Green’s Dictionary of Slang

rib v.

[one lit. or fig. ‘tickles’ or pokes the ribs]

1. lit. or fig., to hit someone in the ribs; thus ribber n., a boxer.

[UK]B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Rib, or Ribroasting, a Dry-basting.
[UK]New Brawle 1: She was made of that crok[o]ked thing call’d a rib, but she hath ribb’d me with a vengeance.
[UK]Sporting Mag. Oct. V 6/1: My Kitty, who, if any man does but squint at, I’ll plump and rib him.
[UK]Jack Randall’s Diary 54: When your bunch of fivetickled his muns, and then ribb’d him. [Ibid.] 66: That doughty Ribber Burst on them, an electrifying Fibber.

2. (US, also rib up) to annoy or threaten, to pressurize (someone).

[US]Arizona Republican (Phoenix, AZ) 12 Nov. 8/1: The board of supervisors is being ‘ribbed up’ in certain quarters to throw out the voice of the second ward.
[US]T. McNamara Us Boys 15 Mar. [synd. cartoon strip] I’ll rib him up to hold out for fifty magesia [sic] bottles this season.
[US] ‘Und. “Lingo” Brought Up-to-Date’ L.A. Times 8 Nov. K16: RIB: To influence; to goad.
[US]‘Paul Cain’ Fast One (1936) 104: What do you think I put on that act for - ribbed Grandquist into taking the fall?
[US]J. Tully Bruiser 193: You ribbed us hard before the fight – readin’ you, a fellow’d of thought Torpedo threw mountains around like pebbles.

3. (US, also rib up) to discredit, to incriminate or arrest under false pretences.

[US]Coconino Sun (Flagstaff, AZ) 10 Apr. 6/3: They got us ribbed up for the council. And we never done nothin’ to nobody.
[US]D. Hammett Red Harvest (1965) 27: ‘[I]f Max Thaler means anything to you, you ought to pass him the word that Noonan’s trying to rib him’.
[US]Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 193: rib up To accuse falsely; to sentence or convict unjustly; to give false evidence.

4. (Aus./US Und., also rib up) to prepare a victim for being swindled; to cheat.

[US]H. Green Mr. Jackson 50: What’s the sense of us rubbin’ some mug up, an’ devotin’ time to it, an’ then not goin’ clear troo wit’ the job.
[US]Van Loan ‘The Spotted Sheep’ in Taking the Count 118: They’ve got a sucker ribbed up to bet on a fake fight.
[US]T.A. Dorgan in Zwilling TAD Lex. (1993) 69: Say, he ribbed us up here, had us bet dough, and buy tickets to see the wonderful Medor.
[US]D. Hammett ‘The Tenth Clew’ in Continental Op (1975) 36: He was getting him all ribbed up to unload a fake invention on him.
C.S. Montanye ‘Tight Spot’ in Complete Stories 15 Sept. 🌐 At first he had you tagged as some rich sap who was ready to be ribbed up and rolled for the bundle.
[US]D. Clemmer Prison Community (1940) 335/1: rib, vt. To prepare a ‘sucker’; to convince a victim that he is going to get something for nothing.
[US]Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 193: rib To beguile.
[US]Goldin et al. DAUL 177/1: Rib, v. 1. To prepare victim in a confidence swindle by smooth and persuasive talk.

5. (US) to tease, to make fun of; thus ribber n.

[US]Van Loan ‘Little Sunset’ in Ten-Thousand-Dollar Arm 94: Jollying him along [...] and generally ribbing him up.
[US]Hecht & Fowler Great Magoo 70: Am I being ribbed?
[US]Mezzrow & Wolfe Really the Blues 237: He would rib Zutty now and then about leaving Louis.
[US]W. Winchell 11 Mar. [synd. col.] Vince Barnett, the renowned Hollywood ribber, listed as dead.
[US]R. Chandler Playback 21: I can rib him later on.
[US]‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 94: He started to rib me, call me a square.
[Can]R. Caron Go-Boy! 51: The guys ribbed him about not being able to swing a longer stall.
[US]D. Woodrell Muscle for the Wing 13: The gent would now have a common Twelfth Street beak he would be ribbed about [...] from here ’til the grave.
[US]E. Bunker Mr Blue 340: [He] likes to rib me that I’m the only guy doing a second-degree burglary who is ‘behind the screen’.
[US](con. 1964–8) J. Ellroy Cold Six Thousand 285: ‘Are you ribbing me?’ ‘Absolutely not.’.
[US]A. Steinberg Running the Books 43: Large groups of officers came and went, ribbing each other loudly.
[US]J. Ellroy Widespread Panic 101: Eddie ribbed me. ‘Must bring back some memories’.
[Scot]A. Parks To Die in June 175: After Cooper had finished ribbing McCoy about his new suit [etc].

In phrases

rib (someone) up (v.)

1. to prepare .

[US]S.F. Chron. 6 June 11/5: He [i.e. a con-man’s victim] beefs an’ de bull con tries make a stall. It didn’t go, so I ribbed de rummy up to blow.
[US]A.H. Lewis Apaches of N.Y. 28: You heard what he said about comin’ ’round ag’in? Take my tip an’ rib yourself up wit’ a rod. That Spanish is a tough kid!
[US]D. Hammett ‘Dead Yellow Women’ Story Omnibus (1966) 159: I got a Chink ribbed up t’ get the dope.

2. to convince onself, to pluck up one’s courage.

[US]E. Anderson Thieves Like Us (1999) 1: I can rib myself up to do anything.