Romany rye
noun
A person who is not a Rom but who takes an interest in or has dealings with Roma.
- The title was applied as a self-designation by 19th-cent. gypsy scholars..
Origin
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in George Borrow (1803–1881), writer and traveller. From Romany + rye, after Romani Romanō rai gentleman or scholar of the Roma.