rhubarbingn.
/ˈruːbɑːbɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈruˌbɑrbɪŋ/ slang.
1. Air Force. The action of participating in an opportunistic strafing mission. Cf. rhubarb n. 6. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > hostilities in the air > [noun] > air operation > type of
stooge1942
rhubarb1943
rhubarbing1943
shuttle raid1943
1943 Los Angeles Times 4 Oct. i. 12/8 Dive bombing, ‘rhubarbing’, and dog-fighting in a Lockheed Lightning for 208 combat hours..won for Lieut. Lawrence Preston Liebers, 23, a vacation.
1944 Pop. Sci. Monthly Aug. 94/1 The RAF lads who go rhubarbing in Typhoons say that no form of flying is more exhilarating.
2. Originally Theatre. Originally: the action of repeating the word ‘rhubarb’ to represent an indistinct conversation or the noise of a crowd in a theatrical production. Now also (more generally): indistinct conversation, mumbling.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > acting > [noun] > mumbling to represent crowd
rhubarbing1953
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > absence of meaning > nonsense, rubbish > unintelligible language, gibberish > [noun] > meaningless repetition > production of
parrot-prating1582
parakeetism1658
parrot prate1804
rhubarbing1953
1953 A. McQueen Let. 31 Aug. in E. Partridge Dict. Slang (1961) II. 1247/2 When a few actors gathered backstage and represented ‘noise without’ made by a mob, they intoned the sonorous word ‘rhubarb’. The action was called ‘rhubarbing’.
1989 Listener 4 May 23/3 ‘Mixed, angry crowd, shouting & screaming’—a masterpiece of wall-to-wall rhubarbing which could be used for both Ancient Egypt or Harlow New Town, 1954.
2004 Evening Standard (Nexis) 7 Oct. 38 The pub burbled with the soothing rhubarbing of other happy customers.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
rhubarbingadj.
/ˈruːbɑːbɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈruˌbɑrbɪŋ/ slang (originally Theatre).
Originally: (of an actor) that repeats the word ‘rhubarb’ so as to represent an indistinct conversation or the noise of a crowd. Now also more generally: speaking indistinctly; mumbling.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > acting > [adjective] > specific technique
Stanislavsky1924
Stanislavskian1958
methody1960
methodic1962
rhubarbing1970
1970 Times 27 Feb. 13/5 The few attempts at pageantry generally come to grief against painted backdrops, watched by a handful of rhubarbing commoners.
1980 B. Mason Solo 177 At 8 o'clock, the Chairman arrived with the speakers and the amorphous, rhubarbing hubbub of the audience concerted into frantic cheering, barracking and hooting.
2005 A. Spicer in B. McFarlane Cinema Brit. & Irel. xvi. 170 The film's depiction of the peasantry is radical. They are not the ‘rhubarbing’ villagers beloved of Hammer productions.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1943adj.1970- by the boatload
- by the book
- by the bucketload
- by the by
- by the bye
- by the cause of
- by the cause that
- by the country
- by the dint of
- by the drum
- by the ear
- by the ears
- by the elevens!
- by the eye
- by the faith of one's body
- by the faith of one's love
- by the favour of
- by the ferrups
- by the fireside
- by the first visage
- by the foot run
- by the force of
- by the full
- by the grace of god
- by the great