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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

RAMMY, n. Also rammie. A general fight, a “free for all”, a scuffle, a violent disturbance or commotion (Gsw. 1934 Partridge Slang Dict.). Gen.Sc.Gsw. 1935 McArthur & Long No Mean City iv.:
Evidence about a “rammy” is always conflicting, never reliable and frequently perjured.Gsw. 1938 Evening Standard (1 April) 17:
Gallaher had the body, he was Irish, he laid out two slops [policemen] in the last rammy.w.Sc. 1944 Scots Mag. (Oct.) 46:
Not so long ago, in a dance hall rammy.e.Lth. 1983 Mollie Hunter The Dragonfly Years (1989) 97:
Hughie had a black eye at that very moment, from the kind of street fight he called a 'rammy'; and Bunty looked pointedly at this before she said: ... wm.Sc. 1985 Liz Lochhead Tartuffe 3:
Ah've to let this rammy a' go by me and no worry?
The wey you clan cairry oan is far from wyce.
There's nae respect. Ah try to gie advice,
But naw! There's that much argie-bargie it
's like nae place on earth but Paddy's Market. Gsw. 1990 Alan Spence The Magic Flute (1991) 81:
'... Somebody cowped the table and spilled what was left of the soup. That was it. Developed into a total rammy. And of course the polis came in to break it up. ... ' m.Sc. 1992 James Meek Last Orders 2:
Nobody queued these days, they milled about the pavement and leaned in doorways, and when the bus came, it was just a rammy, being first in a queue of three and having five people pile on before any of you, it showed how completely unsafe things had become. m.Sc. 1996 John Murray Aspen 13:
In this unennin flit
atween bieldless places,
in this ennless rammy
o ferfochen faces,
a knotless threid
like a fushonless fantasie
cannae thegither onythin jyne. Edb. 1998 Gordon Legge Near Neighbours (1999) 162:
To make matters worse, there was a possibility they were missing out on the main attraction; a rammy between Lindsay and Melons? Nice one. Sc. 2000 Herald (1 Feb) 17:
The younger elements are reminiscent of the Trotskyite "entryists" who plagued the Labour Party 20 years ago: fanatics who have joined the broad church in search of a meal ticket and a good rammie.