Brewer's: Row

(rhyme with now). A tumult. It used to be written roue, and referred to the night encounters of the roués or profligate bon-vivants whose glory it was to attack the “Charleys” and disturb the peace. (See Roue.)

Row
(rhyme with low). The Row means “Paternoster Row,” famous for publishing firms and wholesale booksellers, or Rotten Row (q.v.). (AngloSaxon, raw, a line.)
Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
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