• RACK AND RUIN---Financial failure.---"I went to rack and ruin after my divorce."---Original Old English form of wreck was wrack. The spelling has changed but the pronunciation of the old expression wrack and ruin remains the same. If a merchant's ship was wrecked with a full load of goods, he could be ruined financially.
• RACK MY BRAIN---Strain to solve a problem.---"I have been racking my brain trying to figure this out."---The "rack" was an instrument of torture in which a person was stretched.  It seems that sometimes you have to do this to your brain to get it to function as desired.  Sermon by William Beveridge (1680).  "They rack their brains....they hazard their lives for it."
• RAISE HIS HACKLES---Make angry---"When he finds out it is surely going to raise his hackles"---The long slender feathers on a roosters neck that stand up when he is irritated or ready to fight.---Edward Pennell (1883). l The Cream of Leicdstershire.  "I almost saw the hackles of a good old squire rise as he waved his hat and cheered."
• RAT RACE---A situation where one is struggling to stay ahead of one's competitors.---"Well it's Monday, back in the rat race."---Alludes to the rats reputation for ferocity and assertively looking after its interests as in competing for food.
• RAILROAD---Pushed into a situation without regard to opposition.---"I am being railroaded into this deal."---During the expansion of the railroads the competition was so great that builders would go to any extremes to get a railroad built as fast as it could without regard for men, difficulties or obstacles of any kind. Pell-mell overriding of difficulties spawned the expression that has outlasted the era in which it was first used. A person or group pushing an idea or an enterprise without regard for opposition is described as "railroading it".
• RAIN CATS AND DOGS---Downpour.---"It's raining cats and dogs out there."---Origin unclear, possibly the fighting of cats and dogs sounding like a storm.  Jonathan Swift (1783).  Polite Conversation.  "I know Sir John will go, though he was sure it would rain cats and dogs; but pray stay, Sir John."
• RANK AND FILE---The ordinary people.---"The union is depending on the rank and file to support the candidate."---Military term:  A rank is a line of men side by side.  A file is line of men one behind the other.  Has come to mean the ordinary people comprising any group.---Robert Burns (1794).  "The words come skelpan [galloping], rank and file."
• RATFINK---One who tells things told in confidence.---"He tells everything he hears, he is a ratfink."---German born Albert Fink was head of detectives who worked for the Louisville and nashville Railroad. He is supposed to have sent men to infiltrate unions when strikes were in the air. Fink's man, naturally called a Fink, sat, listened quietly and then ratted on fellow workers. Workers wanted nothing to do with such a fellow or his supervisor. Hence ratfink came to designate any squealer, scab, or breaker of confidences.
• RATS ABANDONING A SINKING SHIP---A failing enterprise (Connotation is that you should hang in to the end)---"They were quitting like rats abandoning a sinking ship."---Old sailors superstition, if rats were leaving a ship before it set sail, it would be an ill fated voyage.---Thomas Lupton (16th century.)  A Thousand Notable Things of Sundrie Sorts.  "Rats and dormice will forsake old and ruinous houses, three months before they fall."
• READ HIM LIKE A BOOK---Easy to figure out his thoughts or motives.---"I can read that guy like a book."---Edna Lyall (1909).  The Hinderers.  "We ordinary mortals are at the mercy of you artists....You read us like books."
• READ SOMETHING INTO IT---Make something more significant than it is; make one's own interpretation.---"He is trying to read something into this situation which isn't there."---(1903).  Westminster Gazette.  "We ordinary mortals are at the mercy of you artists, you read us like books."
• REAL MCCOY---Authentic; not an imitation.---"That's not a piece of glass, that's a diamond, the real McCoy."---More origins and history than will fit on this page, so I picked the one that made the most sense to me.---This version dates from the days of Prohibition and has a nautical flavor.  Bill McCoy, a boat builder from the Canadian Maritime Provinces, became very wealthy, not to mention popular, through the smuggling of bootleg liquor to cities along the northeastern seaboard of the United States. As an entrepreneur of some principle, McCoy had no known ties to the organized crime syndicates that flourished during Prohibition. Even more remarkable was the fact that the liquor McCoy delivered was pure, unadulterated, and of the highest quality, an impressive testimonial during a time when the consumption of "homemade hooch" was a frequent cause of blindness and death. Eventually rounded up and convicted of smuggling, McCoy may have been persona no grata (unacceptable person) to the Feds, but his name became a household word synonymous with 100 percent authenticity and high quality.
• RED HANDED---Caught in the act.---"He was cheating and they caught him red handed."---In the case of an assault or murder a person found with blood on their hands was caught red handed.
• RED HERRING---Diversionary tactic; something used to throw investigators off the trail.---"We tried to follow up on that lead but it was a red herring."---A herring which is smoked turns red and has a strong odor.  People who opposed fox hunting would drag a red herring across the path of the dogs, they would follow the scent of the herring and loose the trail of the fox.  Harry S. Truman (1948).  "Just a red herring to get the minds of the voters off the sins of the 80th Congress.
• RED LETTER DAY---A memorable date or day.---"Today is going to be a red letter day."---It comes from the custom, which has endured since the 15th century, of signifying holy days important to the church by printing them in red on the calendar.---Fanny Burney (1782).  Cecelia.  " Today is a red letter day, so that's the reason for it."
• RED SKY AT NIGHT, SAILORS DELIGHT.  RED SKY IN MORNING, SAILORS TAKE WARNING---Atmospheric conditions cause signs in the sky and foretell coming weather systems.---Bible: Matthew 16:2.  "When it is evening ye say, it will be fair weather for the sky is red. And in the morning it will be foul weather today for the sky is red and lowering."
• REDNECK---A southerner who works in the fields and is exposed to hot sun all day.---"That Bubba is a real redneck."---Sometimes used derisively to describe southerners as quick to anger with little self control and therefore the red neck. The real meaning is that bent over working in the fields, even with a broad-brimmed straw hat which only provides intermittent protection, after a number of years the neck is likely to get a dark brownish red permanently. The sun in the south being more intense than in other areas of the country.
• REHASH---Go over something again; repeat.---"I thought something new would come from the meeting but it was just a rehash of the last meeting."---In middle-class inns guests expected meat on the table. The landlord couldn't afford to toss away food, so cooks often made hash from leftovers. Guests usually complained but if they pushed hash aside, they were likely to get it the following day in the form of meat loaf. Such a warmed over dish dubbed a rehash, was served frequently.
• REST IN PEACE---let that be an end to it; don't dig up old scandals.---"Let's let the whole thing rest in peace."---Charles Kingsley (1855).  Westward Ho!  "Into her merits or demerits i do not enter deeply here, let her rest in peace."
• RESTS ON HIS LAURELS---Satisfied with what he has achieved; stop striving for success.---"I guess he is going to rest on his laurels."---The Greeks awarded wreaths of laurel leaves to the winners of the Pythian Games.---Emanuel Deutsche (1874).  Literary Remains.  "Let them rest on their laurels for a while."
• REVENGE IS BEST SERVED COLD---When you set out to get even for something it feels best to do it after the incident has been forgotten.  The person will not remember and are unable to figure why someone would do this to them.  This makes it much sweeter.---(See: Revenge is sweet.)
• REVENGE IS SWEET---It feels good to see someone pay for their misdeeds against you.---Painter (1566).  Pal. of Pleasure.  "Vengeance is sweete.
• RIDE ROUGHSHOD OVER---Treat harshly.---"I am going to run roughshod over those two."---In a roughshod horse the nails of the horse shoes are left sticking out to prevent the horse from slipping. Being ridden over by one would not be a pretty sight. Thomas Moore (1813). Intercepted Letters. "Tis a scheme of the Romanists, so help me God! To ride over Your Most Royal Highness roughshod."
• RIGHT AS RAIN---W. Raymond (1894).  Love and Quiet life.  "Tis so right as rain, Sir.  Hutchinson (1921).  Winter Comes.  "In about a week she'll be as right as rain and writing me letters all day."
• RIGMAROLE---Incoherent jumble of words.---"OK, what is all the rigmarole about."---Ragman was the designation for a feudal official by a statute instituted by Edward I of England. When he invaded Scotland in 1296, his aides forced all nobles and gentry to sign a ragman's roll as a token of allegiance. Once they finally complied, the king sent couriers all over the country reading these lists. he hoped that announcing the submission of leaders would bring resistance of the ordinary people to an end. Whether from weariness or carelessness, Edward's messengers reeled off the names so quickly that they were difficult to understand. hence any jumble of words was compared with a flow of names and called a ragman's roll. Streamlined from frequent use, the old term for the loyalty list is now familiar as rigmarole.
• RING LEADER---Head man; leader of a group.---"Harry is the ring leader of that group."---A dancing term.  Many old dances began with participants holding hands in a ring or circle.  The circle was broken and one person led the rest of the "ring" through the figures of the dance.
• RISE AND SHINE---Get out of bed and show some vigor.---"Rise and shine it's time to serve the corps."---Recruiters Bulletin of the U.S. Marine Corps (1916).  "He rapped at the door and in stentorian tones cried, 'Rise and shine, wiggle a toe.'"
• RITZY---Elegant; high class; posh.---"Our new townhouse is sort of ritzy."---Cesar Ritz, a Swiss-born hotelier, won international fame by attracting notables to one after another of his institutions in Paris, London, New York and elsewhere. As a posh establishment, the Ritz more than lived up to expectations of investors and travelers. That's why we've adapted Swiss surname and use ritzy to label any establishment marked by costly elegance.
• ROB PETER TO PAY PAUL---Borrow from one person to pay a debt to another.---"He is robbing Peter to pay Paul."---14th century.  John Wycliffe wrote:  "How should God approve that you rob Peter, and give this robbery to Paul in the name of Christ?"
• ROCK THE BOAT  (Don't)---Don't disturb the equilibrium; don't do anything to disrupt a stable situation.---"He is going to rock the boat, just wait and see."---Fredrick Lewis Allen (1931).  Only Yesterday.  "Unfortunate publicity had a tendency to rock the boat."
• RODE HARD AND PUT AWAY WET---Looks very bad.---"He looks as though he has been rode hard and put away wet."---Alludes to the way a horse looks after it has been rode hard and not cleaned up and brushed before he goes to his stall.
• ROGER---Message received.---Pilots of the British Air Force found it a bit easier to use "Roger" in place of "Message received" or "Message acknowledged", so it came into everyday use, and was used for many years in radio transmissions of all kinds.
• ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES---Adjust to adversity.---"You are going to have to learn to roll with the punches."---A boxer learns to move his body with a punch to lessen its impact.  Harry Kurnitz (1956).  Invasion of Privacy.  "He had mastered the trick of rolling with the punches, rendering himself invisible when a crisis darkened the neighboring skies."
• ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY---Don't get in too big a hurry; don't be impatient.---Heywood (1546).  Proverbs.  "Rome was not built in one daie."
• (One)  ROTTEN APPLE SPOILS THE BARREL---One bad person may ruin the ones around them.---John Northebrooke (1577).  A Treatise wherein Dicing, Dauncing Are Reproved.  "A penny naughtily gotten, sayth Chrysostom, is like a rotten apple laid among sounde apples, which will rot all the rest."
• ROUGHER THAN A COB
• ROUND FILE---Trash can.---"Just put that report in the round file."
• RUB SALT IN THE WOUND---To make worse a defeat or affront; add insult.---"That's rubbing salt in the wound."---To rub salt in a wound would be quite painful physically.  P. G. Wodehouse (1967).  Company for Henry.  "He could see that Henry was deeply stirred, and he had no wish to rub salt in his wounds."
• RUBE GOLDBERG---Mechanical contrivance thrown together to accomplish a task; jury rig.---"This is a real Rube Goldberg operation."---20th century cartoonist.  His cartoons involved over complicated and whimsical contrivances to perform very simple tasks.
• RULE OF THUMB---A rough measure---"We will just use the rule of thumb."---The part of the thumb from the knuckle to the end is approximately one inch and often served as a measure when a more precise one was not available.---Sir William Hope (1692).  The Complete Fencing Master.  "What he doth, he doth by rule of thumb, and not by art."
• RULE THE ROOST---Be in charge; dominate.---"Jim has always ruled his roost."---In the days when families kept chickens, the rooster was in charge in the farm yard.---W.C. Hazlitt (16th century).  English Proverbs.  "What so ever ye brage or boste, my mayster yet shall teule the roste."
• RULES ARE MADE TO BE BROKEN---The existance of rules makes it likely that people will break them, sometimes for the better.---Arthur C. Clark (1953.) Expedition to Earth.
• RUN CIRCLES AROUND---Vastly outdo; exceed in skill.---"He can run circles around most pitchers."---The picture of the tortoise and the hare, where due to the hare's speed he could actually run around the tortoise as they raced and still win.---(1891).  Melbourne Argus.  "Considine could run rings around the lot of them."
• RUN OF THE MILL---Ordinary; routine.---"It was just your run of the mill game."---Referred to the everyday production of a mill, usually the bulk of production, without being graded for quality.
• RUN THE GAMUT---Including everything---"He has covered all the subjects from A to Z."---"Gamma" represented the last note on Guido d'Arezzo's musical scale and "ut" represented the first not used in his singing scale. So to run the gamut was to run the entire scale.
• RUN THE GAUNTLET---Go through a series of trials or tests.---"It's going to be a tough day, we are going to have to run the gauntlet."---The gauntlet started out in the Thirty Years War (1618 - 1648) as "gantlope."  It was a form of military punishment in which the soldier or seaman being punished had to run through two parallel rows of men, each of whom had a stick or a knotted cord that he would hit the man with as he passed.---Thomas Forde (1649).  Lusus Fortunae.  "Being now exposed to run the gantlope of the worlds censure."
• RUSSIAN ROULETTE---Foolhardy activity; dangerous as to be fatal.---"If he doesn't take the treatment he is playing Russian roulette."---From a practice said to have originated among Russian officers in World War I.  The practice of putting one bullet in a revolver, spin the cylinder, point it at one's head and pull the trigger.  A test of courage, or stupidity, that gave on a one in six chance of survival.---(1960).  Manchester Guardian.  "This party had 'played Russian roulette with American strength and American progress."

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

[HOME]

edited by Linda Clark