Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a piece of excrement; thus fig. an unpleasant person [= turd n.].

a.1945		L. Payne private coll. n.p.: — Richard the Third.
1969		S.T. Kendall Up the Frog.
1979		R. Barker Fletcher’s Book of Rhy. Sl. 26: As he staggered along, he saw, on the pavement, a small brown Richard the Third.
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak.
1997		Roger’s Profanisaurus in Viz 87 Dec. n.p.: Richard n. rhym. slang. Turd. From Richard the Third. e.g. ‘I’ve just given birth to a ten pound Richard’.
2000–02		Macquarie Dict. 🌐 Henry the Thirdnoun a turd. Also, Richard the Third. [rhyming slang].
2002		D. Shaw ‘Dead Beard’ at www.asstr.org 🌐 Aw come on, Harry, why would you do Lingers any favors? The geezer’s been a richard the third ever since he was a nipper.
2016		N. Cummins Adventures of the Honey Badger [ebook] ‘What if I drop a Richard the Third, ’cause ya gotta have a snake’s hiss immediately after impact. It’s science’.
2023		Twitter 15 June 🌐 best flush the lavatory, there's probably another richard from Boris to come..

2. a word.

1984

Partridge DSUE (8th edn) 974/1: late C.19–20.

3. booing, barracking [= bird n.² (1)].

1972		Dodson & Saczek Dict. of Cockney Rhy. Sl.
1984		Partridge DSUE (8th edn) 974/1: late C.19–20.

4. a young woman, a girlfriend [= bird n.¹ (1b)].

1956		J. Curtis Look Long Upon a Monkey 65: The richard’d think more of him if he’d something to say for himself.
1960		A. Burgess Doctor Is Sick (1972) 99: This bloke goes to Ireland and brings this richard back for his uncle.
1970		G.F. Newman Sir, You Bastard 161: I’m just doing a Richard along the road.
1975		‘P.B. Yuill’ Hazell and the Three-card Trick (1977) 15: He didn’t half fancy his chances with the black-haired richard.
1988		A. Payne ‘The Last Video Show’ Minder [TV script] 11: What about those two richards that came over? Remember the one with the big ...? (Gestures).
2000		J.J. Connolly Layer Cake 93: I’ll tell ya where you can collect the Richard, and that’ll be my end of the deal.

5. a bird.

1930		(con. 1914–18) Brophy & Partridge Songs and Sl. of the British Soldier.
1969		S.T. Kendall Up the Frog.
1979		R. Barker Fletcher’s Book of Rhy. Sl. 27: The Richard the Third flew back to its nest.
2001		M. Coles Bible in Cockney 20: ’E took one of the Richards, a raven, and sent it out flying.
2002		M. Coles More Bible in Cockney 18: I’m gonna give all their brown-bread bodies to the Richard-the-Thirds and animals as food.