Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also ranky) foul-smelling.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Rank, rammish, strong-scented, as all the Fetids, either Vegetables or Animals, as Garlick, Assafoetida, Polecats, Foxes, Goats, &c. And whatever is Stale, Corrupt, or Tainted, and Stinks, with long or careless Keeping.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1863		Nashville Dly Union (TN) 25 June 4/6: I [...] proceed to correct the first report of the battle, and all concerning the negro regiments except their rank — smell.
1868		Fayetteville Obs. (TN) 19 Nov. 1/1: The oil was found to be lamp oil, with a very rank smell.
1886		Dly Yellowstone Jrnl (Miles City, MT) 26 Aug. 4/3: The skins are handsome enough, but have a strong and rank smell.
1894		Eve. Bull. (Maysville, KY) 27 Apr. 2/2: There is nothing known about ‘rank’ in Coxey’s army [of tramps] excepting it may be a rank smell .
1901		Hawaiian Star (Honolulu) 30 May 4/1: Old hounds know the scent of reynard, and are not to be deceived by the rank smell of the fishy substitute.
1907		Commoner (Lincoln, NE) 7 June 10/3: The rank smell of the day’s perspiration.
1912		Bemidji D;y Pioneer (MN) 7 June 9/1: Hair [...] heavy and rank smelling with excessive oil.
1928		C. McKay Home to Harlem 114: Rose’s perfume made his nose itch. It was rank.
1953		R. Chandler Long Good-Bye 186: It was going to be hot later, but in a nice refined exclusive sort of way [...] not sticky or rank like the heat of the city.
1991		L.E. Adams Jam. Patois 47: Doan come sheg rohn mi wid yu rank fish an’ dem! – Don’t come fool around me with your raw-smelling fishy hands!
1997		N. Barlay Curvy Lovebox 160: As I pass Keef’s bedroom a ranky kinda reek hits me.
1997–2000		College Sl. Research Project (Cal. State Poly. Uni., Pomona) 🌐 Rank [...] 2. (adj.) Of bad smell.
2004		Eble Campus Sl. Apr. 5: rank – disgustingly smelly.

2. (also rank-ass) second-rate, inferior, disgusting; also as intensifier.

1707		N. Ward Wooden World 66: One would conclude him a rank Knave, because none of the Ship desire to have Dealings with him.
1734		C. Johnson Hist. of Highwaymen &c. 99: I looked like a rank Knave.
1748		Smollett Roderick Random (1979) 173: I thought this fellow was a rank Roman.
1751		Smollett Peregrine Pickle (1964) 547: Among those whom he laid under contribution, was this lady, who with all the inclination of a rank sharper, had fallen sacrifice to his superior talents.
1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang.
1817		W. Scott Rob Roy (1883) 285: A sheep’s head ower muckle boiled is rank poison, as my worthy father used to say.
1841		‘Do You See Anything Green About Me?’ Dublin Comic Songster 88: But the coin I gave him was rank bad – / So there was nothing green about me!
1857		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 25 Apr. 3/1–2: Little Ned [...] said that Bobby was the rankest flat he ever came across in his life.
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor III 185/2: He was what a Yankee would call ‘a rank nigger’.
1870		in G. Legman Limerick (1953) 229: A rank whore, there ne’er was a ranker.
1887		Wichita Eagle (KS) 11 Nov. 7/1: He’s likely after winning for a long time to get the notion that he’ll win just enough to buy a new suit. It’s almost invariably a rank hoodoo. Away will go his whole pile.
1894		G. du Maurier Trilby 224: Life isn’t all beer and skittles for a rank outsider, I’m told!
1905		Sporting Times 1 Apr. 1/2: ’Twas rank outragin’ fraud.
1913		Truth (Perth) 5 Oct. 11/6: As I sez, she were a rank ’un— / (Fairy multy anyhow).
1915		J. London Star Rover (1963) 124: He’s rank crazy on religion.
1926		J. Black You Can’t Win (2000) 63: If you was some kind of a rank dingbat you wouldn’t have been invited down here.
1937		Metronome Aug. 7: In my opinion, a great many readers of Met are the rankest sort of ickies.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).
1954		‘Hepster’s Dict.’ Mad mag. June 20: rank – stupid.
1959		Esquire Nov. 70J: rank: stupid.
1965		H. Rhodes Chosen Few (1966) 59: Damn! [...] I fell like a rank-ass amateur.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 62: You rank bitch, you know if you split I’ll find you.
1972		(con. 1960s) D. Goines Whoreson 240: I done did some rank things in my life.
1985		O. Hawkins Chili 25: My situation was rank punky, to say the least.
1985		‘Thommo’ Dict. Aus. Swearing & Sex Sayings 108: RANK — This is one word to define everything bad, sick, obscene, shameless, ugly, debauched or in bad condition.
1999		K. Sampson Powder 448: One band wanted, The Velcro Puppets, wanted to pay £30,000 – but they were rank.

3. (US black) injurious, slanderous.

1935

M. Fulcher ‘Believe Me’ in Afro-American (Baltimore, MD) 30 Mar. 12/1: The talk is ‘rank’ and harmful, and should be stopped.

4. (W.I.) impertinent, extremely cheeky.

1996

Allsopp Dict. Carib. Eng. Usage.