Green’s Dictionary of Slang

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

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Rib, or Ribroasting, a Dry-basting.
1654		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.
1794		Sporting Mag. Oct. V 6/1: My Kitty, who, if any man does but squint at, I’ll plump and rib him.
1820		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).

1898		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.
1915		T. McNamara Us Boys 15 Mar. [synd. cartoon strip] I’ll rib him up to hold out for fifty magesia [sic] bottles this season.
1931		‘Und. “Lingo” Brought Up-to-Date’ L.A. Times 8 Nov. K16: RIB: To influence; to goad.
1933		‘Paul Cain’ Fast One (1936) 104: What do you think I put on that act for - ribbed Grandquist into taking the fall?
1937		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.

1908		Coconino Sun (Flagstaff, AZ) 10 Apr. 6/3: They got us ribbed up for the council. And we never done nothin’ to nobody.
1929		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’.
1949		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.

1909		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.
1915		Van Loan ‘The Spotted Sheep’ in Taking the Count 118: They’ve got a sucker ribbed up to bet on a fake fight.
1917		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.
1924		D. Hammett ‘The Tenth Clew’ in Continental Op (1975) 36: He was getting him all ribbed up to unload a fake invention on him.
1931		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.
1931–4		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.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 193: rib To beguile.
1950		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.

1912		Van Loan ‘Little Sunset’ in Ten-Thousand-Dollar Arm 94: Jollying him along [...] and generally ribbing him up.
1933		Hecht & Fowler Great Magoo 70: Am I being ribbed?
1946		Mezzrow & Wolfe Really the Blues 237: He would rib Zutty now and then about leaving Louis.
1946		W. Winchell 11 Mar. [synd. col.] Vince Barnett, the renowned Hollywood ribber, listed as dead.
1958		R. Chandler Playback 21: I can rib him later on.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 94: He started to rib me, call me a square.
1978		R. Caron Go-Boy! 51: The guys ribbed him about not being able to swing a longer stall.
1988		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.
1999		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’.
2001		(con. 1964–8) J. Ellroy Cold Six Thousand 285: ‘Are you ribbing me?’ ‘Absolutely not.’.
2010		A. Steinberg Running the Books 43: Large groups of officers came and went, ribbing each other loudly.
2021		J. Ellroy Widespread Panic 101: Eddie ribbed me. ‘Must bring back some memories’.