E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Ribbonism.
A Catholic association organised in Ireland about 1808. Its two main objects were (1) to secure “fixity of tenure,” called the tenant-right; and (2) to deter anyone from taking land from which a tenant has been ejected. The name arises from a ribbon worn as a badge in the button-hole.
