The OED says the etymology is unknown, notes that it often occurs in the
phrase 'ready rhino', and gives quotes from the 17th, 18th and 19th
centuries.
That is older than the use for an animal.
Best wishes to all,
Pat
In message , John R Hyett <[log in to unmask]> writes
>This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
>
>--Boundary_(ID_h2ALxZrgMPv2wCaMCcon7Q)
>Content-type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable
>
>I did a bit of further checking on the meaning of Rhino - all my =
>Australian dictionaries give it a slang for money. The later ones say =
>British slang. Origin unknown. A Google search indicates it was thieves =
>cant from London probably from the 1700s. It was certainly brought to =
>Australia and in reasonably common use at one time as shown in one of =
>the more respectable versions of the song "The Road to Gundagai"
>
>Oh we started down from Roto when the sheds had all cut out.
>We'd whips and whips of Rhino as we meant to push about,
>So we humped our blues serenely and made for Sydney town
>With a three-spot cheque between us, as wanted knocking down.
>
>And I catagorically refuse to translate any of that
>John
>----- Original Message -----=20
> From: Daniel H. Weiskotten=20
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2003 1:31 PM
> Subject: Re: speaking as an/a historian
>
>
>The Pilot, 11/30/1808
>"Embargo Ahoi! Fuller Healy is the fame perfon who thirteen
>weeks ago commenced the laborous and flavish bufinefs of diftributing
>Newspapers from the Pilot prefs in Cazenovia, through Nelfon, Eaton,
>Madifon, &c. &c. to Brookfield. As this weeks tour makes
>one Quarter of a year and as the old faying is, 'money makes the mare
>go,' I don't fee why it won't make my old horfe go and if it will, it =
>has
>more virtue than whip and fpur in our bad roads. He trufts his good
>cuftomers will ferioufly confider his cafe, and help him to a little
>Rhino." (11/30/1808)
>
>
> One helpful person pointed out that "Rhino" may mean money.
>
>
>--Boundary_(ID_h2ALxZrgMPv2wCaMCcon7Q)
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>Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable
>
><!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
><HTML><HEAD>
><META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
>charset=3Diso-8859-1">
><META content=3D"MSHTML 5.50.4134.600" name=3DGENERATOR>
><STYLE></STYLE>
></HEAD>
><BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
><DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I did a bit of further checking on the =
>meaning of=20
>Rhino - all my Australian dictionaries give it a slang for money. The =
>later ones=20
>say British slang. Origin unknown. A Google search indicates it was =
>thieves cant=20
>from London probably from the 1700s. It was certainly brought to =
>Australia and=20
>in reasonably common use at one time as shown in one of the more =
>respectable=20
>versions of the song "The Road to Gundagai"</FONT></DIV>
><DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
><DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><EM>Oh we started down from Roto when =
>the sheds had=20
>all cut out.</EM></FONT></DIV>
><DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><EM>We'd whips and whips of Rhino as we =
>meant to=20
>push about,</EM></FONT></DIV>
><DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><EM>So we humped our blues serenely and =
>made for=20
>Sydney town</EM></FONT></DIV>
><DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><EM>With a three-spot cheque between =
>us, as wanted=20
>knocking down</EM>.</FONT></DIV>
><DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
><DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>And I catagorically refuse to translate =
>any of=20
>that</FONT></DIV>
><DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>John</FONT></DIV>
><DIV>----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
><BLOCKQUOTE=20
>style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
>BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
> <DIV=20
> style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
>black"><B>From:</B>=20
> <A [log in to unmask] =
>href=3D"mailto:[log in to unmask]">Daniel H.=20
> Weiskotten</A> </DIV>
> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A [log in to unmask] =
>
> href=3D"mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]</A> </DIV>
> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, December 11, =
>2003 1:31=20
> PM</DIV>
> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: speaking as an/a=20
> historian</DIV>
> <DIV><BR></DIV><PRE>The Pilot, 11/30/1808
>"Embargo Ahoi! Fuller Healy is the fame perfon who thirteen
>weeks ago commenced the laborous and flavish bufinefs of diftributing
>Newspapers from the Pilot prefs in Cazenovia, through Nelfon, Eaton,
>Madifon, &c. &c. to Brookfield. As this weeks tour makes
>one Quarter of a year and as the old faying is, 'money makes the mare
>go,' I don't fee why it won't make my old horfe go and if it will, it =
>has
>more virtue than whip and fpur in our bad roads. He trufts his =
>good
>cuftomers will ferioufly confider his cafe, and help him to a little
>Rhino</I>." (11/30/1808)
>
></PRE><FONT face=3D"Courier New, Courier">One helpful person pointed out =
>that=20
> "Rhino" may mean money.<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></BODY></HTML>
>
>--Boundary_(ID_h2ALxZrgMPv2wCaMCcon7Q)--
>
--
Pat Reynolds
[log in to unmask]
"It might look a bit messy now,
but just you come back in 500 years time"
(T. Pratchett)
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