hey rube

English - English

Definition of hey rube in English English dictionary

A call to rally circus members in a fight

A fight between members of a circus and the general public

I said 'Shut it, Camel! I'm dealing with a situation here.' Walter says. /.'What kind of situation?' says Camel. / 'Jacob's messed up.' / 'What? How? Was there a hey rube?'.

Turkish pronunciation

hey rub

Pronunciation

/ˈhā ˈro͞ob/ /ˈheɪ ˈruːb/

Etymology

() The term originated in the 19th century when circuses were rowdy affairs and Hey Rube was the rallying cry to call all circus people to help in a fight with townspeople. It's not clear whether Rube in this term was someone specific or simply a use of the informal term rube (shortened form of Reuben) for an unsophisticated person from a rural area.