, ribbîsern (LG. ribbe-îsen, -îsder), G. rippe: see rib v.2] A flat iron tool used for cleaning flax after the breaking process.
| c 1340 Nominale (Skeat) 523 Rastel, martel, et rastuere, Rake, hamur, and ribbe. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 432/2 Rybbe, ynstrument, rupa. 1483 Cath. Angl. 306/2 A Ryb for lyne. 1530 Palsgr. 262/2 Ribbe for flaxe. |
▪ IV. rib, v.1 [f. rib n.1 Cf. MDu. rebben, LG. ribben, G. rippen; Sw. ribba to lath.] 1. a. trans. To furnish or strengthen with ribs; to enclose as with ribs.
| a 1547 Surrey æneid ii. 235 Which masse he willed to be reared hye Toward the skies, and ribbed all with oke. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. ii. vii. 51 It were too grose To rib her searecloath in the obscure graue. 1611 ― Cymb. iii. i. 19 Your Isle, which stands As Neptunes Parke, ribb'd, and pal'd in With Oakes vnskaleable. 1618 Fletcher Loyal Subj. i. i, Never arms more Shall rib this body in, nor sword hang here, sir. 1725 Pope Odyss. v. 321 So large he [Ulysses] built the raft; then ribb'd it strong From space to space. 1766 in Entick London IV. 207 He only ribbed the outward Cupola. 1791 E. Darwin Bot. Gard. i. 178 The diving castles..Ribb'd with strong oak. 1858 Greener Gunnery 244 A fresh Act in 1815, by which parties receiving any barrel to rib, stock, &c. 1887 Bowen Virg. æneid ii. 16 The Achæan chieftains..build them a horse, Vast as a mountain, and rib it with timbers sawn from the pine. |
| fig. 1657 W. Morice Coena quasi κοινὴ x. 117 As if they would ribbe or buttress the former Argument. |
b. To form the ribs of (a ship).
| 1791 Cowper Yardley Oak 95 Solid contents, That might have ribb'd the sides and plank'd the deck Of some flagg'd admiral. |
2. a. To mark with rib-like ridges; to form or shape into ridges.
| a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 76 A garment of Clothe of Siluer, of Damaske, ribbed wyth Clothe of Golde. 1817 Shelley Rev. Islam vi. xlvi, The wide sky..was ribbed overhead By the black rafters. 1862 Thornbury Turner I. 281 Brown lines of ink that quite rib the paper. 1871 C. Kingsley At Last v, The background of mountain, ribbed and gullied..by the tropic rains. |
| refl. 1877 Blackmore Cripps ii, The slimy dips of the path began to rib themselves, like the fronds of fern. |
b. Agric. To plough (land), leaving a space between the furrows; to rafter or half-plough.
| 1735 in Agric. Peeblesshire 155 That no ground be brunt..at all except what is ribb'd. 1799 Robertson Agric. Perth 134 The farmers have a practice..of ribbing their land, i.e. they turn up and leave a furrow alternately. 1832 Scoreby Farm Rep. 4 in L.U.K., Husb. III, When the land is in good order, one horse will rib about three acres a day. 1851 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XII. i. 124 It would be found advantageous to rib or half-plough the land across in autumn. |
† 3. (See
quot.)
Obs.—0| 1688 Holme Armoury iii. 105/2 Terms used by the Fletchers or Arrow-Makers... Ribbing [the feathers] is cutting the side skirts away. |
4. a. colloq. (now
dial.). To beat (one) on the ribs. (So
LG. ribben.)
| 1723 S. Centlivre Man's Bewitched iii, An I catch you out of this house, by the Mass I'll rib you. 1773 Ainsworth's Lat. Dict. v, Prælumbo, to beat well about the loins, to rib one. |
b. To discredit; to incriminate.
U.S. slang. rare.
| 1926 Clues Nov. 162/1 Rib, to frame up. 1929 Hostetter & Beesley It's a Racket! 236 Rib, to talk about anyone, to talk slander about anyone. 1935 Amer. Speech X. 52/2 To rib (to discredit). |
c. To annoy or threaten; to put pressure on (someone).
U.S. slang. rare.
| 1929 D. Hammett Red Harvest iv. 49 If Max Thaler means anything to you, you ought to pass him the word that Noonan's trying to rib him. |
d. To fool or dupe; to tease; to make fun of (someone or something). Also
absol. slang (
orig. U.S.).
| 1930 Amer. Mercury Dec. 457/2 Rib, v., to beguile. ‘We rib the sap that it's McCoy and he goes for it.’ 1934 J. O'Hara Appointment in Samarra (1935) 98 Mr. Robert Hermann is in his best form, ribbing me about last night. 1938 New York Panorama xi. 262 Armstrong..could take a pop tune and reinterpret it, often ribbing (satirizing) it. 1941 K. Tennant Battlers xiii. 143 The busker pricked up his ears when he heard the merry-go-round owner ‘ribbing’ Fosdick on the number of lodgers he was taking in nightly. 1942 Sun (Baltimore) 2 Feb. 8/4 I've been here about a year and every once in a while I get ‘ribbed’ about Baltimore. 1955 L. P. Hartley Perfect Woman viii. 78 When the chaps rib her she doesn't quite know how to act up. 1958 J. Wain Contenders 30 Baxter just thought I was ribbing him. 1960 ‘N. Shute’ Trustee from Toolroom 294 Quit ribbing, Sol. 1967 H. Storey in Coast to Coast 1965–6 203 One of the neighbours had ribbed him about ‘being on the bottle’. 1972 M. Williams Inside Number 10 xii. 303 Jim Callaghan has always been very charming to me, though I won't say that once I began to work for Harold I was not often ribbed and left with the odd, slightly acid remark ringing in my ears. 1976 Times Lit. Suppl. 31 Dec. 1640/3 [Ben] Jonson was ribbed on more than one occasion for daring to put forth his collected works even before he could have been called middle-aged. |
5. intr. To branch
off, as ribs from the spine.
| 1880 Sir S. Lakeman Kaffir-land 95 A deep glen between the stony ridges that ribbed off from the water-kloof heights. |
▪ V. † rib, v.2 Obs. Also 4
rebbe.
[f. rib n.3, or a. Du. and LG. ribben, G. rippen.] trans. To rub or scrape (flax or hemp) with a flat iron tool in order to remove the particles of core adhering to it after the process of breaking.
| 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. x. 81 Boþe to karde and to kembe,..To rubbe [v.r. ribbe] and to rely. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvii. xcvii. (Bodl. MS.), Flexe is..yrebbid & hecheled & ispunne. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 433/1 Rybbyn flax, hempe, or oþer lyke, metaxo. 1483 Cath. Angl. 306/2 To Ryb lyne; costare, ex-, nebridare. |