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Brewer's: Road

Gentlemen of the road or Knights of the road. Highwaymen. In the latter a double pun is implied. A first-class highwayman, like Robin Hood, is a “Colossus of Roads.” King of Roads [Rhodes…

Brewer's: Rob Roy

[Robert the Red]. A nickname given to Robert M'Gregor, who assumed the name of Campbell when the clan M'Gregor was outlawed by the Scotch Parliament in 1662. He may be termed the Robin…

Brewer's: Robert

King Robert of Sicily. A metrical romance of the Trouveur, taken from the Story of the Emperor Jovinian in the Gesta Romanorum, and borrowed from the Talmud. It finds a place in the…

Brewer's: Ruddock

The redbreast, “sacred to the household gods.” The legend says if a redbreast finds a dead body in the woods it will “cover it with moss.” Drayton alludes to this tradition Covering with…

Brewer's: Scarlet

Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow (Isa. i. 18). The allusion is to the scarlet fillet tied round the head of the scapegoat. Though your sins be as scarlet as…

Brewer's: Magpie

A contraction of magotpie, or magata-pie. “Mag” is generally thought to be a contraction of Margaret; thus we have Robin red-breast, Tom-tit, Philip —i.e. a sparrow, etc. “Augurs and…

Brewer's: Pixies

(2 syl.). The Devonshire Robin Goodfellows; said to be the spirits of infants who have died before baptism. The Pixy monarch holds his court like Titania, and sends his subjects on their…