ridge, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

ridge n.

[the term vanished in the UK during the 19C but reappeared in Aus. in the mid-20C+]

1. (also rige) gold, thus money, a guinea.

1665		implied in ridge cully
1718		C. Hitchin Regulator 19: Ridge, alias Gold.
1738		Ordinary of Newgate Account 8 Nov. 🌐 [...] promising him a Ridge or two (a Guinea or two) to get the Watch out of the Pawnbroker’s Hands.
1741		Ordinary of Newgate Account 31 July 🌐 We began to examine the Contents of his Pockets, and found upwards of 15 * Ridges [...] * Guineas.
1741		Select Trials at Old Bailey (1742) IV 348: They got to the Biding (or Place where they divide the Booty) [...] they examined the Contents of their Booties, which was three Bungs, with Lowers (Purses), in each Lower there were ten Ridges.
1753		J. Poulter Discoveries (1774) 30: If they napp the Bit, they cry pike; then we go and fisk the Bit, and dink the empty Bit, for fear it should be found, and fisk the Blunt, and gee if none is quare; to prevent a Rapp; it is a Bit of Rige or Wage.
1764		Bloody Register III 171: [as cit. 1741].
1768		(con. 1710–25) Tyburn Chronicle II in Groom (1999) xxix: Ridge Gold.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1786		Whole Art of Thieving [as cit. 1753].
1791		‘Flash Lang.’ in Confessions of Thomas Mount 18: Gold in plate of any sort, ridge.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1834		(con. 1737–9) W.H. Ainsworth Rookwood (1857) 178: My thimble of ridge, and my driz kemesa; / All my togs were so niblike and splash.
1835		Metropolitan Mag. XIV Sept. 333: We were both of one age and fly; resolved to get a cly full of ridge.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open 121: Ridge, gold outside of a watch or other article.
1848		Ladies’ Repository (N.Y.) Oct. VIII:37 316/2: Ridge, gold.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1873		Sl. Dict.
1929		C.G. Gordon Crooks of the Und. 89: If the ‘screwsman’ with [...] ‘ridge,’ (gold and silver) is dissatisfied with the price offered, he is quite at liberty to take it elsewhere.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 177/2: Ridge. (Obsolete) Any gold coin.

2. (UK/US Und.) coins, rather than notes.

1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 21/2: Our luck turned out to be two ten-pound notes — a five and nine ‘quid’ in ‘ridge’, besides about thirty shillings in ‘wedge,’ (silver).
1940		D. Maurer Big Con 305: ridge. Metal money.
1987		W.T. Vollmann You Bright and Risen Angels (1988) 314: All their radical friends [...] have coughed up the final ridge.

In compounds

ridge cove (n.) [cove n. (1)]

(UK Und.) a goldsmith.

a.1790		H.T. Potter New Dict. Cant (1795).
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1821		Flash Dict.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.

ridge cully (n.) [cully n.¹ (5)]

(UK Und.) a goldsmith.

1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 52: Ridge-cully, a Goldsmith.
1674		Head Canting Academy (2nd edn).
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Ridgcully A Goldsmith.
1707		J. Shirley Triumph of Wit.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1754		Scoundrel’s Dict. 17: Goldsmith – Ridgcully.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.

ridge montra (n.) [montra n.]

(UK Und.) a gold watch.

1823

Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

ridge-super (n.) [super n.² (1)]

(UK Und.) a gold watch.

1865

Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 49/1: We found him [...] examining a coupe, of ‘ridge-supers’ that had been ‘brought off’ that night by a clever ‘picking-up-moll’.

ridge thimble (n.)

(UK Und.) a gold watch.

1848

Ladies’ Repository (N.Y.) Oct. VIII:37 316/2: Ridge Thimble, [...] a gold watch.