Obsolete English thieves' cant for woods, hedges, or bushy terrain — the kind of rough countryside useful for hiding, ambushing travellers, or evading pursuit. Documented in 16th and 17th century canting dictionaries. Part of the rich vocabulary of Elizabethan and Jacobean criminal argot.
They lay in the ruffmans until the road was clear.
No comments yet — say something.
(obsolete, UK, thieves) Woods, hedges or bushes.
No comments yet — say something.
Add your own interpretation of "ruffmans".
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.