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techniques refine on those of the past./
[regain one's feet] {v. phr.} To get back up again after falling
down. * /Tom fell while he skied down the hill but he regained his
feet quickly./ Compare: TO ONE'S FEET.
[regard] See: IN REFERENCE TO or IN REGARD TO or WITH REGARD TO.
[regular guy] or [regular fellow] {n.}, {informal} A friendly
person who is easy to get along with; a good sport. * /You'll like
Tom. He's a regular guy./ Syn.: GOOD EGG.
[rein] See: FREE REIN, GIVE REIN TO or GIVE FREE REIN TO.
[relation] See: IN RELATION TO or WITH RELATION TO.
[relative to] 1. On the subject of; about. * /Relative to school
athletics, the principal said the students should not allow athletics
to interfere with homework./ 2. In comparison with; in proportion to.
* /Relative to the size of an ant, a blade of grass is as tall as a
tree./
[repeat oneself] {v. phr.} To say the same thing over again, often
in the same words; repeat ideas because you forget what you said or
because you want to stress their importance. * /Grandfather is
forgetful and often repeats himself when he tells a story./ * /A
teacher often has to repeat herself several times before her pupils
remember what she tells them./
[resign oneself] {v. phr.} To stop arguing; accept something which
cannot be changed. * /When Jane's father explained that he could not
afford to buy her a new bicycle, she finally resigned herself to
riding the old one./ Compare: GIVE UP.
[resistance] See: LINE OF LEAST RESISTANCE.
[rest] See: LAY TO REST, PARADE REST.
[rest assured] {v. phr.} To be convinced; persuaded; certain and
unworried. * /"Please rest assured," he said seriously, "that I will
keep all of my promises."/
[rest home] See: CONVALESCENT HOME.
[rest on one's laurels] {v. phr.} To be satisfied with the success
you have already won; stop trying to win new honors. * /Getting an A
in chemistry almost caused Mike to rest on his laurels./
[rest on one's oars] {v. phr.} To stop trying; stop working for a
while; rest. * /The man who wants to become a millionaire can never
rest on his oars./ * /A high school student who wants to go to college
cannot rest on his oars./
[rest room] {n.} A room or series of rooms in a public building
which has things for personal comfort and grooming, such as toilets,
washbowls, mirrors, and often chairs or couches. * /Sally went to the
rest room to powder her nose./ Compare: POWDER ROOM.
[retreat] See: BEAT A RETREAT.
[return] See: IN RETURN.
[return the compliment] {v. phr.} To say or do the same to someone
that he has said or done to you; pay someone back. * /Mary said, "I
love your new hairdo" and Suzy returned the compliment with "What a
pretty dress you're wearing, Mary."/ * /John punched Jerry in the
nose, and Jerry returned the compliment./
[reverse] See: DOUBLE REVERSE, IN REVERSE.
[rev up] {v. phr.}, {informal}, {slang} 1. To press down sharply
several times on the accelerator of an idling car in order to get
maximum acceleration. * /The race driver revved up his car by pumping
his accelerator./ 2. To get oneself ready in order to accomplish a
demanding or difficult task. * /The boys were getting all revved up
for the football game./ See: PSYCHED UP.
[rhyme or reason] {n. phr.} A good plan or reason; a reasonable
purpose or explanation. - Used in negative, interrogative, or
conditional sentences. * /Don could see no rhyme or reason to the plot
of the play./ * /It seemed to Ruth that her little brother had temper
tantrums without rhyme or reason./
[rib] See: STICK TO ONE'S RIBS or STICK TO THE RIBS.
[rich] See: STRIKE IT RICH.
[ride] See: ALONG FOR THE RIDE, LET RIDE, RUN WITH HARE AND HUNT
(RIDE) WITH THE HOUNDS, TAKE FOR A RIDE, THUMB A RIDE.
[ride herd on] {v. phr.} 1. To patrol on horseback around a herd of
animals to see that none of them wanders away. * /Two cowboys rode
herd on the cattle being driven to market./ 2. {informal} To watch
closely and control; take care of. * /A special legislative assistant
rides herd on the bills the president is anxious to have congress
pass./ * /Mary rode herd on the small children walking home from
school to keep them from running into the street./
[ride on one's coattails] {v. phr.} To succeed in a certain
endeavor by attaching oneself to the greater weight of another person
or corporate body. * /"We will never get our Ph.D. program approved on
our own," said the head of the modern dance department, "but we might
succeed if we stay in the Division of Fine Arts, riding on their
coattails, as it were."/
[ride out] {v.} To survive safely; endure. * /The captain ordered
all sails lowered so the ship could ride out the storm./ * /Jack
decided to ride out his troubles by saying that he had made a mistake
but that he had learned his lesson./
[ride roughshod over] {v. phr.} To do as you wish without
considering the wishes of (another person); treat with scorn or lack
of courtesy; show no sympathy for. * /The city officials rode
roughshod over the people who did not want their homes torn down for a
new school./ * /The boss rode roughshod over the men when they asked
for higher wages./
[ride the brake] or [ride the clutch] {v. phr.}, {informal} To keep
your foot on the pedal. * /Riding the brake is a bad habit for a
driver to form./
[ride the gravy train] {v. phr.} To live a life of plenty and
luxury. * /Those who have a wealthy executive or heir to a fortune for
a spouse can ride the gravy train without doing any work./
[ride up] or [crawl up] {v.} To slip gradually upward on the body.
* /Shorts that ride up can be very uncomfortable./
[riding for a fall] {adj. phr.} Behaving in an overconfident way
that is likely to lead to trouble; being too sure of yourself; doing
something dangerous. * /The student who does not study for exams is
riding for a fall./ * /Mr. Smith has borrowed too much money on his
home. He is riding for a fall./ Compare: COME A CROPPER(2).
[riding high] {adj.} Attracting attention; enjoying great
popularity. * /After scoring the winning touchdown, John is riding
high with his classmates./
[rid of] Free of; away from; without the care or trouble. * /The
puppy is finally rid of worms./ * /If I could be rid of the children
for the day, I would go./ * /I wish you'd get rid of that cat!/
Compare: DO AWAY WITH, THROW AWAY(1), THROW OFF(1).
[right] See: ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT FOR YOU, DEAD TO RIGHTS, GIVE
ONE'S RIGHT ARM, HEART IN THE RIGHT PLACE, IN THE RIGHT, PLAY ONE'S
CARDS RIGHT, PUT TO RIGHTS or SET TO RIGHTS, SERVE RIGHT, TO RIGHTS.
[right along] {adv. phr.}, {informal} 1a. On your way
satisfactorily or without trouble. * /They fixed the engine and the
train ran right along./ 1b. On your way without delay. * /Don't wait
for me. Go right along./ 2. See: ALL ALONG.
[right and left] {adv. phr.} In or from every direction; all
around; on all sides. * /The knight rode into battle striking at the
enemy right and left with his broadsword./ * /When the talk ended,
questions were thrown at the speaker right and left./
[right away] or {informal} [right off] also {informal} [right off
the bat] {adv. phr.} Immediately; as the next thing in order; without
delay. * /Phil's mother told him to do his homework right away so that
he could enjoy the weekend./ * /The Red Cross aids disaster victims
right away./ * /Jill knew the answer right off./ * /The teacher said
he could not think of the title of the book right off the bat./ Syn.:
AT ONCE(2). Compare: HERE AND NOW, ON THE SPOT. Contrast: AFTER A
WHILE.
[right down] or [up one's alley] {adv. phr.} In accordance with
one's specialty or predilection. * /This kind of preclassical music is
right up Bill's alley; after all, he wrote his Ph.D. on Bach./
[right field] {n.} The part of a baseball outfield to the batter's
right. * /Left-handed batters usually hit to right field./ Compare:
CENTER FIELD, LEFT FIELD. - [right fielder] {n.} The outfielder in
baseball who plays in right field. * /The batter hit a high fly ball
and the right fielder caught it easily./
[right-hand man] {v. phr.} A valued and indispensable assistant. *
/The chancellor of the university never goes anywhere without the vice
chancellor, his right-hand man, whose judgment he greatly trusts./
[right on] {adj.}, {interj.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. Exclamation of
animated approval "Yes," "That's correct," "You're telling the truth,"
"we believe you," etc. * /Orator: And we shall see the promised land!
Crowd: Right on!/ 2. Correct; to the point; accurate. * /The
reverend's remark was right on!/
[right out] or [straight out] {adv.} Plainly; in a way that hides
nothing; without waiting or keeping back anything. * /When Mother
asked who broke the window, Jimmie told her right out that he did it./
* /When Ann entered the beauty contest her little brother told her
straight out that she was crazy./
[right side of the tracks] See: THE TRACKS.
[right-wing] {adj.} Being or belonging to a political group which
opposes any important change in the way the country is run. * /Some
countries with right-wing governments have dictators./ Contrast:
LEFT-WING.
[rig out] {v. phr.} To overdecorate; doll up; dress up. * /Ann
arrived all rigged out in her newest Parisian summer outfit./
[Riley] See: LIFE OF RILEY.
[ring] See: GIVE A RING, RUN CIRCLES AROUND or RUN RINGS AROUND,
THREE-RING CIRCUS, THROW ONE'S HAT IN THE RING.
[ring a bell] {v. phr.} To make you remember something; sound
familiar. * /Not even the cat's meowing seemed to ring a bell with
Judy. She still forgot to feed him./ * /When Ann told Jim the name of
the new teacher it rang a bell, and Jim said, "I went to school with a
James Carson."/
[ring in] {v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To bring in (someone or
something) from the outside dishonestly or without telling; often:
hire and introduce under a false name. * /Bob offered to ring him in
on the party by pretending he was a cousin from out of town./ * /No
wonder their team beat us; they rang in a professional to pitch for
them under the name of Dan Smith./ 2. To ring a special clock that
records the time you work. * /We have to ring in at the shop before
eight o'clock in the morning./
[ringleader] {n. phr.} The chief of an unsavory group; a higher-up.
* /The FBI finally caught up with the ringleader of the dope smugglers
from South America./
[ring out] {v.} To ring a special clock that records the time you
leave work. * /Charles can't leave early in his new job; he has to
ring out./
[ring the changes] {v. phr.} To say or do the same thing in
different ways; repeat the same idea in many ways. * /David wanted a
new bicycle and he kept ringing the changes on it all day until his
parents got angry at him./ * /A smart girl saves money on clothes by
learning to ring the changes on a few dresses and clothes./
[ring true] {v. phr.} To have a tone of genuineness; sound
convincing. * /I believed his sob story about how he lost his fortune,
because somehow it all rang true./
[ring up] {v.} 1. To add and record on a cash register. * /The
supermarket clerk rang up Mrs. Smith's purchases and told her she owed
$33./ * /Business was bad Tuesday; we didn't ring up a sale all
morning./ 2. {informal} To telephone. * /Sally rang up Sue and told
her the news./
[riot] See: READ THE RIOT ACT, RUN RIOT.
[ripe] See: TIME IS RIPE.
[rip into] or [tear into] {v.}, {informal} 1. To start a fight
with; attack. * /The puppy is tearing into the big dog./ Syn.: PITCH
INTO. 2. To quarrel with; scold. * /Mrs. Brown ripped into her
daughter for coming home late./ Syn.: BAWL OUT, LACE INTO, LAY OUT,
LET HAVE IT.
[rip off] {v.}, {slang} (Stress on "off") Steal. * /The hippies
ripped off the grocery store./
[rip-off] {n.}, {slang} (Stress on "rip") An act of stealing or
burglary. * /Those food prices are so high, it's almost a rip-off./
[rise] See: GET A RISE OUT OF, GIVE RISE TO.
[rise from the ashes] {v. phr.} To rise from ruin; start anew. * /A
year after flunking out of medical school, Don rose from the ashes and
passed his qualifying exams for the M.D. with honors./
[rise in the world] See: COME UP IN THE WORLD.
[rise to] {v.} To succeed in doing what is expected by trying
especially hard in or on; show that you are able to do or say what is
needed or proper in or on. * /Jane was surprised when the principal
handed her the prize, but she rose to the occasion with a speech of
thanks./ * /When Michael became sick on the day before the program,
Paul rose to the need and learned Michael's part./
[rise up] {v. phr.} To stage a rebellion; revolt. * /The people
finally rose up and communism came to an end in Eastern Europe./
[risk] See: CALCULATED RISK, RUN A RISK.
[road] See: ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME, BURN UP THE ROAD, END OF THE
ROAD, GET THE SHOW ON THE ROAD, HIT THE ROAD, HUG THE ROAD, MIDDLE OF
THE ROAD, ON THE ROAD.
[road gang] {n.} A group of men who work at road construction. *
/Football players often work with road gangs during summer vacations./
[road hog] {n.}, {informal} A car driver who takes more than his
share of the road. * /A road hog forced John's car into the ditch./
[road show] {n.} A theatrical play that is performed for a few days
in one town and then moves to other towns. * /Many actors get their
start in road shows./ * /The road show is often not as good as the
original play on Broadway./
[road sign] {n.} A sign on which there is information about a road
or places; a sign with directions to drivers. * /The road sign read,
"25 MPH LIMIT" but Jack drove along at fifty miles an hour./ * /The
road sign said Westwood was four miles away./
[road test] {n.} 1. A test to see if you can drive a car. * /Jim
took the road test and got his driver's license last week./ 2. A test
to see if a car works all right on the road. * /Most new cars are
given road tests before they are put on the market./ * /After he
repaired the car, the mechanic gave it a road test./
[roast] See: WEINER ROAST or HOT DOG ROAST.
[roasting ear] {n.} An ear of corn young and tender enough to be
cooked and eaten; also corn cooked on the cob. * /The scouts buried
the roasting ears in the coals of their campfire./ * /At the Fourth of
July picnic we had fried chicken and roasting ears./
[robbery] See: HIGHWAY ROBBERY.
[robin] See: ROUND ROBIN.
[rob Peter to pay Paul] {v. phr.} To change one duty or need for
another; take from one person or thing to pay another. * /Bill owed
Sam a dollar, so he borrowed another from Joe to pay Sam back. He
robbed Peter to pay Paul./ * /Trying to study a lesson for one class
during another class is like robbing Peter to pay Paul./
[rob the cradle] {v. phr.}, {informal} To have dates with or marry
a person much younger than yourself. * /When the old woman married a
young man, everyone said she was robbing the cradle./ -
[cradle-robber] {n.} * /The judge died when he was seventy. He was a
real cradle-robber because he left a thirty-year-old widow./ -
[cradle-robbing] {adj.} or {n.} * /Bob is seventeen and I just saw him
with a girl about twelve years old. Has he started cradle-robbing? No,
that girl was his sister, not his date!/
[rob the till] or [have one's hand in the till] {v. phr.},
{informal} To steal money in your trust or for which you are
responsible. * /The supermarket manager suspected that one of the
clerks was robbing the till./ * /Mr. Jones deposited one thousand
dollars in their joint savings account and told his wife not to rob
the till./ * /The store owner thought his business was failing until
he discovered that the treasurer had his hand in the till./
[rock] See: HAVE ROCKS IN ONE'S HEAD, ON THE ROCKS.
[rock and roll] See: ROCK 'N' ROLL.
[rock-bottom] {n.} The lowest possible point. * /The nation's
morale hit rock bottom in the hours following the president's
assassination./ - Often used like an adjective, with a hyphen. * /The
rock-bottom price of this radio is $25./
[rocker] See: OFF ONE'S ROCKER.
[rock hound] {n.}, {slang} A person who studies and collects rocks
for a hobby. * /Many young rock hounds grow up to be geologists./ *
/Tony is an eager rock hound, and we have rocks all through our
house./
[rock'n'roll] or [rock and roll] {n.} A style of popular music with
heavily accented rhythm. * /Rock'n'roll appeals mostly to youngsters
nine to sixteen years old./ * /Rock and roll became popular for dances
about 1954./
[rock the boat] {v. phr.}, {informal} To make trouble and risk
losing or upsetting something; cause a disturbance that may spoil a
plan. * /The other boys said that Henry was rocking the boat by
wanting to let girls into their club./ * /Politicians don't like to
rock the boat around election time./ Compare: UPSET THE APPLE CART.
Contrast: LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE.
[rod] See: HOT ROD.
[roll] See: GET THE BALL ROLLING, KEEP THE BALL ROLLING, ROCK 'N'
ROLL OT ROCK AND ROLL.
[roll around] {v.}, {informal} To return at a regular or usual
time; come back. * /When winter rolls around, out come the skis and
skates./
[rolling stone gathers no moss] A person who changes jobs or where
he lives often will not be able to save money or things of his own. -
A proverb. * /Uncle Willie was a rolling stone that gathered no moss.
He worked in different jobs all over the country./
[roll out the red carpet] {v. phr.} 1. To welcome an important
guest by putting a red carpet down for him to walk on. * /They rolled
out the red carpet for the Queen when she arrived in Australia./ 2. To
greet a person with great respect and honor; give a hearty welcome. *
/Margaret's family rolled out the red carpet for her teacher when she
came to dinner./ Compare: WELCOME MAT. - [red-carpet] {adj.} * /When
the president visited the foreign country, he was given the red-carpet
treatment and welcomed by a great crowd./ * /We gave Uncle Willie the
red-carpet treatment when he returned from Hong Kong./
[roll up one's sleeves] To get ready for a hard job; prepare to
work hard or seriously. * /When Paul took his science examination, he
saw how little he knew about science. He rolled up his sleeves and
went to work./
[Roman collar] {n.} The high, plain, white collar worn by priests
and clergymen. * /The man with the Roman collar is the new
Episcopalian preacher./ * /Many Protestant churches do not require
their ministers to wear Roman collars./
[Rome] See: ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME.
[Rome wasn't built in a day] Great things are not accomplished
overnight; great deeds take a long time. - A proverb. * /A takes a
long time to write a successful novel, but don't worry; Rome wasn't
built in a day, as the saying goes./
[roof] See: HIT THE CEILING or HIT THE ROOF, RAISE THE ROOF.
[rooftop] See: SHOUT PROM THE HOUSE-
TOPS or SHOUT FROM THE ROOFTOPS.
[room] See: CONTROL ROOM, POWDER ROOM, UTILITY ROOM.
[room and board] {n. phr.} A room for rent with meals included. *
/A room alone in that country costs only $10 a day, but room and board
together run $22 a day./
[room clerk] or [desk clerk] {n.} A person who is responsible for
assigning rooms and providing service to guests in hotels, motels,
inns, etc. * /At first-class hotels, room clerks are trained to be at
the service of every guest./ * /Sometimes resort hotels in the
mountains hire college students as room clerks during the summer./
[room to] See: LIVE IN.
[room service] {n.} Service provided to hotel guests in their
rooms. Also: The hotel workers who give this service. * /We called for
room service when we wanted ice./ * /Room service will install a TV
set in your room upon demand./
[room with] {v. phr.} 1. To live in a furnished room with someone
as a roommate without having an affair. * /I roomed with him in
college for four years./ 2. To live together as husband and wife
without the benefit of marriage. * /Dan and Sue have been rooming
together for quite a while and people are wondering if they will ever
get married./
[roost] See: CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST, RULE THE ROOST.
[root] See: TAKE ROOT.
[root-bound] {adj.} 1. Having a limited amount of space for root
growth. * /After seven or eight years day lilies become root-bound and
will not bloom well unless they are divided./ 2. Liking the familiar
place where you live and not wanting to go away from it; having a
sentimental attachment to one place. * /Mr. Jones has lived in
Connecticut all his life. He is too root-bound to consider moving to
another state./
[root for] {v. phr.} To cheer for; applaud; support. * /During the
Olympics one usually roots for the team of one's own country./
[rope] See: END OF ONE'S ROPE, GIVE ONE ENOUGH ROPE AND HE WILL
HANG HIMSELF, ON THE ROPES, THE ROPES.
[rope in] {v.}, {informal} 1. To use a trick to make (someone) do
something; deceive; fool. * /The company ropes in high school students
to sell magazine subscriptions by telling them big stories of how much
money they can earn./ Syn.: TAKE UP(5a). 2. To get (someone to join or
help); persuade to do something. * /Martha roped in Charles to help
her decorate the gym for the party./ * /I didn't want the job of
selling tickets for the dance, but I was roped in because everyone
else was too busy to do it./
[rope Into] {v.}, {informal} 1. To trick into; persuade
dishonestly. * /Jerry let the big boys rope him into stealing some
apples./ 2. To get (someone) to join in; persuade to work at. * /It
was Sue's job to bathe the dog but she roped Sam into helping her./ *
/Mother did not go to the first meeting of the club because she was
afraid she would be roped into something./ Compare: TALK INTO.
[rope off] {v. phr.} To divide into sections by use of a rope. *
/The police roped off the section of the street where the president
was expected to jog./
[rose] See: BED OF ROSES, LOOK AT THE WORLD THROUGH ROSE-COLORED
GLASSES.
[rose-colored glasses] See: LOOK AT THE WORLD THROUGH ROSE-COLORED
GLASSES.
[rotten egg] {n.}, {informal} A person whose character or way of
acting is not good. * /His friends have all learned he is a rotten
egg./ Often used by children in fun, as of someone who is slow in
doing something. * /The boys ran to the river to go swimming and Dick
cried, "Last one in is a rotten egg!"/
[rotten to the core] {adj. phr.} 1. Thoroughly decayed or spoiled.
* /This apple is inedible; it is brown and soft and rotten to the
core./ 2. In total moral collapse. * /The Communist government of Cuba
is rotten to the core./
[rough] See: DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH.
[rough-and-ready] {adj.} 1. Not finished in detail; not perfected;
rough but ready for use now. * /We asked Mr. Brown how long it would
take to drive to Chicago and his rough-and-ready answer was two days./
2. Not having nice manners but full of energy and ability. * /Jim is a
rough-and-ready character; he'd rather fight than talk things over./
[rough-and-tumble] 1. {n.} Very rough, hard fighting or arguing
that does not follow any rules. * /There was a rough-and-tumble on the
street last night between some soldiers and sailors./ * /Many people
don't like the rough-and-tumble of politics./ 2. {adj.} Fighting or
arguing in a very rough and reckless way; struggling hard; not
following rules or laws. * /It took strong men to stay alive in the
rough-and-tumble life of the western frontier./
[rough diamond] See: DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH.
[roughhouse] {n.} Riotous play or commotion. * /? told the boys
they can play in the attic if there is no roughhouse./
[roughhouse] {v.} To play very wildly; be running around as young
boys usually do. * /"Stop roughhousing this minute," Grandma cried.
"Your father will be home soon."/
[rough it] {v. phr.} To live like primitive people; live with
little of the comfort and equipment of civilization. * /Scouts like to
rough it in the woods on weekend hikes./
[roughneck] {n.} A low, coarse fellow. * /The only boys in the
neighborhood are a bunch of roughnecks, and Mrs. Smith is unhappy
about the fact that her son is rapidly becoming one of them./
[rough-shod] See: RIDE ROUGH-SHOD OVER.
[rough sledding] See: HARD SLEDDING.
[rough up] {v.} To attack or hurt physically; treat roughly; beat.
* /Three boys were sent home for a week because they roughed up a
player on the visiting team./ * /While Pete was walking in a strange
part of town some boys roughed him up and told him to stay out of
their territory./
[roughly speaking] {adv. phr.} Approximately; in general terms. *
/Roughly speaking, about 250 people attended the annual convention of
the Dictionary Society of America./
[roulette] See: RUSSIAN ROULETTE.
[round] See: BRING AROUND or BRING ROUND, COME ROUND, GO THE
ROUNDS, MAKE ROUNDS, SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLE, YEAR-ROUND.
[round-eyed] or [wide-eyed] also [large-eyed] {adj.} Very much
surprised; astonished; awed. * /The people were round-eyed when they
learned what the computer could do./ * /The children were wide-eyed at
the sight of the Christmas tree and didn't make a sound./
[round off] {v.} 1. To make round or curved. * /John decided to
round off the corners of the table he was making so that no one would
be hurt by bumping them./ 2. To change to the nearest whole number. *
/The teacher said to round off the averages./ 3. To end in a
satisfactory way; put a finishing touch on; finish nicely. * /We
rounded off the dinner with mixed nuts./ * /A boat ride in the
moonlight rounded off the day at the lake./ Compare: TOP OFF.
[round out] {v. phr.} To complete; make whole. * /He needs only one
or two more rare compact discs to round out his collection of
Vivaldi./
[round robin] {n. phr.} 1. Something written, especially a request
or protest that is signed by a group of people. - Often used like an
adjective. * /The people in our neighborhood are sending a round robin
to the Air Force to protest the noise the jet planes make flying over
our houses./ 2. A letter written by a group of people each writing one
or two paragraphs and then sending the letter to another person, who
adds a paragraph, and so on. * /The class sent a round-robin letter to
Bill in the hospital./ 3. A meeting in which each one in a group of
people takes part; a talk between various members of a group. - Often
used like an adjective. * /There is a round-robin meeting of expert
fishermen on the radio, giving advice on how to catch fish./ 4. A
contest or games in which each player or team plays every other player
or team in turn. - Often used like an adjective. * /The tournament
will be a round robin for all the high school teams in the city./
[rounds] See: GO THE ROUNDS.
[round the clock] See: AROUND THE CLOCK.
[round trip] {n.} A return trip; passage to a place and back. *
/The ticket agent explained that a ticket for a round trip to Hawaii
at certain times of the year may cost less than a one-way ticket
during the high season./
[roundup] {n.} A muster; an inspection; a gathering together. *
/The farmer and his son decided to hold a major roundup of all their
cattle to see that none had been stolen by the bandits./ * /The police
roundup of all suspected drug dealers took place early in the
morning./
[round up] {v.} 1. To bring together (cattle or horses). * /Cowboys
round up their cattle in the springtime to brand the new calves./ 2.
{informal} To collect; gather. * /Dave rounded up many names for his
petition./
[row] See: HARD ROW TO HOE or TOUGH ROW TO HOE, HOE ONE'S OWN ROW,
SKID ROW.
[royal road] {n. phr.} A quick means of accomplishment; an easy
path. * /There is no royal road to learning in order to obtain a
university degree./
[rubdown] {n.} A massage. * /The chiropractor gave his patient a
powerful rubdown./
[rub-a-dub] {n.} The sound made by beating a drum. * /We heard a
great rub-a-dub as the parade marched into view./
[rubber check] {n.}, {informal} A check written without enough
money in the bank to make it good. * /Bill got into trouble when he
paid his bills with rubber checks./ * /By the time we knew he had paid
us with a rubber check, the man had left the state./ * /The rubber
check bounced./
[rub down] {v. phr.} 1. To dry the body of (an animal or person) by
rubbing. * /Stablemen rub down a horse after a race./ 2. To rub and
press with the fingers on the body of (a person) to loosen muscles or
prevent stiffness; massage. * /Trainers rub down an athlete after hard
exercise./
[rub elbows] also [rub shoulders] {v. phr.} To be in the same place
(with others); meet and mix. * /City people and country people, old
and young, rub elbows at the horse show./ * /On a visit to the United
Nations Building in New York, you may rub elbows with people from
faraway lands./
[rub it in] {v. phr.}, {slang} To remind a person again and again
of an error or short-coming; tease; nag. * /Jerry was already unhappy
because he fumbled the ball, but his teammates kept rubbing it in./ *
/I know my black eye looks funny. You don't need to rub it in./
[rub off] {v.} 1. To remove or be removed by rubbing; erase. * /The
teacher rubs the problem off the chalkboard./ * /After Ann shook hands
with the president, she would not shake hands with anyone else because
she thought that the good luck would rub off./ 2. To stick to
something touched; come off. * /Don't touch that charcoal, it will rub
off./ * /Mary's dress touched the door that Father was painting, and
some paint rubbed off on her dress./ 3. To pass to someone near as if
by touching. * /Jimmy is very lucky; I wish some of his luck would rub
off on me./
[rub out] {v.}, {slang} To destroy completely; kill; eliminate. *
/The gangsters rubbed out four policemen before they were caught./ *
/The gangsters told the storekeeper that if he did not pay them to
protect him, someone would rub him out./ Compare: WIPE OUT, RID OF.
[rub salt into one's wounds] {v. phr.}, {informal} To deliberately
add pain when one feels shame, regret, or defeat. * /Must you rub salt
into my wounds by telling me how much fun I missed by not going to the
party?/
[rub shoulders] See: RUB ELBOWS.
[rub the wrong way] {v. phr.}, {informal} To make (someone) a
little angry; do something not liked by (someone); annoy; bother. *
/John's bragging rubbed the other boys the wrong way./ * /Mother's
friend called Harold a little boy, and that rubbed Harold the wrong
way./ Compare: AGAINST THE GRAIN(2).
[rub up against] {v. phr.} To come into contact with. * /In that
business one naturally has to rub up against all kinds of people./
[rub up to] {v. phr.} To do nice things for one; flatter a person;
gain attention or rewards. * /Mona has the ability to rub up to the
right kinds of people, so it's no wonder she is so popular at her
work./
[ruffle feathers] or [ruffle one's feathers] {v. phr.} Insult or
disturb slightly; offend. * /The author ruffled some feathers by his
portrait of his hometown./
[rug] See: PULL THE RUG OUT FROM UNDER, SWEEP UNDER THE RUG.
[rule] See: EXCEPTION PROVES THE RULE, GROUND RULE.
[rule of thumb] {n. phr.} A simple and practical method that has
proven successful or useful in the past. * /It is a very good rule of
thumb to look up all unfamiliar words in a good dictionary./
[rule out] {v.} 1. To say that (something) must not be done; not
allow; also: decide against. * /The principal ruled out dances on
school nights./ * /The play was ruled out by the referee./ * /Jean
probably will not go to college, but she has not ruled that out./ 2.
To show that (someone or something) is not a possibility; make it
unnecessary to think about; remove (a chance). * /We have to find a
baby-sitter for tonight; Betsy has a date, so that rules her out./ *
/The doctor took X rays to rule out the chance of broken bones./ 3. To
make impossible; prevent. * /Father's death seems to rule out college
for Jean./ * /Betsy's date for the dance ruled out any baby-sitting
that evening./
[rule the roost] {v. phr.}, {informal} To be leader or boss; be in
charge. * /Jim is very bossy; he always wants to rule the roost./ *
/Who rules the roost in the Smith's house?/ Compare: WEAR THE
TROUSERS.
[run] See: BLOOD RUNS COLD, END RUN, CUT AND RUN, FIRST-RUN, HOME
RUN, IN THE LONG RUN, IN THE RUNNING, ON THE RUN, OUT OF THE RUNNING,
SECOND-RUN.
[run across] See: COME ACROSS(1).
[run after] or [chase after] {v.} 1. To try to find; look for;
hunt. * /The Dramatic Club has to run all over town after things for
setting the stage when it puts on a play./ 2. {informal} To seek the
company of; chase. * /Some boys spend a lot of time and money running
after girls./
[run along] {v.} To go away; leave. * /Joan said she had errands to
do and must run along./
[run a risk] or [take a risk] {v. phr.} To be open to danger or
loss; put yourself in danger; be unprotected. * /A baseball umpire
wears a mask and chest protector so he won't run the risk of being hit
by the ball./ * /Billy takes a risk of being hit by a car when he runs
into the street without looking./ * /I was afraid to run the risk of
betting on the game./ Compare: TAKE A CHANCE.
[run around in circles] {v. phr.} To waste time in repetitious
movements; be confused. * /There was such a crowd in the lobby that I
ran around in circles trying to find my group./
[run around] or [chase around] {v.}, {informal} To go to different
places for company and pleasure; be friends. * /Tim hasn't been to a
dance all year; with school work and his job, he hasn't time to run
around./ * /Chuck and Jim chase around a lot together./ - Often used
with "with". * /Ruth runs around with girls who like to go dancing./
Compare: GO AROUND, HANG AROUND.
[run around like a chicken with its head cut off] See: RUN AROUND
IN CIRCLES.
[run a temperature] {v. phr.} To have a body temperature that is
above normal; have a fever. * /Jimmy didn't look ill, although he was
running a temperature./ * /We took the baby to the doctor because he
was running a temperature./
[run a tight ship] {v. phr.} To run an organization with a firm
hand, with strict rules and regulations. * /Our dean of the college
runs a very tight ship; he tolerates no mistakes./
[run away] or [run off] {v.} To leave and not plan to come back; go
without permission; escape. * /Many times Tommy said he would run away
from home, but he never did./ * /The guards in jail make sure that
none of the prisoners run away./ Compare: GET AWAY.
[run away with] {v.} 1a. To take quickly and secretly, especially
without permission; steal. * /A thief ran away with Grandma's silver
teapot./ Syn.: MAKE OFF. 1b. To go away with; elope. * /Mary said that
if her parents wouldn't let her marry Phil, she would run away with
him./ 1c. To take hold of; seize. * /The boys thought they saw a ghost
in the old house last night; they let their imagination run away with
them./ Compare: GET THE BETTER OF. 2. To be much better or more
noticeable than others in; win easily. * /Our team ran away with the
game in the last half./ * /The fat comedian ran away with the TV
show./ Compare: STEAL THE SHOW.
[run circles around] also [run rings around] {v. phr.} To show that
you can do a task much better than; do better than (someone) very
easily. * /In spelling, Ruth could run circles around Barbara any
day./ * /Frank ran rings around the other boys on the basketball
team./
[run down] {v.} (stress on "down") 1. To crash against and knock
down or sink. * /Jack rode his bicycle too fast and almost ran down
his little brother./ * /It was so foggy that the steamship almost ran
down a small boat leaving port./ Compare: RUN INTO(3a). 2a. To chase
until exhausted or caught. * /The dogs ran down the wounded deer./ 2b.
To find by hard and thorough search; also: trace to its cause or
beginning. * /The policeman ran down proof that the burglar had robbed
the store./ Compare: HUNT DOWN. 2c. To catch (a base runner) between
bases and tag out in baseball. * /The pitcher saw that the base runner
was not on base, so he surprised him by throwing the ball to the first
baseman, who ran him down before he reached second base./ 3.
{informal} To say bad things about; criticize. * /Suzy ran down the
club because the girls wouldn't let her join./ Compare: FIND FAULT. 4.
To stop working; not run or go. * /The battery in Father's car ran
down this morning./ * /The kitchen clock ran down because we forgot to
wind it./ 5. To get into poor condition; look bad. * /A neighborhood
runs down when the people don't take care of their houses./
[run-down] {adj.} (stress on "run") In poor health or condition;
weak or needing much work. * /Grandma caught a cold because she was
very run-down from loss of sleep./ * /The houses near the center of
the city get more run-down every year./
[run dry] {v. phr.} To dry up; lose the water content. * /After
many years of use, our well ran dry./
[run errands] {v. phr.} To carry messages or perform similar minor
tasks. * /Peter runs errands for our entire neighborhood to make some
extra money./
[run for it] or [make a run for it] {v. phr.} To dash for safety;
make a speedy escape. * /The bridge the soldiers were on started to
fall down and they had to run for it./ * /The policeman shouted for
the robber to stop, but the robber made a run for if./
[run for one's money] {n. phr.} 1. A good fight; a hard struggle. -
Usually used with "give" or "get". * /Our team didn't win the game,
but they gave the other team a run for their money./ 2. Satisfaction;
interest; excitement. - Usually used with "give" or "get". * /People
like to watch the champion fight because they get a good run for their
money from him./ * /A good student gives a teacher more than a run for
his money./
[run in] {v. phr.} 1. {informal} To take to jail; arrest. * /The
policeman ran the man in for peddling without a license./ 2. To make a
brief visit. * /The neighbor boy ran in for a minute to see Bob's
newest model rocket./ Syn.: DROP IN. Compare: STOP OFF.
[run-in] {n.} 1. A traffic accident. * /My car was wrecked when I
had a run-in with a small truck./ 2. A violent quarrel. * /John had a
nasty run-in with his boss and was fired./
[run in the blood] or [run in the family] {v. phr.} To be a common
family characteristic; be learned or inherited from your family. * /A
great interest in gardening runs in his family./ * /Red hair runs in
the family./
[run into] {v.} 1. To mix with; join with. * /If the paint brush is
too wet, the red paint will run into the white on the house./ * /This
small brook runs into a big river in the valley below./ 2. To add up
to; reach; total. * /Car repairs can run into a lot of money./ * /The
number of people killed on the highways during holidays runs into
hundreds./ * /A good dictionary may run into several editions./ 3a.
Bump; crash into; hit. * /Joe lost control of his bike and ran into a
tree./ Compare: RUN DOWN. 3b. To meet by chance. * /I ran into Joe
yesterday on Main Street./ Compare: BUMP INTO, CHANCE ON, COME
ACROSS(2). 3e. Be affected by; get into. * /I ran into trouble on the
last problem on the test./ * /When I ran into a problem while making
my model airplane, I asked Uncle Mark for help./
[run into a brick wall] or [run into a stone wall] See: STONE WALL.
[run into the ground] {v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To do or use
(something) more than is wanted or needed. * /It's all right to borrow
my hammer once in a while, but don't run it into the ground./ 2. To
win over or defeat (someone) completely. * /We lost the game today,
but tomorrow we'll run them into the ground./
[run its course] {v. phr.} To fulfill a normal development;
terminate a normal period. * /Your flu will run its course; in a few
days you'll be back on your feet./
[run off] {v. phr.} 1. To produce with a printing press or
duplicating machine. * /The print shop ran off a thousand copies of
the newspaper./ 2. To drive away. * /The boys saw a dog digging in
mother's flower bed, and they ran him off./ * /When the salesman tried
to cheat the farmer, the farmer ran him off the farm with a shotgun./
3. See: RUN AWAY.
[run-off] {n.} A second election held to determine the winner when
the results of the first one were inconclusive. * /The senatorial race
was so close that the candidates will have to hold a run-off./
[run off at the mouth] {v. phr.} To talk too much; be unable to
stop talking. * /"Shut up, John," our father cried. "You are always
running off at the mouth."/
[run of luck] {n. phr.} A period of good luck. * /I had a run of
luck last Saturday when I went fishing and caught seven big trout
within one hour./
[run-of-the-mill] or [run-of-the-mine] {adj.} Of a common kind;
ordinary; usual. * /Frank is a very good bowler, but Joe is just
run-of-the-mill./ * /It was just a run-of-the-mine movie./
[runner-up] {n.} The person who finishes second in a race or
contest; the one next after the winner. * /Tom won the race and Jack
was runner-up./ * /Joan was runner-up in the contest for class
secretary./ Compare: SECOND-BEST.
[running start] {n. phr.} Good progress at the beginning. * /The
team was off to a running start, having won the first two games./ *
/Contributions of $5000 before the drive began gave the charity fund a
running start./ Compare: HEAD START.
[run out] {v.} 1a. To come to an end; be used up. * /Jerry almost
got across the brook on the slippery stones but his luck ran out and
he slipped and fell./ * /We'd better do our Christmas shopping; time
is running out./ Syn.: GIVE OUT(5). 1b. To use all of the supply; be
troubled by not having enough. * /The car ran out of gas three miles
from town./ * /Millie never runs out of ideas for clever party
decorations./ Compare: RUN SHORT. 2. {informal} To force to leave;
expel. * /Federal agents ran the spies out of the country./ Syn.: KICK
OUT, RUN OFF.
[run out on] {v. phr.} To leave someone in the lurch; abandon
another. * /When Ted ran out on Delores, she got so angry that she
sued him for divorce./
[run over] {v.} 1. To be too full and flow over the edge; spill
over. * /Billy forgot he had left the water on, and the tub ran over./
2. To try or go over (something) quickly; practice briefly. * /During
the lunch hour, Mary ran over her history facts so she would remember
them for the test./ * /The coach ran over the signals for the trick
play with the team just before game time./ 3. To drive on top of; ride
over. * /At night cars often run over small animals that are blinded
by the headlights./ Syn.: RUN DOWN.
[run ragged] {v. phr.} To tire out; make nervous by too much worry
or work. * /Trying to keep up with too many clubs, sports, and
activities in addition to his homework ran Tom ragged./ * /On a rainy
day the children sometimes ran Mother ragged./ Compare: WEAR OUT.
[run rings around] See: RUN CIRCLES AROUND.
[run riot] {v. phr.} 1. To act freely or wildly; not control
yourself. * /The monkey got out of his cage and ran riot in the pet
shop./ * /John let his imagination run riot, thinking he was hunting
lions in Africa./ 2. To be or grow in great numbers or large amounts.
* /Daisies ran riot in the meadow./ Compare: RUN WILD.
[run scared] {v. phr.} To expect defeat, as in a political
campaign. * /The one-vote defeat caused him to run scared in every
race thereafter./
[run short] {v. phr.} 1. To not have enough. * /Bob asked Jack to
lend him five dollars because he was running short./ * /We are running
short of sugar./ Compare: RUN OUT. 2. To be not enough in quantity. *
/We are out of potatoes and the flour is running short./
[run that by me again!] {v. phr.}, {informal command} Repeat what
you just said, as I couldn't understand you. * /"Run that by me
again," he cried. "This telephone connection is very bad."/
[run the gauntlet] also [gantlet] {v. phr.} 1. To be made to run
between two lines of people facing each other and be hit by them with
clubs or other weapons. * /Joe had to run the gauntlet as part of his
initiation into the club./ 2. To face a hard test; bear a painful
experience. * /Ginny had to run the gauntlet of her mother's questions
about how the ink spot got on the dining room rug./
[run through] {v.} 1. To make a hole through, especially with a
sword; pierce. * /The pirate was a good swordsman, but the hero
finally ran him through./ 2. To spend recklessly; use up wastefully. *
[regain one's feet] {v. phr.} To get back up again after falling
down. * /Tom fell while he skied down the hill but he regained his
feet quickly./ Compare: TO ONE'S FEET.
[regard] See: IN REFERENCE TO or IN REGARD TO or WITH REGARD TO.
[regular guy] or [regular fellow] {n.}, {informal} A friendly
person who is easy to get along with; a good sport. * /You'll like
Tom. He's a regular guy./ Syn.: GOOD EGG.
[rein] See: FREE REIN, GIVE REIN TO or GIVE FREE REIN TO.
[relation] See: IN RELATION TO or WITH RELATION TO.
[relative to] 1. On the subject of; about. * /Relative to school
athletics, the principal said the students should not allow athletics
to interfere with homework./ 2. In comparison with; in proportion to.
* /Relative to the size of an ant, a blade of grass is as tall as a
tree./
[repeat oneself] {v. phr.} To say the same thing over again, often
in the same words; repeat ideas because you forget what you said or
because you want to stress their importance. * /Grandfather is
forgetful and often repeats himself when he tells a story./ * /A
teacher often has to repeat herself several times before her pupils
remember what she tells them./
[resign oneself] {v. phr.} To stop arguing; accept something which
cannot be changed. * /When Jane's father explained that he could not
afford to buy her a new bicycle, she finally resigned herself to
riding the old one./ Compare: GIVE UP.
[resistance] See: LINE OF LEAST RESISTANCE.
[rest] See: LAY TO REST, PARADE REST.
[rest assured] {v. phr.} To be convinced; persuaded; certain and
unworried. * /"Please rest assured," he said seriously, "that I will
keep all of my promises."/
[rest home] See: CONVALESCENT HOME.
[rest on one's laurels] {v. phr.} To be satisfied with the success
you have already won; stop trying to win new honors. * /Getting an A
in chemistry almost caused Mike to rest on his laurels./
[rest on one's oars] {v. phr.} To stop trying; stop working for a
while; rest. * /The man who wants to become a millionaire can never
rest on his oars./ * /A high school student who wants to go to college
cannot rest on his oars./
[rest room] {n.} A room or series of rooms in a public building
which has things for personal comfort and grooming, such as toilets,
washbowls, mirrors, and often chairs or couches. * /Sally went to the
rest room to powder her nose./ Compare: POWDER ROOM.
[retreat] See: BEAT A RETREAT.
[return] See: IN RETURN.
[return the compliment] {v. phr.} To say or do the same to someone
that he has said or done to you; pay someone back. * /Mary said, "I
love your new hairdo" and Suzy returned the compliment with "What a
pretty dress you're wearing, Mary."/ * /John punched Jerry in the
nose, and Jerry returned the compliment./
[reverse] See: DOUBLE REVERSE, IN REVERSE.
[rev up] {v. phr.}, {informal}, {slang} 1. To press down sharply
several times on the accelerator of an idling car in order to get
maximum acceleration. * /The race driver revved up his car by pumping
his accelerator./ 2. To get oneself ready in order to accomplish a
demanding or difficult task. * /The boys were getting all revved up
for the football game./ See: PSYCHED UP.
[rhyme or reason] {n. phr.} A good plan or reason; a reasonable
purpose or explanation. - Used in negative, interrogative, or
conditional sentences. * /Don could see no rhyme or reason to the plot
of the play./ * /It seemed to Ruth that her little brother had temper
tantrums without rhyme or reason./
[rib] See: STICK TO ONE'S RIBS or STICK TO THE RIBS.
[rich] See: STRIKE IT RICH.
[ride] See: ALONG FOR THE RIDE, LET RIDE, RUN WITH HARE AND HUNT
(RIDE) WITH THE HOUNDS, TAKE FOR A RIDE, THUMB A RIDE.
[ride herd on] {v. phr.} 1. To patrol on horseback around a herd of
animals to see that none of them wanders away. * /Two cowboys rode
herd on the cattle being driven to market./ 2. {informal} To watch
closely and control; take care of. * /A special legislative assistant
rides herd on the bills the president is anxious to have congress
pass./ * /Mary rode herd on the small children walking home from
school to keep them from running into the street./
[ride on one's coattails] {v. phr.} To succeed in a certain
endeavor by attaching oneself to the greater weight of another person
or corporate body. * /"We will never get our Ph.D. program approved on
our own," said the head of the modern dance department, "but we might
succeed if we stay in the Division of Fine Arts, riding on their
coattails, as it were."/
[ride out] {v.} To survive safely; endure. * /The captain ordered
all sails lowered so the ship could ride out the storm./ * /Jack
decided to ride out his troubles by saying that he had made a mistake
but that he had learned his lesson./
[ride roughshod over] {v. phr.} To do as you wish without
considering the wishes of (another person); treat with scorn or lack
of courtesy; show no sympathy for. * /The city officials rode
roughshod over the people who did not want their homes torn down for a
new school./ * /The boss rode roughshod over the men when they asked
for higher wages./
[ride the brake] or [ride the clutch] {v. phr.}, {informal} To keep
your foot on the pedal. * /Riding the brake is a bad habit for a
driver to form./
[ride the gravy train] {v. phr.} To live a life of plenty and
luxury. * /Those who have a wealthy executive or heir to a fortune for
a spouse can ride the gravy train without doing any work./
[ride up] or [crawl up] {v.} To slip gradually upward on the body.
* /Shorts that ride up can be very uncomfortable./
[riding for a fall] {adj. phr.} Behaving in an overconfident way
that is likely to lead to trouble; being too sure of yourself; doing
something dangerous. * /The student who does not study for exams is
riding for a fall./ * /Mr. Smith has borrowed too much money on his
home. He is riding for a fall./ Compare: COME A CROPPER(2).
[riding high] {adj.} Attracting attention; enjoying great
popularity. * /After scoring the winning touchdown, John is riding
high with his classmates./
[rid of] Free of; away from; without the care or trouble. * /The
puppy is finally rid of worms./ * /If I could be rid of the children
for the day, I would go./ * /I wish you'd get rid of that cat!/
Compare: DO AWAY WITH, THROW AWAY(1), THROW OFF(1).
[right] See: ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT FOR YOU, DEAD TO RIGHTS, GIVE
ONE'S RIGHT ARM, HEART IN THE RIGHT PLACE, IN THE RIGHT, PLAY ONE'S
CARDS RIGHT, PUT TO RIGHTS or SET TO RIGHTS, SERVE RIGHT, TO RIGHTS.
[right along] {adv. phr.}, {informal} 1a. On your way
satisfactorily or without trouble. * /They fixed the engine and the
train ran right along./ 1b. On your way without delay. * /Don't wait
for me. Go right along./ 2. See: ALL ALONG.
[right and left] {adv. phr.} In or from every direction; all
around; on all sides. * /The knight rode into battle striking at the
enemy right and left with his broadsword./ * /When the talk ended,
questions were thrown at the speaker right and left./
[right away] or {informal} [right off] also {informal} [right off
the bat] {adv. phr.} Immediately; as the next thing in order; without
delay. * /Phil's mother told him to do his homework right away so that
he could enjoy the weekend./ * /The Red Cross aids disaster victims
right away./ * /Jill knew the answer right off./ * /The teacher said
he could not think of the title of the book right off the bat./ Syn.:
AT ONCE(2). Compare: HERE AND NOW, ON THE SPOT. Contrast: AFTER A
WHILE.
[right down] or [up one's alley] {adv. phr.} In accordance with
one's specialty or predilection. * /This kind of preclassical music is
right up Bill's alley; after all, he wrote his Ph.D. on Bach./
[right field] {n.} The part of a baseball outfield to the batter's
right. * /Left-handed batters usually hit to right field./ Compare:
CENTER FIELD, LEFT FIELD. - [right fielder] {n.} The outfielder in
baseball who plays in right field. * /The batter hit a high fly ball
and the right fielder caught it easily./
[right-hand man] {v. phr.} A valued and indispensable assistant. *
/The chancellor of the university never goes anywhere without the vice
chancellor, his right-hand man, whose judgment he greatly trusts./
[right on] {adj.}, {interj.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. Exclamation of
animated approval "Yes," "That's correct," "You're telling the truth,"
"we believe you," etc. * /Orator: And we shall see the promised land!
Crowd: Right on!/ 2. Correct; to the point; accurate. * /The
reverend's remark was right on!/
[right out] or [straight out] {adv.} Plainly; in a way that hides
nothing; without waiting or keeping back anything. * /When Mother
asked who broke the window, Jimmie told her right out that he did it./
* /When Ann entered the beauty contest her little brother told her
straight out that she was crazy./
[right side of the tracks] See: THE TRACKS.
[right-wing] {adj.} Being or belonging to a political group which
opposes any important change in the way the country is run. * /Some
countries with right-wing governments have dictators./ Contrast:
LEFT-WING.
[rig out] {v. phr.} To overdecorate; doll up; dress up. * /Ann
arrived all rigged out in her newest Parisian summer outfit./
[Riley] See: LIFE OF RILEY.
[ring] See: GIVE A RING, RUN CIRCLES AROUND or RUN RINGS AROUND,
THREE-RING CIRCUS, THROW ONE'S HAT IN THE RING.
[ring a bell] {v. phr.} To make you remember something; sound
familiar. * /Not even the cat's meowing seemed to ring a bell with
Judy. She still forgot to feed him./ * /When Ann told Jim the name of
the new teacher it rang a bell, and Jim said, "I went to school with a
James Carson."/
[ring in] {v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To bring in (someone or
something) from the outside dishonestly or without telling; often:
hire and introduce under a false name. * /Bob offered to ring him in
on the party by pretending he was a cousin from out of town./ * /No
wonder their team beat us; they rang in a professional to pitch for
them under the name of Dan Smith./ 2. To ring a special clock that
records the time you work. * /We have to ring in at the shop before
eight o'clock in the morning./
[ringleader] {n. phr.} The chief of an unsavory group; a higher-up.
* /The FBI finally caught up with the ringleader of the dope smugglers
from South America./
[ring out] {v.} To ring a special clock that records the time you
leave work. * /Charles can't leave early in his new job; he has to
ring out./
[ring the changes] {v. phr.} To say or do the same thing in
different ways; repeat the same idea in many ways. * /David wanted a
new bicycle and he kept ringing the changes on it all day until his
parents got angry at him./ * /A smart girl saves money on clothes by
learning to ring the changes on a few dresses and clothes./
[ring true] {v. phr.} To have a tone of genuineness; sound
convincing. * /I believed his sob story about how he lost his fortune,
because somehow it all rang true./
[ring up] {v.} 1. To add and record on a cash register. * /The
supermarket clerk rang up Mrs. Smith's purchases and told her she owed
$33./ * /Business was bad Tuesday; we didn't ring up a sale all
morning./ 2. {informal} To telephone. * /Sally rang up Sue and told
her the news./
[riot] See: READ THE RIOT ACT, RUN RIOT.
[ripe] See: TIME IS RIPE.
[rip into] or [tear into] {v.}, {informal} 1. To start a fight
with; attack. * /The puppy is tearing into the big dog./ Syn.: PITCH
INTO. 2. To quarrel with; scold. * /Mrs. Brown ripped into her
daughter for coming home late./ Syn.: BAWL OUT, LACE INTO, LAY OUT,
LET HAVE IT.
[rip off] {v.}, {slang} (Stress on "off") Steal. * /The hippies
ripped off the grocery store./
[rip-off] {n.}, {slang} (Stress on "rip") An act of stealing or
burglary. * /Those food prices are so high, it's almost a rip-off./
[rise] See: GET A RISE OUT OF, GIVE RISE TO.
[rise from the ashes] {v. phr.} To rise from ruin; start anew. * /A
year after flunking out of medical school, Don rose from the ashes and
passed his qualifying exams for the M.D. with honors./
[rise in the world] See: COME UP IN THE WORLD.
[rise to] {v.} To succeed in doing what is expected by trying
especially hard in or on; show that you are able to do or say what is
needed or proper in or on. * /Jane was surprised when the principal
handed her the prize, but she rose to the occasion with a speech of
thanks./ * /When Michael became sick on the day before the program,
Paul rose to the need and learned Michael's part./
[rise up] {v. phr.} To stage a rebellion; revolt. * /The people
finally rose up and communism came to an end in Eastern Europe./
[risk] See: CALCULATED RISK, RUN A RISK.
[road] See: ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME, BURN UP THE ROAD, END OF THE
ROAD, GET THE SHOW ON THE ROAD, HIT THE ROAD, HUG THE ROAD, MIDDLE OF
THE ROAD, ON THE ROAD.
[road gang] {n.} A group of men who work at road construction. *
/Football players often work with road gangs during summer vacations./
[road hog] {n.}, {informal} A car driver who takes more than his
share of the road. * /A road hog forced John's car into the ditch./
[road show] {n.} A theatrical play that is performed for a few days
in one town and then moves to other towns. * /Many actors get their
start in road shows./ * /The road show is often not as good as the
original play on Broadway./
[road sign] {n.} A sign on which there is information about a road
or places; a sign with directions to drivers. * /The road sign read,
"25 MPH LIMIT" but Jack drove along at fifty miles an hour./ * /The
road sign said Westwood was four miles away./
[road test] {n.} 1. A test to see if you can drive a car. * /Jim
took the road test and got his driver's license last week./ 2. A test
to see if a car works all right on the road. * /Most new cars are
given road tests before they are put on the market./ * /After he
repaired the car, the mechanic gave it a road test./
[roast] See: WEINER ROAST or HOT DOG ROAST.
[roasting ear] {n.} An ear of corn young and tender enough to be
cooked and eaten; also corn cooked on the cob. * /The scouts buried
the roasting ears in the coals of their campfire./ * /At the Fourth of
July picnic we had fried chicken and roasting ears./
[robbery] See: HIGHWAY ROBBERY.
[robin] See: ROUND ROBIN.
[rob Peter to pay Paul] {v. phr.} To change one duty or need for
another; take from one person or thing to pay another. * /Bill owed
Sam a dollar, so he borrowed another from Joe to pay Sam back. He
robbed Peter to pay Paul./ * /Trying to study a lesson for one class
during another class is like robbing Peter to pay Paul./
[rob the cradle] {v. phr.}, {informal} To have dates with or marry
a person much younger than yourself. * /When the old woman married a
young man, everyone said she was robbing the cradle./ -
[cradle-robber] {n.} * /The judge died when he was seventy. He was a
real cradle-robber because he left a thirty-year-old widow./ -
[cradle-robbing] {adj.} or {n.} * /Bob is seventeen and I just saw him
with a girl about twelve years old. Has he started cradle-robbing? No,
that girl was his sister, not his date!/
[rob the till] or [have one's hand in the till] {v. phr.},
{informal} To steal money in your trust or for which you are
responsible. * /The supermarket manager suspected that one of the
clerks was robbing the till./ * /Mr. Jones deposited one thousand
dollars in their joint savings account and told his wife not to rob
the till./ * /The store owner thought his business was failing until
he discovered that the treasurer had his hand in the till./
[rock] See: HAVE ROCKS IN ONE'S HEAD, ON THE ROCKS.
[rock and roll] See: ROCK 'N' ROLL.
[rock-bottom] {n.} The lowest possible point. * /The nation's
morale hit rock bottom in the hours following the president's
assassination./ - Often used like an adjective, with a hyphen. * /The
rock-bottom price of this radio is $25./
[rocker] See: OFF ONE'S ROCKER.
[rock hound] {n.}, {slang} A person who studies and collects rocks
for a hobby. * /Many young rock hounds grow up to be geologists./ *
/Tony is an eager rock hound, and we have rocks all through our
house./
[rock'n'roll] or [rock and roll] {n.} A style of popular music with
heavily accented rhythm. * /Rock'n'roll appeals mostly to youngsters
nine to sixteen years old./ * /Rock and roll became popular for dances
about 1954./
[rock the boat] {v. phr.}, {informal} To make trouble and risk
losing or upsetting something; cause a disturbance that may spoil a
plan. * /The other boys said that Henry was rocking the boat by
wanting to let girls into their club./ * /Politicians don't like to
rock the boat around election time./ Compare: UPSET THE APPLE CART.
Contrast: LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE.
[rod] See: HOT ROD.
[roll] See: GET THE BALL ROLLING, KEEP THE BALL ROLLING, ROCK 'N'
ROLL OT ROCK AND ROLL.
[roll around] {v.}, {informal} To return at a regular or usual
time; come back. * /When winter rolls around, out come the skis and
skates./
[rolling stone gathers no moss] A person who changes jobs or where
he lives often will not be able to save money or things of his own. -
A proverb. * /Uncle Willie was a rolling stone that gathered no moss.
He worked in different jobs all over the country./
[roll out the red carpet] {v. phr.} 1. To welcome an important
guest by putting a red carpet down for him to walk on. * /They rolled
out the red carpet for the Queen when she arrived in Australia./ 2. To
greet a person with great respect and honor; give a hearty welcome. *
/Margaret's family rolled out the red carpet for her teacher when she
came to dinner./ Compare: WELCOME MAT. - [red-carpet] {adj.} * /When
the president visited the foreign country, he was given the red-carpet
treatment and welcomed by a great crowd./ * /We gave Uncle Willie the
red-carpet treatment when he returned from Hong Kong./
[roll up one's sleeves] To get ready for a hard job; prepare to
work hard or seriously. * /When Paul took his science examination, he
saw how little he knew about science. He rolled up his sleeves and
went to work./
[Roman collar] {n.} The high, plain, white collar worn by priests
and clergymen. * /The man with the Roman collar is the new
Episcopalian preacher./ * /Many Protestant churches do not require
their ministers to wear Roman collars./
[Rome] See: ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME.
[Rome wasn't built in a day] Great things are not accomplished
overnight; great deeds take a long time. - A proverb. * /A takes a
long time to write a successful novel, but don't worry; Rome wasn't
built in a day, as the saying goes./
[roof] See: HIT THE CEILING or HIT THE ROOF, RAISE THE ROOF.
[rooftop] See: SHOUT PROM THE HOUSE-
TOPS or SHOUT FROM THE ROOFTOPS.
[room] See: CONTROL ROOM, POWDER ROOM, UTILITY ROOM.
[room and board] {n. phr.} A room for rent with meals included. *
/A room alone in that country costs only $10 a day, but room and board
together run $22 a day./
[room clerk] or [desk clerk] {n.} A person who is responsible for
assigning rooms and providing service to guests in hotels, motels,
inns, etc. * /At first-class hotels, room clerks are trained to be at
the service of every guest./ * /Sometimes resort hotels in the
mountains hire college students as room clerks during the summer./
[room to] See: LIVE IN.
[room service] {n.} Service provided to hotel guests in their
rooms. Also: The hotel workers who give this service. * /We called for
room service when we wanted ice./ * /Room service will install a TV
set in your room upon demand./
[room with] {v. phr.} 1. To live in a furnished room with someone
as a roommate without having an affair. * /I roomed with him in
college for four years./ 2. To live together as husband and wife
without the benefit of marriage. * /Dan and Sue have been rooming
together for quite a while and people are wondering if they will ever
get married./
[roost] See: CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST, RULE THE ROOST.
[root] See: TAKE ROOT.
[root-bound] {adj.} 1. Having a limited amount of space for root
growth. * /After seven or eight years day lilies become root-bound and
will not bloom well unless they are divided./ 2. Liking the familiar
place where you live and not wanting to go away from it; having a
sentimental attachment to one place. * /Mr. Jones has lived in
Connecticut all his life. He is too root-bound to consider moving to
another state./
[root for] {v. phr.} To cheer for; applaud; support. * /During the
Olympics one usually roots for the team of one's own country./
[rope] See: END OF ONE'S ROPE, GIVE ONE ENOUGH ROPE AND HE WILL
HANG HIMSELF, ON THE ROPES, THE ROPES.
[rope in] {v.}, {informal} 1. To use a trick to make (someone) do
something; deceive; fool. * /The company ropes in high school students
to sell magazine subscriptions by telling them big stories of how much
money they can earn./ Syn.: TAKE UP(5a). 2. To get (someone to join or
help); persuade to do something. * /Martha roped in Charles to help
her decorate the gym for the party./ * /I didn't want the job of
selling tickets for the dance, but I was roped in because everyone
else was too busy to do it./
[rope Into] {v.}, {informal} 1. To trick into; persuade
dishonestly. * /Jerry let the big boys rope him into stealing some
apples./ 2. To get (someone) to join in; persuade to work at. * /It
was Sue's job to bathe the dog but she roped Sam into helping her./ *
/Mother did not go to the first meeting of the club because she was
afraid she would be roped into something./ Compare: TALK INTO.
[rope off] {v. phr.} To divide into sections by use of a rope. *
/The police roped off the section of the street where the president
was expected to jog./
[rose] See: BED OF ROSES, LOOK AT THE WORLD THROUGH ROSE-COLORED
GLASSES.
[rose-colored glasses] See: LOOK AT THE WORLD THROUGH ROSE-COLORED
GLASSES.
[rotten egg] {n.}, {informal} A person whose character or way of
acting is not good. * /His friends have all learned he is a rotten
egg./ Often used by children in fun, as of someone who is slow in
doing something. * /The boys ran to the river to go swimming and Dick
cried, "Last one in is a rotten egg!"/
[rotten to the core] {adj. phr.} 1. Thoroughly decayed or spoiled.
* /This apple is inedible; it is brown and soft and rotten to the
core./ 2. In total moral collapse. * /The Communist government of Cuba
is rotten to the core./
[rough] See: DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH.
[rough-and-ready] {adj.} 1. Not finished in detail; not perfected;
rough but ready for use now. * /We asked Mr. Brown how long it would
take to drive to Chicago and his rough-and-ready answer was two days./
2. Not having nice manners but full of energy and ability. * /Jim is a
rough-and-ready character; he'd rather fight than talk things over./
[rough-and-tumble] 1. {n.} Very rough, hard fighting or arguing
that does not follow any rules. * /There was a rough-and-tumble on the
street last night between some soldiers and sailors./ * /Many people
don't like the rough-and-tumble of politics./ 2. {adj.} Fighting or
arguing in a very rough and reckless way; struggling hard; not
following rules or laws. * /It took strong men to stay alive in the
rough-and-tumble life of the western frontier./
[rough diamond] See: DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH.
[roughhouse] {n.} Riotous play or commotion. * /? told the boys
they can play in the attic if there is no roughhouse./
[roughhouse] {v.} To play very wildly; be running around as young
boys usually do. * /"Stop roughhousing this minute," Grandma cried.
"Your father will be home soon."/
[rough it] {v. phr.} To live like primitive people; live with
little of the comfort and equipment of civilization. * /Scouts like to
rough it in the woods on weekend hikes./
[roughneck] {n.} A low, coarse fellow. * /The only boys in the
neighborhood are a bunch of roughnecks, and Mrs. Smith is unhappy
about the fact that her son is rapidly becoming one of them./
[rough-shod] See: RIDE ROUGH-SHOD OVER.
[rough sledding] See: HARD SLEDDING.
[rough up] {v.} To attack or hurt physically; treat roughly; beat.
* /Three boys were sent home for a week because they roughed up a
player on the visiting team./ * /While Pete was walking in a strange
part of town some boys roughed him up and told him to stay out of
their territory./
[roughly speaking] {adv. phr.} Approximately; in general terms. *
/Roughly speaking, about 250 people attended the annual convention of
the Dictionary Society of America./
[roulette] See: RUSSIAN ROULETTE.
[round] See: BRING AROUND or BRING ROUND, COME ROUND, GO THE
ROUNDS, MAKE ROUNDS, SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLE, YEAR-ROUND.
[round-eyed] or [wide-eyed] also [large-eyed] {adj.} Very much
surprised; astonished; awed. * /The people were round-eyed when they
learned what the computer could do./ * /The children were wide-eyed at
the sight of the Christmas tree and didn't make a sound./
[round off] {v.} 1. To make round or curved. * /John decided to
round off the corners of the table he was making so that no one would
be hurt by bumping them./ 2. To change to the nearest whole number. *
/The teacher said to round off the averages./ 3. To end in a
satisfactory way; put a finishing touch on; finish nicely. * /We
rounded off the dinner with mixed nuts./ * /A boat ride in the
moonlight rounded off the day at the lake./ Compare: TOP OFF.
[round out] {v. phr.} To complete; make whole. * /He needs only one
or two more rare compact discs to round out his collection of
Vivaldi./
[round robin] {n. phr.} 1. Something written, especially a request
or protest that is signed by a group of people. - Often used like an
adjective. * /The people in our neighborhood are sending a round robin
to the Air Force to protest the noise the jet planes make flying over
our houses./ 2. A letter written by a group of people each writing one
or two paragraphs and then sending the letter to another person, who
adds a paragraph, and so on. * /The class sent a round-robin letter to
Bill in the hospital./ 3. A meeting in which each one in a group of
people takes part; a talk between various members of a group. - Often
used like an adjective. * /There is a round-robin meeting of expert
fishermen on the radio, giving advice on how to catch fish./ 4. A
contest or games in which each player or team plays every other player
or team in turn. - Often used like an adjective. * /The tournament
will be a round robin for all the high school teams in the city./
[rounds] See: GO THE ROUNDS.
[round the clock] See: AROUND THE CLOCK.
[round trip] {n.} A return trip; passage to a place and back. *
/The ticket agent explained that a ticket for a round trip to Hawaii
at certain times of the year may cost less than a one-way ticket
during the high season./
[roundup] {n.} A muster; an inspection; a gathering together. *
/The farmer and his son decided to hold a major roundup of all their
cattle to see that none had been stolen by the bandits./ * /The police
roundup of all suspected drug dealers took place early in the
morning./
[round up] {v.} 1. To bring together (cattle or horses). * /Cowboys
round up their cattle in the springtime to brand the new calves./ 2.
{informal} To collect; gather. * /Dave rounded up many names for his
petition./
[row] See: HARD ROW TO HOE or TOUGH ROW TO HOE, HOE ONE'S OWN ROW,
SKID ROW.
[royal road] {n. phr.} A quick means of accomplishment; an easy
path. * /There is no royal road to learning in order to obtain a
university degree./
[rubdown] {n.} A massage. * /The chiropractor gave his patient a
powerful rubdown./
[rub-a-dub] {n.} The sound made by beating a drum. * /We heard a
great rub-a-dub as the parade marched into view./
[rubber check] {n.}, {informal} A check written without enough
money in the bank to make it good. * /Bill got into trouble when he
paid his bills with rubber checks./ * /By the time we knew he had paid
us with a rubber check, the man had left the state./ * /The rubber
check bounced./
[rub down] {v. phr.} 1. To dry the body of (an animal or person) by
rubbing. * /Stablemen rub down a horse after a race./ 2. To rub and
press with the fingers on the body of (a person) to loosen muscles or
prevent stiffness; massage. * /Trainers rub down an athlete after hard
exercise./
[rub elbows] also [rub shoulders] {v. phr.} To be in the same place
(with others); meet and mix. * /City people and country people, old
and young, rub elbows at the horse show./ * /On a visit to the United
Nations Building in New York, you may rub elbows with people from
faraway lands./
[rub it in] {v. phr.}, {slang} To remind a person again and again
of an error or short-coming; tease; nag. * /Jerry was already unhappy
because he fumbled the ball, but his teammates kept rubbing it in./ *
/I know my black eye looks funny. You don't need to rub it in./
[rub off] {v.} 1. To remove or be removed by rubbing; erase. * /The
teacher rubs the problem off the chalkboard./ * /After Ann shook hands
with the president, she would not shake hands with anyone else because
she thought that the good luck would rub off./ 2. To stick to
something touched; come off. * /Don't touch that charcoal, it will rub
off./ * /Mary's dress touched the door that Father was painting, and
some paint rubbed off on her dress./ 3. To pass to someone near as if
by touching. * /Jimmy is very lucky; I wish some of his luck would rub
off on me./
[rub out] {v.}, {slang} To destroy completely; kill; eliminate. *
/The gangsters rubbed out four policemen before they were caught./ *
/The gangsters told the storekeeper that if he did not pay them to
protect him, someone would rub him out./ Compare: WIPE OUT, RID OF.
[rub salt into one's wounds] {v. phr.}, {informal} To deliberately
add pain when one feels shame, regret, or defeat. * /Must you rub salt
into my wounds by telling me how much fun I missed by not going to the
party?/
[rub shoulders] See: RUB ELBOWS.
[rub the wrong way] {v. phr.}, {informal} To make (someone) a
little angry; do something not liked by (someone); annoy; bother. *
/John's bragging rubbed the other boys the wrong way./ * /Mother's
friend called Harold a little boy, and that rubbed Harold the wrong
way./ Compare: AGAINST THE GRAIN(2).
[rub up against] {v. phr.} To come into contact with. * /In that
business one naturally has to rub up against all kinds of people./
[rub up to] {v. phr.} To do nice things for one; flatter a person;
gain attention or rewards. * /Mona has the ability to rub up to the
right kinds of people, so it's no wonder she is so popular at her
work./
[ruffle feathers] or [ruffle one's feathers] {v. phr.} Insult or
disturb slightly; offend. * /The author ruffled some feathers by his
portrait of his hometown./
[rug] See: PULL THE RUG OUT FROM UNDER, SWEEP UNDER THE RUG.
[rule] See: EXCEPTION PROVES THE RULE, GROUND RULE.
[rule of thumb] {n. phr.} A simple and practical method that has
proven successful or useful in the past. * /It is a very good rule of
thumb to look up all unfamiliar words in a good dictionary./
[rule out] {v.} 1. To say that (something) must not be done; not
allow; also: decide against. * /The principal ruled out dances on
school nights./ * /The play was ruled out by the referee./ * /Jean
probably will not go to college, but she has not ruled that out./ 2.
To show that (someone or something) is not a possibility; make it
unnecessary to think about; remove (a chance). * /We have to find a
baby-sitter for tonight; Betsy has a date, so that rules her out./ *
/The doctor took X rays to rule out the chance of broken bones./ 3. To
make impossible; prevent. * /Father's death seems to rule out college
for Jean./ * /Betsy's date for the dance ruled out any baby-sitting
that evening./
[rule the roost] {v. phr.}, {informal} To be leader or boss; be in
charge. * /Jim is very bossy; he always wants to rule the roost./ *
/Who rules the roost in the Smith's house?/ Compare: WEAR THE
TROUSERS.
[run] See: BLOOD RUNS COLD, END RUN, CUT AND RUN, FIRST-RUN, HOME
RUN, IN THE LONG RUN, IN THE RUNNING, ON THE RUN, OUT OF THE RUNNING,
SECOND-RUN.
[run across] See: COME ACROSS(1).
[run after] or [chase after] {v.} 1. To try to find; look for;
hunt. * /The Dramatic Club has to run all over town after things for
setting the stage when it puts on a play./ 2. {informal} To seek the
company of; chase. * /Some boys spend a lot of time and money running
after girls./
[run along] {v.} To go away; leave. * /Joan said she had errands to
do and must run along./
[run a risk] or [take a risk] {v. phr.} To be open to danger or
loss; put yourself in danger; be unprotected. * /A baseball umpire
wears a mask and chest protector so he won't run the risk of being hit
by the ball./ * /Billy takes a risk of being hit by a car when he runs
into the street without looking./ * /I was afraid to run the risk of
betting on the game./ Compare: TAKE A CHANCE.
[run around in circles] {v. phr.} To waste time in repetitious
movements; be confused. * /There was such a crowd in the lobby that I
ran around in circles trying to find my group./
[run around] or [chase around] {v.}, {informal} To go to different
places for company and pleasure; be friends. * /Tim hasn't been to a
dance all year; with school work and his job, he hasn't time to run
around./ * /Chuck and Jim chase around a lot together./ - Often used
with "with". * /Ruth runs around with girls who like to go dancing./
Compare: GO AROUND, HANG AROUND.
[run around like a chicken with its head cut off] See: RUN AROUND
IN CIRCLES.
[run a temperature] {v. phr.} To have a body temperature that is
above normal; have a fever. * /Jimmy didn't look ill, although he was
running a temperature./ * /We took the baby to the doctor because he
was running a temperature./
[run a tight ship] {v. phr.} To run an organization with a firm
hand, with strict rules and regulations. * /Our dean of the college
runs a very tight ship; he tolerates no mistakes./
[run away] or [run off] {v.} To leave and not plan to come back; go
without permission; escape. * /Many times Tommy said he would run away
from home, but he never did./ * /The guards in jail make sure that
none of the prisoners run away./ Compare: GET AWAY.
[run away with] {v.} 1a. To take quickly and secretly, especially
without permission; steal. * /A thief ran away with Grandma's silver
teapot./ Syn.: MAKE OFF. 1b. To go away with; elope. * /Mary said that
if her parents wouldn't let her marry Phil, she would run away with
him./ 1c. To take hold of; seize. * /The boys thought they saw a ghost
in the old house last night; they let their imagination run away with
them./ Compare: GET THE BETTER OF. 2. To be much better or more
noticeable than others in; win easily. * /Our team ran away with the
game in the last half./ * /The fat comedian ran away with the TV
show./ Compare: STEAL THE SHOW.
[run circles around] also [run rings around] {v. phr.} To show that
you can do a task much better than; do better than (someone) very
easily. * /In spelling, Ruth could run circles around Barbara any
day./ * /Frank ran rings around the other boys on the basketball
team./
[run down] {v.} (stress on "down") 1. To crash against and knock
down or sink. * /Jack rode his bicycle too fast and almost ran down
his little brother./ * /It was so foggy that the steamship almost ran
down a small boat leaving port./ Compare: RUN INTO(3a). 2a. To chase
until exhausted or caught. * /The dogs ran down the wounded deer./ 2b.
To find by hard and thorough search; also: trace to its cause or
beginning. * /The policeman ran down proof that the burglar had robbed
the store./ Compare: HUNT DOWN. 2c. To catch (a base runner) between
bases and tag out in baseball. * /The pitcher saw that the base runner
was not on base, so he surprised him by throwing the ball to the first
baseman, who ran him down before he reached second base./ 3.
{informal} To say bad things about; criticize. * /Suzy ran down the
club because the girls wouldn't let her join./ Compare: FIND FAULT. 4.
To stop working; not run or go. * /The battery in Father's car ran
down this morning./ * /The kitchen clock ran down because we forgot to
wind it./ 5. To get into poor condition; look bad. * /A neighborhood
runs down when the people don't take care of their houses./
[run-down] {adj.} (stress on "run") In poor health or condition;
weak or needing much work. * /Grandma caught a cold because she was
very run-down from loss of sleep./ * /The houses near the center of
the city get more run-down every year./
[run dry] {v. phr.} To dry up; lose the water content. * /After
many years of use, our well ran dry./
[run errands] {v. phr.} To carry messages or perform similar minor
tasks. * /Peter runs errands for our entire neighborhood to make some
extra money./
[run for it] or [make a run for it] {v. phr.} To dash for safety;
make a speedy escape. * /The bridge the soldiers were on started to
fall down and they had to run for it./ * /The policeman shouted for
the robber to stop, but the robber made a run for if./
[run for one's money] {n. phr.} 1. A good fight; a hard struggle. -
Usually used with "give" or "get". * /Our team didn't win the game,
but they gave the other team a run for their money./ 2. Satisfaction;
interest; excitement. - Usually used with "give" or "get". * /People
like to watch the champion fight because they get a good run for their
money from him./ * /A good student gives a teacher more than a run for
his money./
[run in] {v. phr.} 1. {informal} To take to jail; arrest. * /The
policeman ran the man in for peddling without a license./ 2. To make a
brief visit. * /The neighbor boy ran in for a minute to see Bob's
newest model rocket./ Syn.: DROP IN. Compare: STOP OFF.
[run-in] {n.} 1. A traffic accident. * /My car was wrecked when I
had a run-in with a small truck./ 2. A violent quarrel. * /John had a
nasty run-in with his boss and was fired./
[run in the blood] or [run in the family] {v. phr.} To be a common
family characteristic; be learned or inherited from your family. * /A
great interest in gardening runs in his family./ * /Red hair runs in
the family./
[run into] {v.} 1. To mix with; join with. * /If the paint brush is
too wet, the red paint will run into the white on the house./ * /This
small brook runs into a big river in the valley below./ 2. To add up
to; reach; total. * /Car repairs can run into a lot of money./ * /The
number of people killed on the highways during holidays runs into
hundreds./ * /A good dictionary may run into several editions./ 3a.
Bump; crash into; hit. * /Joe lost control of his bike and ran into a
tree./ Compare: RUN DOWN. 3b. To meet by chance. * /I ran into Joe
yesterday on Main Street./ Compare: BUMP INTO, CHANCE ON, COME
ACROSS(2). 3e. Be affected by; get into. * /I ran into trouble on the
last problem on the test./ * /When I ran into a problem while making
my model airplane, I asked Uncle Mark for help./
[run into a brick wall] or [run into a stone wall] See: STONE WALL.
[run into the ground] {v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To do or use
(something) more than is wanted or needed. * /It's all right to borrow
my hammer once in a while, but don't run it into the ground./ 2. To
win over or defeat (someone) completely. * /We lost the game today,
but tomorrow we'll run them into the ground./
[run its course] {v. phr.} To fulfill a normal development;
terminate a normal period. * /Your flu will run its course; in a few
days you'll be back on your feet./
[run off] {v. phr.} 1. To produce with a printing press or
duplicating machine. * /The print shop ran off a thousand copies of
the newspaper./ 2. To drive away. * /The boys saw a dog digging in
mother's flower bed, and they ran him off./ * /When the salesman tried
to cheat the farmer, the farmer ran him off the farm with a shotgun./
3. See: RUN AWAY.
[run-off] {n.} A second election held to determine the winner when
the results of the first one were inconclusive. * /The senatorial race
was so close that the candidates will have to hold a run-off./
[run off at the mouth] {v. phr.} To talk too much; be unable to
stop talking. * /"Shut up, John," our father cried. "You are always
running off at the mouth."/
[run of luck] {n. phr.} A period of good luck. * /I had a run of
luck last Saturday when I went fishing and caught seven big trout
within one hour./
[run-of-the-mill] or [run-of-the-mine] {adj.} Of a common kind;
ordinary; usual. * /Frank is a very good bowler, but Joe is just
run-of-the-mill./ * /It was just a run-of-the-mine movie./
[runner-up] {n.} The person who finishes second in a race or
contest; the one next after the winner. * /Tom won the race and Jack
was runner-up./ * /Joan was runner-up in the contest for class
secretary./ Compare: SECOND-BEST.
[running start] {n. phr.} Good progress at the beginning. * /The
team was off to a running start, having won the first two games./ *
/Contributions of $5000 before the drive began gave the charity fund a
running start./ Compare: HEAD START.
[run out] {v.} 1a. To come to an end; be used up. * /Jerry almost
got across the brook on the slippery stones but his luck ran out and
he slipped and fell./ * /We'd better do our Christmas shopping; time
is running out./ Syn.: GIVE OUT(5). 1b. To use all of the supply; be
troubled by not having enough. * /The car ran out of gas three miles
from town./ * /Millie never runs out of ideas for clever party
decorations./ Compare: RUN SHORT. 2. {informal} To force to leave;
expel. * /Federal agents ran the spies out of the country./ Syn.: KICK
OUT, RUN OFF.
[run out on] {v. phr.} To leave someone in the lurch; abandon
another. * /When Ted ran out on Delores, she got so angry that she
sued him for divorce./
[run over] {v.} 1. To be too full and flow over the edge; spill
over. * /Billy forgot he had left the water on, and the tub ran over./
2. To try or go over (something) quickly; practice briefly. * /During
the lunch hour, Mary ran over her history facts so she would remember
them for the test./ * /The coach ran over the signals for the trick
play with the team just before game time./ 3. To drive on top of; ride
over. * /At night cars often run over small animals that are blinded
by the headlights./ Syn.: RUN DOWN.
[run ragged] {v. phr.} To tire out; make nervous by too much worry
or work. * /Trying to keep up with too many clubs, sports, and
activities in addition to his homework ran Tom ragged./ * /On a rainy
day the children sometimes ran Mother ragged./ Compare: WEAR OUT.
[run rings around] See: RUN CIRCLES AROUND.
[run riot] {v. phr.} 1. To act freely or wildly; not control
yourself. * /The monkey got out of his cage and ran riot in the pet
shop./ * /John let his imagination run riot, thinking he was hunting
lions in Africa./ 2. To be or grow in great numbers or large amounts.
* /Daisies ran riot in the meadow./ Compare: RUN WILD.
[run scared] {v. phr.} To expect defeat, as in a political
campaign. * /The one-vote defeat caused him to run scared in every
race thereafter./
[run short] {v. phr.} 1. To not have enough. * /Bob asked Jack to
lend him five dollars because he was running short./ * /We are running
short of sugar./ Compare: RUN OUT. 2. To be not enough in quantity. *
/We are out of potatoes and the flour is running short./
[run that by me again!] {v. phr.}, {informal command} Repeat what
you just said, as I couldn't understand you. * /"Run that by me
again," he cried. "This telephone connection is very bad."/
[run the gauntlet] also [gantlet] {v. phr.} 1. To be made to run
between two lines of people facing each other and be hit by them with
clubs or other weapons. * /Joe had to run the gauntlet as part of his
initiation into the club./ 2. To face a hard test; bear a painful
experience. * /Ginny had to run the gauntlet of her mother's questions
about how the ink spot got on the dining room rug./
[run through] {v.} 1. To make a hole through, especially with a
sword; pierce. * /The pirate was a good swordsman, but the hero
finally ran him through./ 2. To spend recklessly; use up wastefully. *