Meanings
plural liripoops · alternative liripipe
- obsoleteA pendent part of the old clerical tippet.
So, so, I have my lerrepoop already.
1647, Thomas Middleton, William Rowley, Wit at Severall Weapons1 more example
The hood and liripoop (the long tail or tippet of the hood) was worn by the laity of both sexes as well as by the clergy.
1861, Charles MacFarlane, The comprehensive history of England, page 202 - obsoleteA tippet; a scarf; worn also by doctors, learned men, etc.
The liripoop lingers in the hat-band, and is used at funerals.
1889, John McClintock, James Strong, Cyclopædia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature4 more examples
MASTER Janotus , with his hair cut round as a dish, his Liripoop on his head , after the old fashion; and having sufficiently antidoted his stomach with kitchen-cordials, and holy water of the cellar, conveyed himself to the lodging of Gargantua, driving before him three red muzzled beadles, and dragging after him five or six artless masters, all thoroughly bedagled with the mire of the streets.
1807, François Rabelais, Works - Volume 1, page 194Moreover, we forbid all the above persons to use beyond the College any mantles or liripoops of fine linen or woollen, except on the attack of some disease, or on leave obtained from the President or Vice-President, for urgent reason;
1843, The Foundation Statutes of Bishop Fox for Corpus Christi, page 139Male head with bold face: it has a very peculiar hood, with liripoop.
1870, John Chappel Woodhouse, A short Account of Lichfield Cathedral, page 92The garb of a Doctor of Divinity, as you know, consisteth of a large cope with a liripoop.
2016, “Anton Rubenstadt amicably and with hearty affection wisheth weal to Magister Ortwin Gratius”, in Ulrich Von Hutten, editor, Letters of Obscure Men, page 54 - obsoleteacuteness; smartness; knowledge.
There's a girl who knows her lirripoop.
1598, John Lyly, Mother Bombie3 more examples
Heere was a wily wench had her liripoop without book, she was not to seeke in her knackes and shifts: such are all women, each of them hath a cloke for the raine, and can bleare her husbands eies as she list.
1594, Thomas Nash, The Vnfortvnate TravellerNo, I'll be sworn she has her liripoop, too.
1605, George Chapman, All FoolsI warrant you, sir, my mistress and I Have practised our liripoop together.
1631, Shackerley Marmion, Holland's Leaguer - obsoleteOne's proper business or prescribed role.
I will teach thee thy lyrripups.
1577, Raphaell Holinshed; Richarde Stanyhurst [i.e., Richard Stanihurst], “The Historie of Irelande […]”, in The Firste Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande […], volume I, London: […] [Henry Bynneman] for Iohn Hunne, →OCLC, folio 20, verso, column 23 more examples
For seeing you make me your judge, I trow, I shall teach you both your liripoop to know.
156?, Ulpian Fulwell, Like Will to Like'I know my liripoop without coming here to learn it,' said Mandricard as the Duke began to move off.
1935, E. R. Eddison, Mistress of MistressesDickens's own Mrs Lirriper is a stock character, but she breaks out of her mould and refuses to play her prescribed part—her 'liripoop'.
2020, Ushashi Dasgupta, Charles Dickens and the Properties of Fiction, page 270 - obsoleteA silly person.
I want to discuss your rakshasa spouse, She's giving me fits, the liripoop souse.
1975, Thomas Starling, The King and the Cat, page 1533 more examples
I thought I would ask him questions fast enough and directly enough to force from him a positive answer of “yes” or “no” —a thing which it is exceedingly difficult to obtain in the piney-woods—but I found he was no liripoop.
1872, Stephen Powers, Afoot and Alone, page 28Jones, however, for his part, is sometimes equally inane in criticising Smith, who holds that millions of Germans have now been killed off, that the copper has all been melted down, and that the occupation of Warsaw is the last desperate resort of the Kaiser—or, rather, of "the imperial gambler", to use an effective and stylish expression among liripoops; for he derides Smith as an optimist—as if optimism signified a person who holds absurd or addle-headed opinions directly contrary to the clear truth.
August 14, 1915, “Optimists and Asses”, in The Saturday Review of Politics, Literature, Science and Art, volume 120, number 3120Brother Diego stared doltishly around the hall, ogling the rich trappings, and the monarchs dismissed him as the liripoop he was.
2021, James Howell Street, The Velvet Doublet
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Latinliripipium
- Old Frenchliripipion
- Englishliripoop
From Old French liripipion, liripion, Latin liripipium. Said to be corrupted from cleri ephippium (“the clergy's caparison”).
More words from Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
liripoop. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/liripoop
“liripoop.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/liripoop. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “liripoop,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/liripoop.
Source: liripoop on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.