A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1502-1528
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Ruffy, -é, n.1 [Var., with altered ending, of Ruffin n.2] A fiend or devil. See also Ragman n.2 for further instances. b. One playing the part of a fiend in the festivities connected with St. Nicholas Day, s.v. Nic(h)olas. — 1528 Lynd. Dreme 285.
Sum repentit neuer in thare lyue: Quhairfor, but reuth tha ruffeis did thame ryue —b. 1502 Treasurer's Accounts II 350.
Be the kingis command, to Sanct Nicholais beschop, iij Franch crounis; … to the deblatis and ruffyis, vij s. 1507 Ib. IV 87.
To Sanct Nicholas, beschop of the Canongait, … to his ruffyis
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"Ruffy n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 14 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/ruffy_n_1>
