Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Aus./N.Z.) in a very bad temper, infuriated.

1874		C. De Boos Congewoi Corr. 195: I don’t know a nastier smell than the smeller new togs just fresh from the tailor’s goose, and the thoughter that amost made me ropable [OED].
1885		Williamstown Chron. (Vic.) 8 Aug. 3/1: By the time the match was over they were quite ropable with excitement.
1891		Capricorn (Rockhampton, Qld) 23 May 7/1: They are working men like ourselves [...] depriving us from earning our bread? I feel ropable and bloodthirsty when I think of it.
1898		‘Rolf Boldrewood’ Romance of Canvass Town 322: Your Aunt would be ropeable.
1906		Gadfly (Adelaide) 28 Mar. 9/1: Ain’t nothin’ doing’ ’cep’ in a little tin shanty they calls the Central Auction Mart, where a skinny little bloke is standin’ in a box sellin’ furnicher an’ things. I starts chuckin’ it up at ’im fer devilment, an’ ’e gets ropeable. Chucks ’is ’ammer at me fer a start; but I dodges it an’ gives ’im a bit more chiack.
1914		N.Z. Observer 18 July 2/3: ‘The singin’ bloke’ of Auckland is at present in a rather ‘ropable’ condition, and is angry with the social clubs.
1914		Sport (Adelaide) 1 Jan. 8/1: Florrie S. was ropeable about seeing her name in the dear old ‘Sport’They Say [...] That .
1924		G.H. Lawson Dict. of Aus. Words And Terms 🌐 ROPEABLE — Wild; annoyed.
1927		Register (Adelaide) 6 Aug. 3/8: Defendant said he saw his wife and Bellchambers talking [...] complainant being ‘ropable’.
1934		Sydney Morn. Herald (Women’s Supp.) 3 May 23s/1: Mr Taylor was fairly ropable over this second complaint. He harangued the culprits.
1947		D. Davin For the Rest of Our Lives 315: He’s absolutely ropable about the tanks.
1959		G. Slatter Gun in My Hand 206: I bet his old woman’s just about ropable by now.
1966		D. Niland Pairs and Loners 159: It can only make him ropeable enough to come down and take a bite out of you.
1974		D. Ireland Burn 136: He’ll hold it against me. He’ll be ropeable.
1981		A. Weller Day of the Dog 143: God love me, Jamie’ll be ropable with his car gone! Doug panics. Shit, what a way to go.
1988		McGill Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 94/1: ropeable very angry; from need to rope up a difficult beast.
1989		R.G. Barrett Boys from Binjiwunyawunya 163: If Norton was seething when he got booked, he was absolutely ropeable by the time he got home.
1999		R.G. Barrett Wind & Monkey (2013) [ebook] Les was completely ropable and ready to smash the pair of them right on the spot.
2004		L. Redhead Peepshow [ebook] When I found out about him and Mel I was ropeable, mate, mad as a cut snake.
2006		P. Shannon Davey Darling 157: ‘And what about the neighbour?’ [...] ‘He’s ropable,’ I said.
2018		G. Gilmore Base Nature [ebook] ‘I’m going to tell everyone how Anne and Hattie were drilling you for gossip and [...] Anne was ropeable about it’.