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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

†REGIBUS, n. Also rigibus; rainiebus (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 138), rangiebus; range-the-bus (Abd. 1904 E.D.D.) and curtailed forms regi, rigs. [′regɪbəs, ′reŋ-]

1. A boys' game between two sides, gen. involving the raiding by one side of the caps of the other (see quots.).Mry. c.1850 Lintie o' Moray (Rampini 1887) 22:
There, aft by the light o' the moon, We played regi an' a' sort o' games.Abd. 1898 A. B. Gomme Trad. Games II. 106:
Rangiebus. Sides are chosen and a line made across the play-ground. One of the sides goes up, and the other goes down, and throws their bonnets on the ground. Then one side tries to get the opposite side across the line, and crown him, and one of the opposite side tries to crown him back. If another boy can catch this player before he gets near him, he is crowned also. All the time one side is trying to take the bonnets.Abd. 1904 E.D.D.:
Regibus. A line is drawn, say, across a field, and an equal number of boys are ranged on each side of this line. The caps of each party are scattered away at a good distance from the line, and the game is to recover the caps. The boys dodge each other for a chance to cross the line. If a boy runs and picks up a cap, although caught by a boy on the other side, he goes back to his old place by giving up the cap. If he can pick up two or more before capture, one sets him free, and the others are trophies for his side. If caught before he can pick up a cap, he is a prisoner, and can only gain his liberty when some of his own side can take a cap or two, and set him free from the spot on which he was caught by touching him.Abd. 1929 Abd. Press and Jnl. (April):
Four [games] occur to me — Hockey, Shinty, Regibus, and Purrie. . . . In this game [regibus] the scholars — for it is a school game — mark off a circular spot on the play-ground, into which they put one of the stronger boys as king ofthe castle. The other boys then make a dead set at him, and when they have succeeded in pulling him out of the circle, they finish him off with a dirk.Abd. 1962 Huntly Express (12 Jan.) 6:
Chevy, regibus, my boar's free, leap-frog and fit-in-a-half were all ripping games.

2. A game where two players standing back to back lift one another alternately off the ground (Abd. 1825 Jam.. rigibus, rigs).