or royster doister, royster, roisterer, &c., subs. (old).—(1) A swaggerer (B. E., GROSE); and (2) a frolic. Whence as verb. (also ROIST) = to swagger; ROISTING (ROISTERING, ROISTERLY, or ROISTEROUS) = uproarious.

1

  1553.  UDALL, ROISTER DOISTER, The Prologue.

        Which against the vayne glorious doth inuey,
Whose humour the ROYSTING sort continually doth feede.

2

  1577.  W. HARRISON, The Description of England, 149. They ruffle and ROIST it out.

3

  1602.  SHAKESPEARE, Troilus and Cressida, ii. 2, 208.

        I have a ROISTING challenge sent amongst
The dull and factious nobles of the Greeks.

4

  1630.  R. C., The Times’ Whistle [E.E.T.S.], 60, l. 1819.

        Th[e]y must not part till they have drunk a barrell,
Or straight this ROYSTER will begin to quarrell.

5

  1749.  SMOLLETT, Gil Blas [ROUTLEDGE], 175. This is beyond all bearing, screamed out the young ROYSTER.

6

  1809.  IRVING, Knickerbocker History of New-York, 92. An honest, social race of jolly ROYSTERS, who had no objection to a drinking bout and were very merry in their cups. Ibid., 348. A gang of merry ROISTERING devils.

7

  1843.  CARLYLE, Past and Present, ii. 15. ROYSTEROUS young dogs; carolling, howling, breaking the Lord Abbot’s sleep.

8

  1855.  TENNYSON, Maud, xiv. 2.

        And her brother lingers late
With a ROYSTERING company.
    Ibid. (1859), Geraint and Enid.
And midmost of a rout of ROISTERERS,
Femininely fair and dissolutely pale.

9