a rum do
noun phrase

- an odd, strange, or surprising occurrence, situation, or turn of events, especially one that might be considered somewhat disreputable or distasteful

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rum
adjective

- unusual and strange

Cambridge Dictionary

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ORIGIN

The ‘rum’ in ‘rum do’ is an adjective meaning ‘odd’ or ‘strange’, and has nothing to do with the liquor rum.

In the 16th century the adjectival meaning was almost the opposite of the current sense – it then meant ‘excellent’ or ‘great’.

A 'rum buffer' was a good dog, a 'rum chant' was a nice song and 'rum clouts' were very fine handkerchiefs. There were even 'rum doxies' meaning pretty prostitutes. For some odd reason however, other “rum” phrases started to appear around two centuries later, but in a negative sense. A 'rum customer' was someone you could not trust. A 'rum phiz' was an ugly face and a 'rum touch' was a strange fellow.

In ‘A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English’, Eric Partridge lists no fewer than 93 ‘rum’ phrases, many using the earlier meaning ‘excellent’ or ‘great’.

It could be, and this is pure speculation, that ‘rum’ migrated from simply ‘good’ and came to mean ‘good at being bad’. From there it is a short distance to ‘disreputable’ and ‘strange’.

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NELSON’S BLOOD

Legend says that following the victory and death of Horatio Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar, his body was preserved in a barrel of rum to allow transportation back to England.

Upon arrival, however, the barrel was opened and found to be empty of rum. After removing the body, it was discovered that a hole had been drilled in the bottom of the barrel, allowing sailors to drink the rum. Hence the term “Nelson’s blood” becoming a synonym for rum.

This also explains the term “tapping the admiral” meaning the stealing of liquor from a barrel through a straw.

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SYNONYMS for rum

Barbados Water, Demon Water, Kill-Devil, Nelson’s Blood, Pirate’s Drink, Navy Neaters, Rude to Your Parents

Source: Nick Davis - “The drink that nearly knocked me out with one sniff” - BBC

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PRACTICE OWAD in an English conversation, say something like:

“That last zoom meeting, with Jim obviously still in bed, was a pretty RUM DO.”

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Paul Smith