righteous adj.
1. (UK Und.) legitimate, permissable; as described or accused.
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Bell’s Penny Dispatch 20 Mar. 3/2: ‘I’m going to Tommy Wilsons, there's a ball there tonight, and if you like to go with me, its righteous for the lot of you’. | |
| Chronicles of Newgate 470: A consignment of cheap ‘righteous’ watches, or such as had been honestly obtained. | |
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | (con. 1962) Enchanters 10: They weren’t really righteous 211 guys. They tapped the till and swiped some beaver mags. |
2. honest, the truth.
| ‘’Arry on Angling’ in Punch 30 July 45/1: ‘O Walker!’ sez you, ‘that’s ’is gammon!’ No, charlie, it’s righteous, dear boy. |
3. (orig. US black) honest, trustworthy, honourable.
| Kendal Mercury 17 Apr. 6/1: If the shiverer thinks it righteous, he’ll go him shares for half a dowser (pint). | |
| (con. late 1920s) Little Ham III ii : The couple that [...] has done the best job of real righteous oh-my-soul dancing on the floor. | |
| Really the Blues 70: I got the band together and we headed for the Martinique Inn [...] righteous and ready. | |
| Book of Negro Folklore 363: He come across Elephant copping a righteous nod. | |
| Hiparama of the Classics 15: And we all dig this is the most righteous gig, that we can’t miss with all these bulgin’ eyes. | |
| ‘Street Song’ in Summerfield Worlds (1974) 89: Now here, the best I’ve got to show, / Made by a righteous cat I know. | |
| S.R.O. (1998) 464: ‘I’m gonna be the most righteous dealer around. S’help me. Righteous’. | |
![[WI]](/static/img/flags/wi.png "West Indies") | Harder They Come 377: I’m used to be a ri-chus breddah. | |
| ‘Atomic Dog’ in Flyboy in the Buttermilk (1992) 31: If this cat seems so righteous, has he treated the bloods so badly. | |
| (con. c.1970) Phantom Blooper 171: A big black medic [...] says, ‘Be cool, m’man. You are safe and sound. It been some cold shit being held prisoner by these Charlie Congs, but you with righteous American dudes now’. | |
| Yes We have No 203: Do you take this woman to be your righteous old lady. | |
| Crumple Zone 54: Stanky B, righteous gangsta boy from the wrong side of town. | |
| ‘Street 66’ in Mi Revalueshanary Fren 10: Any policeman come yah / will get some righteous raas klaat licks, / yea man, whole heap a kicks. | |
| Way Home (2009) 79: When Chris swung on the boy, his blood got up in a righteous way. | |
| The Force [ebook] [Y]ou’d cheat [...] to make righteous busts—take dope and criminals off the street. |
4. (also reecheous, retchus, roacheous, rutcheaous) of things, esp. drugs, excellent, first-rate.
| N.Y. Amsterdam News 1 Feb. 16: Latch on to the positive degree of the word ‘righteous:’ Ole man, it’s reecheous! And the comparative degree is roacheous! [...] in the superlative degree, its rutcheous!!! | |
| Jives of Dr. Hepcat (1989) 1: Now your girl friend calls you up, and you have to bathe and eat before you are ready for a show date. ‘Knock a statue act chick, I’ve got to make like a fish and knock a scarf and then we can cruise on over to the righteous flick.’ [Ibid.] 7: Honey, whenever --- ankles on the screen he’s chock full of retchus beef and low ready with the chirps. | |
| N.Y. Amsterdam News 20 Mar. 15: [He] lets me look at the chick with the righteous legs. | |
| Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1969) 178: The Hell’s Angels party went on for two days and the cops never moved in. Everybody [...] had a righteous time and no heads were broken. | |
| in Psychotic Reactions (1988) 53: They even had the class to pick one of the most righteous handles of all time: the Troggs. | |
| Blood on the Moon 84: [H]e was dealing uppers and Percodan—I heard his customers comment on the righteous quality of his stuff. | |
| (con. 1969–70) F.N.G. (1988) 32: ‘Do you like it [i.e. a tattoo]?’ ‘Righteous, Peacock, goddam righteous.’. | |
| Night People 74: Sure as shit some righteous bitches out there. | |
| Pound for Pound 144: The best, man. It’s the most righteous shit like you never seen. | |
| Last Kind Words 83: ‘I don’t blow anyone else’s scores.’ ‘Righteous’. | |
| Guardian On Line 24 Aug. 🌐 The state of Colorado has decriminalized recreational use of the righteous herb. |
5. attractive, beautiful.
| Chicago Defender 5 Jan. 8/8: Righteous opening, it was, at Dickie’s new swank spot (formerly the Nest Club) on Thursday nite last . . . Packed and jammed as openings usually are, the crowd rocked, swayed, and razz-a-ma-tazzed till the wee, wee hours of the mawning. | |
| Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive 79: Righteous—Pleasing to the senses, glorious, pretty, beautiful. | |
| Book of Negro Folklore 486: righteous: Excellent, great, very nice indeed. She’s got a righteous smile. | |
| On the Yard (2002) 242: He was a broad in Tracy [...] A righteous little drag queen. | |
| Queens’ Vernacular 171: righteous [...] snazzy. | |
| Way Past Cool 26: This dude would have looked way past cool in a loincloth. Fact was, he would have been righteous with a bone in his nose. | |
| ‘Hot-Prowl Rape-O’ in Destination: Morgue! (2004) 316: I memorialized my mom. She was a righteous redhead, too. |
6. ideologically pure.
| ‘Yet Princes Follow’ in Black! (1996) 182: Rev. Jones said, a bit accusingly, ‘I knew you’d say that.’ Teese fidgeted a little under the righteous stare. | |
| (con. 1970) Meditations in Green (1985) 73: Righteous Panthers in cocked berets and crossed bandoliers who strutted boldly down bad streets. | |
| High Cotton (1993) 114: If I ever hoped [...] one day to drop my slave master’s name for a ‘righteous handle’. | |
| Vatican Bloodbath 8: We got a lot of stuff to do [...] A lot of RIGHTEOUS stuff. | |
| Widespread Panic 132: Connie’s a righteous Red. |
7. (UK black) respectable.
| Dealer 91: ‘There’s some hustlers out there that know some righteous motherfuckers, so [the police] got to be careful’. | |
| Black Players 163: I know of at least fifteen righteous places that have opened and they are for the middle-class people and for the working man to come to. | |
| Call of the Weird (2006) 188: I been on a righteous pilgrimage. I sponsor after-school programmes. |
8. extreme, very great.
| New Centurions 139: ‘That man is a righteous dog, Officer [...] That man is terrible jealous and he drink all the time and he don‘t really work’. | |
| Because the Night 133: ‘Go down the street to the Loafer Gopher. [...] They got some righteous shitkickers down there.’. | |
| (con. 1975–6) Steel Toes 62: It was a righteous pain in da ass slippin’ that shit outa the property locker. |
9. as an intensifier.
| It (1987) 527: Let’s get the righteous fuck out of here. |
10. appropriate.
| Star Island (2011) 46: I hadda fire two of the backup singers because they weren’t givin’ me my righteous space, y’know. |
In compounds
(drugs) marijuana.
| Really the Blues 210: I was to become known as the Reefer King [...] the White Mayor of Harlem [...] the Man that Hipped the World [...] the Man with the Righteous Bush. | |
| Narcotics Lingo and Lore. | |
 | Between the Lines 213: Just as a number of jazzmen spread the word of The Righteous Bush in the thirties through the lyrics and titles of their songs, some postwar writers have celebrated its merits in novels, stories, poems, and personal declarations. | |
| Drugs from A to Z (1970). | |
| Contemp. Issues in Economics 262/1: We all smoked some of the grass off the brick — real righteous bush, the best stuff I ever tasted. | |
| Daily Tel. (London) 30 Jan. n.p.: May I interest you in some Aunt Mary? Or perhaps [...] ganja, blue de Hue, black mo, ding, bud, leaf, Marley, pachalolo? Of course, how could I be so foolish, some rainy day woman? Still not with me? How about some skunk, righteous bush or, let’s be perfectly clear, marijuana? |
(drugs) a severe drug addiction.
| Drug Education Hbk. |
(UK Und.) a housebreaker.
| Paved with Gold 383: Even tater-trap Sam, that ‘righteous man,’ complimented Phil on the completeness with which he had done his work. |
(US black) white people’s hair.
| ‘Muttsy’Opportunity: Journal Negro Life IV 248/2: ‘Dat baby sho got some righteous moss on her keg – dass reg’lar “nearrow may Gawd tuh thee” stuff.’ He made a lengthy gesture with his arms as if combing out long, silky hair. | |
| ‘Story in Harlem Sl.’ in Novels and Stories (1995) 1001: He was born with this rough-dried hair, but when he laid on the grease and pressed it down overnight with his stocking-cap, it looked just like that righteous moss, and had so many waves you got seasick from looking. | |
| Sl. and Sociability 83: Another 45 refer to personal appearance, including skin color, for example [...] righteous moss ‘nonkinky hair’. |
(US black) a good night’s sleep.
| Jive and Sl. | |
| First Voices 2 40: He came across Elephant copping a righteous nod / Under a fine cool shady tree. |
(US black) expensive, well-cut, fashionable clothes.
| ‘Story in Harlem Sl.’ in Novels and Stories (1995) 1010: Righteous rags: the components of a Harlem-style suit. | |
| Mr Cheap’s Seattle 53: Righteous Rags • 506 E Pine St., Seattle; 329-7847 These clothes are divine; the prices, heavenly. Polyester, loud colors, and mod designs from the '60s and '70s leap out at you from every direction. | |
| Shimmer 154: I have a photograph of my grandfather and my great-aunt Ide, young. They're all dressed up to go out dancing or something. She's in a butt-spring skirt and he must be wearing forty-three inches of trousers. Drapes, shags, and righteous rags. |
(US black) good conversation, inspiring, intelligent talk.
| ‘Jiver’s Bible’ in Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive. | |
| Black Male 33: Harris’ Constructs (1989) [...] A righteous riff on Mapplethorpe. |
(US black) an attractive, light-skinned young woman.
| ‘Jiver’s Bible’ in Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive. |
In phrases
(US) to do good (to).
| Sl. U. |