roll down something to move downward or along something, rotating as a wheel or a ball, or to move downward on wheels. roll in to come in large numbers or amounts. (Informal.) roll off ( someone or something ) to flow or fall off someone or some- thing. (Both literal and figurative.) roll on 1. [for something] to con- tinue rolling. 2. [for something] to be applied by rolling. 3. to move on slowly and evenly. (Figu- rative.) roll out the red carpet for some- one to provide special treatment for someone. roll over to turn over; to rotate once. roll something away to cause something to move away, rotating, by turning, or moving on wheels. roll something back 1. to return something to someone by rotating it, as with a wheel or a ball, or moving it back on wheels. 2. to reduce prices. roll something down 1. to move something down, making it rotate like a wheel or a ball, or moving it on wheels. 2. to crank down something, such as a car window. roll something off ((of) someone or something ) to cause something to roll away, off someone or some- thing. roll something on(to something ) to apply something, or a coat of a substance, by rolling a device cov- ered with the substance on the thing to be coated. roll something out 1. to bring or take something out by rolling it; to push something out on wheels. 2. to flatten something by rolling it. roll something up to coil or rotate something into a coil or roll of something. roller skate ["rol # sket] 1. n. a special shoe or boot that is fitted with wheels underneath. 2. iv. to move on Q. (Hyphenated.) rolling in something having large amounts of something, usually money. (Informal.) Roman Catholic ["ro m@n "kAT (@) lIk ] 1. n. a follower of the Chris- tian religion that is based in Rome and governed by the Pope. 2. the adj. use of Q. Roman numeral ["rom @n "num @ r@l ] n. the form of numbers made from letters, such as I, II, III, IV, V. romance [ro "mAns] 1. n. an inter- est in love and adventure. (No plu- ral.) 2. n. a love story. 3. n. a love experience with someone. 4. n. a group of languages that includes French, Italian, Spanish, Por- tuguese, and Romanian. (Capital- ized.) 5. tv. to treat someone in a romantic way; to show someone love. 6. the adj. use of Q, W, E, or R. (Capitalized with R.) romantic [ro "mAn tIk] 1. adj. full of love and adventure; of or about a love experience; of or about love. (Adv: romantically [ Ik li].) 2. adj. causing romance; used to create a feeling of romance. (Adv: romantically [ Ik li].) roll down something 506 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 506 TLFeBOOK romp through something to run through something fast and play- fully. roof ["ruf, "rUf] 1. n. the outside covering of the top of a building, vehicle, or other enclosed space. 2. n. the top part of the inside of something, such as the mouth or a cave. 3. tv. to put Q over some- thing; to build Q. → go through the roof room ["rum] 1. n. a part of a build- ing that is separated from other parts of the building by a wall with a door in it. 2. n. space that is or could be taken up by someone or something. → dining room → emergency room → living room room together [for two or more people] to share a room, as in a college dormitory. room with someone to live with someone; to rent a room or an apartment with someone; to be someone’s roommate. roommate ["rum met] n. someone with whom one shares an apart- ment or room. roomy ["rum i] adj. having plenty of room; having a lot of space; hav- ing a comfortable amount of space; not crowded. (Adv: roomily. Comp: roomier; sup: roomiest.) roost ["rust] 1. n. a place, such as a nest or branch, where birds rest or sleep. 2. iv. to occupy Q for rest or sleep. → chickens have come home to roost → come home (to roost) → rule the roost rooster ["rust #] n. an adult male chicken. root 1. ["rut, "rUt] n. the part of a plant that is under the ground, taking water from the soil and supporting the plant. 2. ["rut, "rUt] n. the part of a strand of hair that is under the surface of the skin. (Figurative on Q.) 3. ["rut, "rUt] n. the origin of something; the source of something; something that causes something else. 4. ["rut, "rUt] n. the form of a word that other words are made from. 5. ["rut, "rUt] tv. to cause a plant to grow Q. 6. ["rut] iv. to cheer for someone; to provide encouragement for someone or a team, especially for someone or a team in a contest or sports event. root around (for something ) to search through something, look- ing for something. root someone or something out (of something ) to seek and remove someone or something from something or someplace; to seek to discover and bring someone or something to light. root something up [for a pig] to find something in the ground by digging with its nose. rooted in something based on something; connected to a source or cause. rooted to the spot unable to move because of fear or surprise. rope ["rop] 1. n. a strong, thick cord made by twisting smaller cords together. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. tv. to rope 507 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 507 TLFeBOOK catch someone or something by swinging a loop of Q. → at the end of one’s rope → know the ropes → show someone the ropes → skip rope rope someone in(to something ) to persuade or trick someone into doing something. rope someone or something up to tie someone or some creature up with a rope. rope something off to isolate some- thing with a rope barrier. rose ["roz] 1. past tense of rise. 2. n. a bright, sweet-smelling flower that grows on a plant hav- ing thorns. 3. n. the bush that W grows on. Rosh Hashanah ["raS h@ "Sa n@] n. a holiday in the Jewish religion marking the Jewish New Year. rosy ["roz i] 1. adj. pink; rose- colored. (Adv: rosily. Comp: rosier; sup: rosiest.) 2. adj. full of hope; optimistic. (Adv: rosily. Comp: rosier; sup: rosiest.) rot ["rat] 1. n. decay; something that is rotten. (No plural.) 2. iv. to decay; [for plant or animal mate- rial] to lose its form because of bacteria. 3. tv. to cause something to decay. rot off to rot or decompose and fall off. rot out to decompose and fall out. rotate ["ro tet] 1. iv. to move in a circle around a fixed point; to move around the center of some- thing in a circle. 2. iv. to go in sequence; to occur in order or in sequence. 3. tv. to move some- thing in a circle around a fixed point; to cause something to revolve; to move something around an axis. rotten ["rat n] 1. adj. decayed; spoiled. (Adv: rottenly.) 2. adj. very bad; evil; nasty. (Adv: rot- tenly.) rough ["r^f] 1. adj. not smooth; not even; having a surface that is uneven or bumpy. (Adv: roughly. Comp: rougher; sup: roughest.) 2. adj. using force; harsh; violent. (Adv: roughly. Comp: rougher; sup: roughest.) 3. adj. coarse; not delicate; not refined. (Adv: roughly. Comp: rougher; sup: roughest.) 4. adj. hard; difficult; severe; not easy. (Comp: rougher; sup: roughest.) 5. adj. not in final form; not finished; not exact; not detailed; approximate. (Adv: roughly. Comp: rougher; sup: roughest.) → a diamond in the rough rough it to live in simple or uncom- fortable conditions. rough someone up to treat some- one roughly; to beat or harm someone. rough something in to construct or draw something initially, tem- porarily, or crudely. rough something out to make a rough sketch of something. rough something up to scrape or rub something in a way that makes it rough. round ["raUnd] 1. adj. shaped like a circle; circular; curved. (Adv: roundly. Comp: rounder; sup: roundest.) 2. adj. shaped like a rope someone in(to something) 508 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 508 TLFeBOOK ball; spherical; curved. (Adv: roundly. Comp: rounder; sup: roundest.) 3. n. the bullet or shell for a single shot from a gun. 4. n. a song that people begin singing at different times so that the words and music of the different parts overlap. 5. prep. around. (Infor- mal. Round can be used informally for any of the preposition sense listed under around.) 6. adv. around. (Informal.) → in round figures → in round numbers → a square peg in a round hole round down to something to ignore or discard a fractional part of a number. round someone or something up to locate and gather someone or something. round something down (to some- thing ) Go to round something off (to something ). round something off (to some- thing ) and round something up (to something ); round something down (to something ) to express a number in the nearest whole amount or nearest group of 1, 10, 100, 1,000, ¹⁄₁₀, ¹⁄₁₀₀, ¹⁄₁₀₀₀, etc. round something off (with some- thing ) to finish something with something else; to complement something with something. round something out to complete or add to something. round something up (to some- thing ) Go to round something off (to something ). route ["rut, "raUt] 1. n. a road; a path; the way one travels; the way something is sent. 2. tv. to send something by a particular Q. routine [ru "tin] 1. n. a regular habit; something that is done reg- ularly. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. n. a piece of enter- tainment; a skit; a sequence of actions in a performance. 3. adj. normal; as a habit; as usually done. (Adv: routinely.) row 1. ["ro] n. a series of people or things in a line; a line of people or things. 2. ["ro] n. a line of seats in a theater, church, auditorium, classroom, or other place where people sit in a line. 3. ["raU] n. a quarrel; an argument. 4. ["ro] iv. to move through water in a boat by using oars. 5. ["ro] tv. to move a boat by using oars. → get one’s ducks in a row → kick up a row → a tough row to hoe rowboat ["ro bot] n. a small boat that is moved by using oars. royal ["roI @l] 1. adj. belonging to kings, queens, princes, princesses, etc.; of or about kings, queens, princes, princesses, etc. (Adv: roy- ally.) 2. adj. elegant; fit for royalty. (Figurative on Q. Adv: royally.) the royal treatment very good treatment; very good and thought- ful care of a person. royalty ["roI @l ti] 1. n. the rank and power of kings, queens, princes, princesses, etc. (No plural.) 2. n. people who have attained Q. (No plural.) 3. n. money earned from the publication of a copyright holder’s work. royalty 509 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 509 TLFeBOOK rub ["r^b] tv. to push or slide against something with something else. rub against something to push or slide against something. rub (away) at something to chafe or scrape something repeatedly. rub elbows with someone and rub shoulders with someone to associate with someone; to work closely with someone. rub off ((of) something ) [for something] to become detached from something because of rub- bing or scraping. rub off on(to) someone [for a characteristic] to transfer from one person to another. rub off on(to) someone or some- thing [for something, such as paint] to become transferred to someone or something through the contact of rubbing. rub salt in a wound to deliber- ately make someone’s unhappi- ness, shame, or misfortune worse. rub shoulders with someone Go to rub elbows with someone. rub someone or something down to stroke or smooth someone or some creature, for muscular well- being. rub someone the wrong way Go to rub someone’s fur the wrong way. rub someone’s fur the wrong way and rub someone the wrong way to irritate someone. rub someone’s nose in something to remind one of something one has done wrong; to remind some- one of something bad or unfortu- nate that has happened. rub something away to remove something by chafing or rubbing. rub something in(to something ) to cause something to penetrate a surface by rubbing it against the surface. rub something off ((of) something ) to remove something from some- thing by rubbing. rub something out to obliterate something by rubbing. rub (up) against someone or something to bump or scrape against someone or something. rubber ["r^b #] 1. n. a waterproof material that goes back to its origi- nal shape when stretched or pressed. (No plural.) 2. adj. made from Q. rubber band ["r^b # "bAnd] n. a thin strip of rubber formed in a circle. rubbish ["r^b IS] n. trash; garbage; things that are thrown away. (No plural.) rudder ["r^d #] n. a blade at the back of a ship or airplane that can be moved back and forth to con- trol direction. rude ["rud] 1. adj. not polite; not well mannered; not courteous. (Adv: rudely. Comp: ruder; sup: rudest.) 2. adj. simple; not com- plex; primitive; coarse; rough; made without complex tools. (Adv: rudely. Comp: ruder; sup: rudest.) rudeness ["rud n@s] n. not being polite; bad manners; bad behavior. (No plural.) rub 510 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 510 TLFeBOOK ruffle its feathers [for a bird] to point its feathers outward. ruffle someone’s feathers to upset or annoy someone. rug ["r^g] n. a carpet; a thick piece of woven fabric that is used to cover a floor. → (as) snug as a bug in a rug → pull the rug out (from under someone ) rugged ["r^g @d] 1. adj. [of a trail] rough and jagged. (Adv: ruggedly.) 2. adj. [of something] strong and lasting a long time; [of something] not easily broken. (Adv: ruggedly.) 3. adj. [of someone] sturdy and strong. (Adv: ruggedly.) ruin ["ru In] 1. tv. to destroy some- one or something completely; to make something worthless. 2. n. the remaining part of an old building. (Often plural.) 3. n. a great amount of destruction. (No plural.) → go to rack and ruin → go to wrack and ruin → in ruin the ruin of someone or something the cause of someone’s or some- thing’s destruction; a failure. ruined ["ru Ind] adj. destroyed; completely damaged; made worth- less. rule ["rul] 1. n. a statement that says what one is or is not allowed to do; a regulation. 2. n. government; the control of someone in authority. (No plural.) 3. tv. to decide some- thing officially. (The object is a clause with that U.) 4. tv. to gov- ern a country or its people. → golden rule → a hard-and-fast rule rule against someone or something to give a judgment against some- one or something. rule for someone or something Go to rule in favor of someone or some- thing. rule in favor of someone or some- thing and rule for someone or something [for a judge or deliber- ating body] to award a decision to someone or something or to make a decision favoring someone or something. rule of thumb a general principle developed through practical rather than scientific means. (From the use of one’s thumb to make quick and rough measurements.) rule on something to give a decision or judgment about something. rule someone or something out to eliminate someone or something from consideration. rule the roost to be the boss or manager, especially at home. ruler ["rul #] 1. n. someone who rules; someone, such as a king or queen, who runs a government. 2. n. a straight strip of wood, plas- tic, metal, or other material that has marks on it that show meas- urement. rumble ["r^m b@l] 1. n. a low vibrating sound, like the sound of thunder. 2. iv. to make a low vibrating sound, like the sound of thunder. rummage through something to toss things about while searching through something. rumor ["rum #] n. news about someone or something that may or rumor 511 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 511 TLFeBOOK may not be true; information that is passed from person to person about someone and that may or may not be true. rump ["r^mp] 1. n. the rear part of a person or an animal; the but- tocks. 2. n. meat from the rear part of an animal, used as food. (No plural. Number is expressed with rump roast(s).) a rump session a meeting held after a larger meeting. rumple someone or something up to bring disorder to someone[’s clothing] or something. run ["r^n] 1. iv., irreg. to move quickly in such a way that both feet are off the ground during each stride. (Past tense: ran; past par- ticiple: run.) 2. iv., irreg. to work; to be working; to function; to be in operation. 3. iv., irreg. to extend to a certain length or distance; to reach a certain distance or time. 4. iv., irreg. to flow; [for liquids] to move. 5. iv., irreg. [for a liquid color] to spread, flow, or bleed. 6. iv., irreg. to move quickly as a form of exercise or as a sport. 7. iv., irreg. [for one’s nose] to drip fluid. 8. tv., irreg. to extend some- thing to a certain length or dis- tance; to cause something to reach a certain distance or time. 9. tv., irreg. to control, own, or manage a business. 10. tv., irreg. to publish something in a newspaper or mag- azine. 11. n. an instance of run- ning as in Q. 12. n. a trip; a journey. → dry run → have a run-in with someone → have a run of something → in the long run → make a run for it → make someone’s blood run cold run a fever and run a tempera- ture to have a body temperature higher than normal; to have a fever. run a taut ship Go to run a tight ship. run a temperature Go to run a fever. run a tight ship and run a taut ship to run a ship or an organiza- tion in an orderly and disciplined manner. (Ta ut and tight mean the same thing. Ta ut is correct nauti- cal use.) run across someone or something Go to come across someone or some- thing . run an errand to perform an errand. run (around) in circles to run around frantically and without a purpose; to be in a state of chaos. run around with someone to go places with someone; to socialize with someone. run away (from someone or some- thing ) to flee someone or some- thing. run down 1. to come down, run- ning; to go down, running. (See also run-down.) 2. [for some- thing] to lose power and stop working. 3. to become worn or dilapidated. run down to someone or some- thing to come or go down to someone or something, rapidly. run for it to try to escape by run- ning. (Informal.) rump 512 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 512 TLFeBOOK run for one’s life to run away to save one’s life. run for something to be a candidate for an office in an election. run high [for feelings] to be in a state of excitement or anger. run in the family [for a character- istic] to appear in all (or most) members of a family. run into a stone wall to come to a barrier against further progress. (Also used literally.) run in(to something ) 1. [for a liq- uid] to flow into something or a place. 2. to enter something or a place on foot, running. 3. to stop by a place for a quick visit or to make a purchase quickly. run low (on something ) to near the end of a supply of something. run off 1. to flee. 2. to have diar- rhea. 3. [for a fluid] to drain away from a flat area. run off with someone or something 1. to take someone or something away, possibly running. 2. to cap- ture and take away someone or something; to steal someone or something. run on 1. to continue running. 2. to continue on for a long time. run out of gas 1. to use up all one’s gasoline. 2. to become worn- out; to become exhausted. run out of patience to become annoyed after being patient for a while. run out (of something ) 1. to leave something or a place, running. 2. to use all of something and have none left. run out of time to have used up most of the time available; to have no time left. run out on someone to depart and leave someone behind. run over 1. to come by for a quick visit. 2. to flow or spill over. run over someone or something to drive, steer, or travel so as to pass over someone or something caus- ing injury or damage. run over ( something ) to exceed a limit. run over something with someone to review something with some- one. run rampant to run, develop, or grow out of control. run someone or something down 1. to criticize or deride someone or something. 2. to collide with and knock down someone or something. 3. to hunt for and locate someone or something. run someone or something in(to something ) to take or drive some- one or something into something or someplace. run someone or something off to drive someone or something away from something. run someone or something out (of something ) to chase someone or something out of something or someplace. run someone or something to earth to find something after a search. (From chasing a fox into its hole during a hunt.) run someone ragged to force someone to work hard and fast; to run someone ragged 513 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 513 TLFeBOOK keep someone or something busy to the point of exhaustion. run something down to use some- thing having batteries, a motor, or an engine until it has no more power and stops. run something in(to something ) to guide or route something, such as a wire or a pipe, into something or a place. run something off 1. to duplicate something, using a mechanical duplicating machine. 2. to get rid of something, such as fat or energy, by running. run something out (of something ) to drive or steer something out of something or someplace. run something up 1. to raise or hoist something, such as a flag. 2. to cause something to go higher, such as the price of stocks or goods. 3. to stitch something together quickly. 4. to accumulate debt. run the gamut to cover the range [from one thing to another]. run to seed and go to seed to become worn-out and uncared for. (Said especially of a lawn that needs care.) run to something 1. to be sufficient for something; to have enough money for something. 2. to amount to a certain amount of money. the runaround ["r^n @ raUnd] n. confusion and frustration result- ing from being sent to different people or places to accomplish something. (No plural form.) → get the runaround → give someone the runaround run-down ["r^n "daUn] 1. adj. in poor health. 2. adj. [of some- thing] in bad condition owing to neglect. rung ["r^N] 1. Past participle of ring. 2. n. one of the poles or boards forming a step of a ladder. running ["r^n IN] 1. n. the activity of someone who runs for sport, health, or pleasure. (No plural.) 2. the adj. use of Q. 3. adj. [of talk] continuous. (Figurative on W.) → days running → months running → off to a running start → out of the running → weeks running → years running runny ["r^n i] adj. [of eggs] not completely cooked and still some- what liquid. (Comp: runnier; sup: runniest.) runny nose n. a person’s nose that is dripping due to a cold, the flu, etc. run-of-the-mill [r@n @v D@ "mIl] adj. average; ordinary; typical; normal; regular. runway ["r^n we] n. a landing strip for an airplane; a track that an air- plane takes off from and lands on. rural ["r# @l] adj. in the country; not like the city; not urban or sub- urban. (Adv: rurally.) rush ["r^S] 1. n. hurry; haste; move- ment in a fast and urgent manner. (No plural.) 2. n. a very sudden movement or flow. → in a mad rush rush in(to something ) 1. to run or hurry into a thing or a place. 2. to run something down 514 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 514 TLFeBOOK begin doing something without the proper preparation. rush off (from someplace ) to hurry away from someplace. a rush on something a large, sud- den demand for something. rush out (of something ) to exit in a hurry. rush someone or something in(to something ) to lead or carry some- one or something into something or someplace hurriedly. rush someone or something out (of something ) to lead or guide some- one or something out of some- thing or someplace hurriedly. rush something off (to someone or something ) to send something quickly to someone or something. rush something through ( some- thing ) to move something through some process or office in a hurry. rush through something to hurry to get something finished; to race through something. rust ["r^st] 1. n. a dark red or dark orange layer that forms on iron or steel when it is exposed to air or water. (No plural.) 2. iv. to acquire a coating of Q. 3. tv. to cause something to be covered with Q. rustle ["r^s @l] 1. n. a soft noise, like the sound that leaves make when they are blown by the wind or the sound made when objects are rubbed together. (No plural.) 2. iv. [for objects] to make a soft noise when rubbed together or blown by the wind. 3. tv. to cause objects to make a noise as in W. 4. tv. to steal cattle. rustle something up to manage to prepare a meal, perhaps on short notice. (Folksy.) rusty ["r^s ti] 1. adj. covered with rust; rusted. (Adv: rustily. Comp: rustier; sup: rustiest.) 2. adj. [of a skill or knowledge] poor or lack- ing because it has been unused for so long a time. (Adv: rustily. Comp: rustier; sup: rustiest.) rut ["r^t] n. a deep track that a wheel makes in soft ground; a groove. → in a rut → (stuck) in a rut ruthless ["ruT l@s] adj. without pity; without mercy; cruel; evil. (Adv: ruthlessly.) rye ["raI] 1. n. a tall grass that is farmed for its light brown grain. (No plural.) 2. n. grain from Q. (No plural. Number is expressed with grain(s) of rye.) 3. adj. made from W. rye 515 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 515 TLFeBOOK . n. the part of a plant that is under the ground, taking water from the soil and supporting the plant. 2. ["rut, "rUt] n. the part of a strand of hair that is under the surface of the. something fast and play- fully. roof ["ruf, "rUf] 1. n. the outside covering of the top of a building, vehicle, or other enclosed space. 2. n. the top part of the inside of something,. n. the remaining part of an old building. (Often plural.) 3. n. a great amount of destruction. (No plural.) → go to rack and ruin → go to wrack and ruin → in ruin the ruin of someone or something the