Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(a) (UK Und.) to change a good coin for a counterfeit.

1753		J. Poulter Discoveries (1774) 41: Ringing of Neds or Sixes. Putting off bad Guineas and Thirty-six Shilling Pieces [...] The Sharper has a quare Ned or Six ready to change, so keeps the good, and gives the bad one to the Flat.
1906		Sun. Times (Perth) 16 Sept. 4/7: The orrange-n’-lemonade [sic] bloke [...] rung a cronk ’arf caser onter ’im.

(b) (also ringer) to change, to alter; thus ringing castors, changing hats, typically by going to some public place, stealing an expensive hat from where it has been deposited and leaving a cheap one; ring togs, to change clothes.

1753		J. Poulter Discoveries (1774) 30: The ringing Toggs and Seats; that is, changing great Coats and Saddles.
1786		Whole Art of Thieving [as cit. 1753].
1791		‘Flash Lang.’ in Confessions of Thomas Mount 18: Passing bad money, ringing blue bit.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 262: ringing castors: signifies frequenting churches and other public assemblies, for the purpose of changing hats, by taking away a good, and leaving a shabby one in its place; a petty game now seldom practised.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue [as cit. 1812].
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict. 28: Ring – to exchange one article for another.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open [as cit. 1835].
1859		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. 82: RINGING CASTORS, changing hats.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 30/1: I ‘slung’ the ‘wire’ his travelling bag, and he ‘rung’ himself by taking off his light travelling overcoat. [Ibid.] 72/2: Thinking there might be some one ‘put on’ by means of the Telegraph, Joe and I ‘rung togs,’ and agreed to meet separately at Wallace’s Hotel.
1873		Sl. Dict.
1900		A.H. Lewis ‘Mollie Matches’ in Sandburrs 45: When I was d’ pick of d’ swell mob, an’ d’ steadiest grafter that ever ringed a watch or weeded a leather!
1909		F.H. Tillotson How I Became a Detective 95: Ringer – To disguise.
1923		J.C. Goodwin ‘Criminal Sl.’ in Sidelights on Criminal Matters 164: [of changing one’s clothes] One day he sent me a stiff to go to Margate with him on the rattler. I wrung myself and took a new madam, and went there, dodging a nark on the way.
1941		V. Davis Phenomena in Crime 181: The [...] dummy case containing the one to be ‘rung’ for the bank case.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 194: ring up To alter stolen goods’ appearance; to disguise.

(c) to desert, i.e. a lover.

1833

‘A Chaunt by Slapped-up Kate and Dubber Daff’ in Swell!!! or, Slap-Up Chaunter 46: I’ve buss’d and been nutty on fifty young biddies, / And ring’d them as oft as you see.

(d) (UK Und.) used of individuals or groups, to substitute, to swap.

1865

Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 5/1: Some who were good at ‘stalling’ for the ‘dip’ in a ‘push’ were ‘rung’ for others who were used to ‘fly-dipping’.

(e) to substitute cards.

1865

Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 111/2: The ‘crib’ had been ‘rung’ by moochers, and nineteen— i.e. ‘shise’ — the consequence.

(f) (UK Und.) to be disturbed in the act of a robbery, and thus having to flee without the goods.

1863		in Cornhill Mag. in DU (1968).
1891		F.W. Carew Autobiog. of a Gipsey 434: There’s such a thing as perfeshional pride, and if we sh’d ’appen to get rung or pinched, I sh’ldn’t like ter ’ave it brought agen me that I’d coopered the job.

(g) to cheat.

1899

A. Binstead Gal’s Gossip 56: An angry Jaquemart mob on whom he has tried to ring a Knight of the thistle argument in lieu of settlement.

(h) (US) to illegally substitute a horse for another in a horserace.

1904		Wash. Post (DC) 14 Aug. 4/1: The charge of participating in the ringing of a horse [...] ‘They’ll ring ’em as long as they race ’em,’ remarked a grizzled veteran of the [...] gee-gees.
1948		cited in Wentworth & Flexner DAS (1975) 428/2: ‘He was afraid to attempt ringing’ [...] ‘Barrie had rung Aknahton as Hickey at Bopwie.’.

(i) to substitute crooked dice.

1905

H. Green Actors’ Boarding House (1906) 262: He was ringin’ in his own!

(j) (UK/US Und.) as ring up, to assume a disguise.

1914		Jackson & Hellyer Vocab. Criminal Sl. 57: You had better ring up (disguise) so he won’t make you.
1935		Thieves Slang ms list from District Police Training Centre, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwicks 9: Ring himself: Change clothes at scene of crime.

(k) to alter a car for the purposes of using it as a getaway vehicle, hold-up van etc, or for reselling it to an unsuspecting customer.

1941		V. Davis Phenomena in Crime 135: It [i.e. a car] is used for [...] ‘ringing’ (occasionally it is held in reserve some distance from the crime so that the robbers can swiftly ‘switch’ from their own car).
1956		‘Charles Raven’ Und. Nights 98: Rex hadn’t bothered to ring the number plates as the van wasn’t going to be used on the day of the actual job.
1967		N. Dunn Poor Cow 13: We was driving down the Bayswater Road in this ringed Mercedes and suddenly the law was after us, pulled us in and lifted the bonnet to see if the motor was ringed.
1972		P. Fordham Inside the Und. 91: Stealing to sell [...] involves complete ‘ringing’.
1992		in R. Graef Living Dangerously 54: I started ringing motors — changing the motor numbers.
2004		Guardian 23 Dec. 4: A white van pulled up at one of the bank entrances and took away large amounts of cash. The van [...] had been ringed.

(l) (UK Und.) to pretend.

2011

J.J. Connolly Viva La Madness 59: He’s ringing it that it was his idea for Ted to get me back on the firm.