Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(a) a sudden display of enthusiasm, a ‘craze’.

1905		‘Hugh McHugh’ Get Next 18: The horse that Yates was doing a rave over had been dead for four years.
1936		E. Thompson ‘All the Jive Is Gone’ 🎵 The latest crave, the country’s rave is jive, jive, jive / This modern treat makes life complete: jive, jive, jive .
1962		L. Davidson Rose of Tibet 8: T.L. had been having at the time one of his not uncommon raves; on this occasion for the mental-disciplinary benefits of a classical language.
1984		C. White Life and Times of Little Richard 125: He would sometimes play with his teeth and then put the guitar behind his neck and play with his fingers. This brought raves from the audience.

(b) (US) talk, conversation.

1904		Phila. Inquirer 22 May part II 3/5–6: A ‘rave’ is any form of conversational endeavor. The office boy listens to a ‘rave’ by the boss, the humble manager harks to a star’s ‘rave,’ and less mortals are also permitted to indulge in the ‘rave’.
1984		B. Ellem Doing Time 124: I’m walking down the street talking to a friend, we’re having a rave.

(c) an obsession with someone or something.

1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.
1924		G.B. Stern Tents of Israel 240: Even if Jeanne-Marie had a rave on me, I’m not responsible.
1936		Andy Kirk ‘All the Jive is Gone’ 🎵 The latest crave, the country’s rave is jive, jive, jive.
1946		‘Josephine Tey’ Miss Pym Disposes (1957) 24: [The girls] have ‘raves.’ You know what a ‘rave’ is?’ Miss Pym nodded. ‘They swoon if Madame Lefevre [i.e. a teacher] says a kind word to them’.
1962		L. Davidson Rose of Tibet 101: ‘Well, I nearly went tonight [to the theatre] myself,’ Wragg said, ‘just to see Edward Adrian again. I had a terrific rave on him when I was a student’.
1988		(ref. to 1920s–40s) S. Humphries Secret World of Sex 200: Love for an older girl [...] referred to as a ‘crush’, a ‘pash’ or a ‘rave’.

(d) (orig. US) an extremely favourable review of a show, film, book etc.

1926		Amer. Mercury Dec. 464/2: One of the paper’s [i.e. Variety’s] coinages should be officially embraced by the dictionary and bred into the language. It refers to a flattering, enthusiastic review by a sycophantic critic as a rave.
1939		W. Winchell On Broadway 3 Oct. [synd. col.] Scallions to Warner’s press bureau for misleading the public with a quote credit to this column on its latest spy film – directly under its own ‘rave.’.
1940		L. Pound ‘Guide to Variety’ AS XV:2 205/1: raves. Excellent notices from the critics.
1958		J. Blake letter 19 June in Joint (1972) 117: Doug read a rave about it in Sat Rev of Lit.
1999		Guardian Guide 15–21 May 25: Last month’s support slot [...] at the Astoria won raves.

(e) (orig. US) any strong, negative or positive, opinion.

1905

‘Hugh McHugh’ You Can Search Me 54: Suppose our friend [...] made a rave because the jokes in the funny column were all to the ancient.

(a) an admirable individual.

1950		Pittsburgh Courier (PA) 18 Mar. 20/1: Hortense Allen has brought ‘the’ body back to the boards and is the current kick rave at the Savannah.
1959		C. MacInnes Absolute Beginners 51: Hoplite has been in business with some of the city’s top poof raves.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 169: rave (dated, fr Brit teen sl, late ’60s) subject of crucial admiration, such as a singing idol; a strong personality.

(b) (also rave-up) in the late 1950s/early 1960s, a party; the term was revived in the 1980s, with much the same meaning, although the parties concerned were often held in clubs or, in the case of the much-vilified acid house party under acid n.¹ , in disused warehouses, hangars etc.

1960		News Chronicle 16 Feb. 6: I wandered around to a rave I knew was going on in Covent Garden.
1965		(ref. to 1952) G. Melly Owning Up (1974) 98: Mick and I were the first people to organize all-night raves.
1969		R. Rendell Best Man To Die (1981) 8: I’ll get along to your rave-up on Friday.
1970		Times 23 Feb. 6: Off the field the atmosphere was that of a transatlantic rave-up.
1991		D. Jarman letter 29 June Smiling in Slow Motion (2000) 26: Like a mid-seventies rave in Railton Road.
1997		N. Barlay Curvy Lovebox 95: Like a bit of a rave up does she Marion?
2000		Indep. Rev. 4 Mar. 14: You never know what might happen if you go to a rave-up in a decommissioned nuclear power station.
2006		G. Iles Turning Angel 107: Word is, these raves have been going on for a couple of months now. Different location every time.

(c) in ext. use, anything pleasurable, amusing, exciting.

1959		C. MacInnes Absolute Beginners 11: I swore [...] that this last teenage year of mine was going to be a real rave.
1967		Oz 4 11: Marriage as kicks, as a happening, as a rave.
1981		G. Tate ‘Knee Deep in Blood Ulmer’ Flyboy in the Buttermilk (1992) 19: His idea of a rave-up is smacking spiky chrome-metal crash chords upside the groove.
1997		(con. 1960s) A. Frewin London Blues 240: ‘I want to have a look round a wood.’ ‘Sounds a rave.’.