ribbing, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

ribbing n.

also ribbing-up

the act of teasing.

1913		Van Loan ‘For Revenue Only’ in Lucky Seventh (2004) 214: Look what that ribbing-up did!
1938		W. Winchell On Broadway 15 Nov. [synd. col.] Morris Gilbert’s [...] piece on Leni Riefenstahl was a masterpiece of ribbing. Wonder if she knew it.
1940		D. Maurer Big Con 28: The tendency among con men to exaggerate the size [...] of their touches is the source of much good-humored ribbing.
1956		H. Gold Man Who Was Not With It (1965) 263: He was putting the nasty carnie ribbing to me now.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 45: The van had been vibrating with [...] profane ribbing.
1973		D. Goines Street Players 132: The ribbing continued.
1989		T. Blacker Fixx 39: You would have thought that someone as experienced with children as Aunty Bar-Bar [...] would have taken this sort of ribbing in good part.
1991		B. Hamper Rivethead (1992) 136: I decided to [...] act as though I’d intended to give him a harmless ribbing.
2000		Guardian G2 18 May 8: I did feel very guilty because he did get a lot of ribbing for it.
2006		J. Ridley What Fire Cannot Burn 116: He really dug those who could give [him] a good ribbing.
2012		(con. 1974) E. Wald Talking ’Bout Your Mama 5: Herbert Foster [...] provided a list that included ‘crackin’ on the kitchen folks,’ ‘going in the kitchen,’ ‘getting down on the crib,’ and ‘ribbin’ but added that most teenagers just called it ‘talkin’ about moms’.
2013		J. Stahl Happy Mutant Baby Pills 5: I take a ribbing from some of the guys at the office.

In compounds

ribbing hand (n.)

(US Und.) a member of a team of card cheats who distracts the victim with a flow of witticisms.

1940

D. Maurer Big Con 305: ribbing hand. The member of a mitt-mob who has a set line of humorous talk which he keeps going while the mark is being fleeced. He distracts the mark’s attention from the still hand, who holds the winning cards. The ribbing hand is usually a large man, the still hand a small man.