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

Noun Inflected Forms

• border ruffians
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

border ruffian

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

Such was the Missouri "border ruffian" of 1854.

From The Middle Period 1817-1858 by Burgess, John William

It happened that stout service had been rendered her in this affair by the arrogant border ruffian, the Earl of Bothwell.

From The Historical Nights' Entertainment First Series by Sabatini, Rafael

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