rudy

plural rudies

1. aerial freestyleAn acrobatic maneuver involving two and a half twists.

1. A diminutive of the male given name Rudolph.

   Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani claimed Sunday that the President hypothetically could have shot the former FBI director to end the Russia investigation and not face prosecution for it while in office.

   2018 June 3, Veronica Stracqualursi, Dana Bash, “Giuliani to HuffPost: Trump could have ‘shot James Comey’ and not be prosecuted”, in CNN, archived from the original on 29 Aug 2021

2. A surname.

plural Rudys

1. UKhistoricalslangA rude boy; a member of a Jamaican street gang in the 1960s and 70s.

   Stop your running around / Making problems in town / Rudy, a message to you, Rudy

   1967, Dandy Livingstone, “A Message to You Rudy”

   1 more example

   They dance the West Indian Reggae because it is the only old‐fashioned dance beat around and the total opposite of Pepsi‐Rock, the Plastic Ono Band and Jethro Tull and Blood, Sweat & Tears, all of which they naturally despise; and they also have a wary respect for West Indians in general and the Rudys in particular, the Jamaican street gangs who are older and tougher then^([sic]) themselves.

   1970 March 29, Nik Cohn, “England's New Teen Style Is Violence”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 08 Jan 2024

plural Rudy's

1. An inspiring competitor, usually an athlete, who perseveres despite tall odds.

   The Cardinals are the Hoosiers of baseball; just as the Wisconsin Badgers are the Rudy of college basketball.

   2017, David J. Leonard, Playing While White: Privilege and Power on and Off the Field, University of Washington Press, page 211

   2 more examples

   "For me, I didn't want to leave the area, because [by now] I was playing sports, and I was heavily involved in the community. Everybody knew me as 'the overachiever'. I was the 'Rudy' of my high school [really]. I was never the best athlete - I was just a kid with a big heart that would never give up.

   2025, Guy Evans, BEYOND NITRO: Untold Stories from the WCW era

   I would say the Rudy of that team was Jeff Leeland. He really was. I think Mike Rohrbach was our Rudy, too. He was a captain and he lost his starting job. Everyone wanted Mike to have an opportunity to play in that game. He was such a spiritual leader for the team. He found a way to contribute to the team off the field.

   2013, Greg Brown, What It Means to Be a Husky: Don James and Washington's Greatest Players, Triumph Books, page 199