Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US/W.I.) naive, unaware.

1967		J. Horton ‘Time and cool people’ in Trans-action 4 5/2: One either knows ‘what’s happening’ on the street, or he is a ‘lame,’ ‘out of it,’ ‘not ready’ (lacks his diploma in street language), a ‘square’.
1971		H.E. Roberts Third Ear n.p.: not ready n. a naive, unaware person.
1995		Francis-Jackson Official Dancehall Dict. 37: Nuh ready of a person thought not yet ready for the role he/she is playing, social or otherwise, also of fashion etc. which isn’t quite right.

(US black) describing someone who acts stupidly, childishly, who calls attention to their own idiocies.

1980

E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 248: not ready for people See act funny.

cash in hand.

1857		advert in ‘Ducange Anglicus’ Vulgar Tongue (1857) 45: He can turn out Toggery of every description very slap up, at the following low prices for ready gilt – tick being no go.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict. [as cit. 1859].
1890		‘Morris the Mohel’ ‘Houndsditch Day by Day’ in Sporting Times 15 Feb. 2/1: No matter if it aint all ready geldt, ve can take an instryment or two sich as a scalpel or a bist’ry, tank Mousha you can alvays turn them into geldt in our relitchion.

(orig. US) money.

1655		E. Gayton Wil Bagnals Ghost 37: So here, [prison] beer and smoak are sung in to the pittifull receivers, who must drop a tear before they taste, either the silver of the eye, which procures forbearance, or else the very gold and blood of the heart, which is ready John.
1872		Schele De Vere Americanisms 296: Among the less generally known terms are John Davis or the Ready John, sometimes simply John or Ready, spondulics, dooteroomus, often shortened into doot [etc.].
1901		A. Binstead More Gal’s Gossip 83: One good reason why I did not back it was that I was somewhat ‘shy of the Ready John’.

(UK Und.) money.

1670		old ballad in Hotten Sl. Dict. (1864) n.p.: ‘Seaman’s Adieu.’ Some... Have already parted with their ready rino.
1709		‘Phoebe Crackenthorpe’ Female Tatler (1992) (35) 84: You will find him [...] gnawing a hard crust, and sponging his liquor for want of ready rhino.
1725		Hist. of Jonathan Wild 7: Wild hearing the Robber was possess’d of a round sum of Ready Rhino, gave him to understand he expected a Pair of Gloves, by way of Hush.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. n.p.: ready rhino Money in Possession.
1772		Bridges Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 274: They all refus’d the ready rhino.
c.1780		‘Sally Mac Gee’ in Holloway & Black I (1975) 242: With fifty bright shiners in good ready rhinos.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1797		Bridges Burlesque Homer (4th edn) II 4: They all refused the ready rhino.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1857		‘Ducange Anglicus’ Vulgar Tongue.
1876		C. Hindley Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack 25: He had no more cash, ready rhino.
1893		Hartlepool Northern Dly Mail 16 May 1/4: 🎵 ‘Oh, Bennison’s for a hat with ready Rhino’.

(Irish) any form of skimpy woman’s garment.

1997

Share Slanguage.

(US teen) an attractive young woman.

1945

Yank (Far East edn) 24 Mar. 18/2–3: Some of today’s teen-agers – pleasantly not many – talk the strange new language of ‘sling swing.’ In the bright lexicon of the good citizens of tomorrow, a girl with sex appeal is an ‘able Grable’ or a ‘ready Hedy’.

1. (US) shop clothing.

1884		Dublin Wkly Nation 29 Nov. 16/2: [advert] They call Special Attention to the following Departments:— Woollens, Tailoring, Ready-Mades.
1893		Falkirk Herald 18 Nov. 8/5: [advert] Ready-Mades! Ready-Mades!
1902		C.L. Cullen More Ex-Tank Tales 96: I s’pose, chum [...] that you’ve got the coin stowed away in your ready-mades to pay for this drink?
1916		T. Burke Limehouse Nights 309: A large, stooping Chinky, flashily dressed in East End ready-mades.
1922		Bisbee Dly Rev. (AZ) 26 Mar. 5/5: [advert] Today you can order your Spring Togs [...] at prices no higher than ready-mades.

2. (US tramp/ prison) a handmade, pre-rolled cigarette.

1939		W. Attaway Let Me Breathe Thunder (1940) 212: ‘Got any ready-mades?’ ‘I handed him a cigarette and lit one for myself’.
1992		Bentley & Corbett Prison Sl. 65: Ready Mades Hand-rolled cigarettes that are pre-rolled.

3. (N.Z.) a factory-made cigarette.

[1905		R. Beach Pardners (1912) 36: They smoked ready-made cigarettes].
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. 171: readymade, a A cigarette made in a factory, from mid C20.

(drugs) crack cocaine; ext. to cocaine and heroin.

1986		S.F. Chronicle 2 July 6: (Factiva) Cocaine sold as free-base is called ‘hubba’ or ‘ready rock,’ they said. When it is mixed with marijuana and smoked, it becomes ‘fry daddy’ or ‘chewy.’ When you go out to buy cocaine, you’re on ‘a tweek mission.’.
1992		R. Price Clockers 67: They were selling Redi Rocks this evening, precooked nuggets ready to smoke, purer than crack and no mystery ingredients.
1997		Simon & Burns Corner (1998) 25: ‘Got them Blues.’ ‘Got the Ready Rock’ [Ibid.] 63: Even those fearful of the needle could find snorting-heroin that was 60 per cent pure, then top that off with a pipeful of ready.
2001		J. Stahl Plainclothes Naked (2002) 90: You’re tweaking [...] Enough of that ready-rock and you think Navy Seals are coming out of the bathtub.

(drugs) crack cocaine.

1993–2002

Probert Encyc. 🌐 Ready-wash is British slang for crack cocaine.

(US) ready and eager.

1943		D. Burley N.Y. Amsterdam Star-News 22 May 11: Latch onto this hype I’m dropping about the spiel that was laid about the Seven Skulls. Ready, Mister Freddie?
1944		D. Burley Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive 17: She was ready as Mister Freddy on all the riffs and rills.
1953		L. Durst Jives of Dr. Hepcat (1989) 10: It’s no use for us to cuff and be ruff, fuss and be tuff, because it’s no skin off of our smellers to be good fellers. Nobody’s ready for Freddy, so fall in line and get on time.
1960		Taunton Courier 23 July 3/6: American slang [...] ‘In the pinochle season we press the bricks, tapped out, ready for Freddie’.
1983		R. Price Breaks 159: So here we go, hah? [...] I’m ready for Freddie, Jim . .
2000		P. Beatty Tuff 12: He [...] castigated his father for thinking that his two-month premature birth meant that he was born ‘ready for Freddy’.

see under cleaners n.

see under spit v.