border ruffian

American  

[bawr-der ruhf-ee-uhn] / ˈbɔr dər ˈrʌf i ən /

noun

border ruffians plural

1. U.S. History. Often, Border Ruffian. any of a group of criminal proslavery activists of Missouri who crossed into Kansas in order to intimidate, attack, rob, and sometimes murder opponents of slavery and to vote fraudulently in elections in an effort to defeat antislavery settlers there.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• border ruffians
  plural

Example Sentences

He’s a governor-general now, a sort of viceroy, and all sorts of things; while I’m—well, a fair specimen of a Western border ruffian.

From Golden Face A Tale of the Wild West by Mitford, Bertram

Quantrell was, however, a mere border ruffian and was disowned by the Confederate army.

From Abroad at Home American Ramblings, Observations, and Adventures of Julian Street by Street, Julian

The name of this noted border ruffian was known to him, likewise some of his deeds.

From The Sirdar's Oath A Tale of the North-West Frontier by Mitford, Bertram

The clergyman was only a stripling beside this seasoned border ruffian.

From Analyzing Character by Blackford, Katherine M. H.

The next day he reported that Watt had met a man who wore a slouch-hat, had unkempt red hair, and in general looked like a border ruffian.

From True Detective Stories From the archives of the Pinkertons by Moffett, Cleveland