or -blade, -girl, -lad, -ruffian, &c., or roarer, subs. phr. (old).—A street bully: late 16th and 17th centuries: also OATMEAL (q.v.) and TERRIBLE-BOY (q.v.). Also ROAR, verb. = to riot; to swagger; ROARING = riotous. As adv. = extravagantly, noisily, superbly.—B. E. (c. 1696); GROSE (1785).

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  c. 1600.  The Brave English Gypsey [COLLIER, Roxburghe Ballads (1847), 185].

        Our knackers make no noise;
We are no ROARING BOYES.

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  1603.  DEKKER, London’s Tempe. The gallant ROARS; ROARERS drink oathes and gall.

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  1609.  SHAKESPEARE, Tempest, i. 1. What care these ROARERS for the name of King?

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  1610.  BEAUMONT and FLETCHER, Philaster, v. 4. We are thy myrmidons, thy guard, thy ROARERS. Ibid. (1616), The Scornful Lady, ii. 3. Two ROARING BOYS of Rome that made all split.

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  1611.  MIDDLETON, THE ROARING GIRL [Title]. Ibid. (1617), A Faire Quarrell, v. i. I saw a youth, a gentlemun, a ROARER.

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  c. 1620.  The Court and Times of James the First [T. L. KINGTON-OLIPHANT, The New English, ii. 58. The new cant word ROARING BOY comes up in p. 322].

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  1630.  TAYLOR (‘The Water Poet’), Workes [NARES].

        Virago ROARING GIRLES, that to their middle,
To know what sexe they were, vvas halfe a Riddle.

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  1640.  HUMPHREY MILL, The Nights Search, 8, 42. Two ROARING BLADES being on a time in drink.

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  1640.  The Wandering Jew. ‘I am a man of the Sword; a Battoon Gallant, one of our Dammees, a bouncing Boy, a kicker of Bawdes, a tyrant over Puncks, a terrour to Fencers, a mewer of Playes, a jeerer of Poets, a gallon-pot-flinger; in rugged English, a ROARER.’

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  1658.  ROWLEY, The Witch of Edmonton, i. 2. One of the country ROARING-LADS: we have such as well as the city, and as arrant rake-hells as they are.

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  1659.  MASSINGER, The City Madam, iii.

        I know them, swaggering, SUBURBIAN ROARERS,
Sixpenny truckers.

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  1664.  COTTON, Scarronides, or, Virgil Travestie (1st ed.), 10. A Crew of drunken ROARING RUFFINS.

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  d. 1680.  ROCHESTER, Song [Poems on Several Occasions, 72].

        Room, room for a Blade of the Town
  That takes delight in ROARING.

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  1697.  VANBRUGH, The Provoked Wife, iii. 2. We’s got a’ ROARING FOW.

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  1759.  J. TOWNLEY, High Life below Stairs, i., 2. We’ll have a ROARING night.

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  1791.  BURNS, Tam O’Shanter.

        That ev’ry naig was ca’d a shoe on,
The smith and thee gat ROARING FOU on.

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  1822.  SCOTT, The Fortunes of Nigel, xvii. The tarnished doublet of bald velvet … will best suit the garb of a ROARING BOY.

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  1833.  MARRYAT, Peter Simple, II. ix. Three of our men whom he had picked up, ROARING DRUNK.

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