rope-ripe

English

Alternative forms

• roperipe

Etymology

From rope +‎ ripe.

Adjective

rope-ripe (comparative more rope-ripe, superlative most rope-ripe)

1. (obsolete, of people) Deserving of being hanged.
   • 1579, Thomas Churchyard, “A Pirates Tragedie”, in A General Rehearsall of Warres, called Churchyard's Choise‎^[1]:

     Sometymes our coyne, could stop a gappe, / And purchace pardon by a traine: / But gallows lucke, and ropripe happe, / At length was gwerdon for our paine.

   • 2016, J. A. Shea, Paul Yachnin, “The Well-Hung Shrew”, in Lynne Bruckner, Dan Brayton, editors, Ecocritical Shakespeare, →ISBN, page 120:

     As we argued already, Shakespeare's representation of the rope-ripe shrew likely was inspired by abundant accounts of the well-hanged and well-hung shrewmouse.

2. (obsolete, of actions) Punishable by being hanged.
   • 1553, Thomas Wilson, The Arte of Rhetorique‎^[2], Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1909, page 107:

     Therefore the reporting of our tale, may ſone appere plain if we firſt expreſſe our minde in plaine words, and not ſeeke theſe roperipe termes, which betraie rather a foole, then commende a wiſe man […]

   • 1611, George Chapman, May Day‎^[3], act 3, scene 1, page 29:

     Lord, how you roule in your rope-ripe termes.

Synonyms

• hangworthy, gallows-ripe; See also Thesaurus:hangworthy