Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[raise one's sights] <v. phr.> To aim high; be ambitious. * /Teenage boys sometimes think too much of themselves and have a tendency to raise their sights too high./

[raise one's voice] <v. phr.> To speak loudly, as if in anger or in protest. * /"I'm sorry, Mom," Peter said. "I didn't mean to raise my voice."/

[raise the devil] or [raise heck] or [raise hob] or [raise ned] <v. phr.>, <informal> To make trouble; start a fight or an argument. * /Mr. Black raised heck when he saw the dented fender. He blamed the other driver./ * /Some teenage boys raised the devil in town on Halloween night and damaged a lot of property./ Compare: KICK UP A FUSS.

[raise the roof] <v. phr.>, <informal> 1. To make a lot of noise; be happy and noisy. * /The gang raised the roof with their singing./ 2. To scold loudly. * /Mother raised the roof when she saw the dog's muddy footprints on her new bedspread./ Compare: KICK UP A FUSS, RAISE CAIN.

[rake in] <v. phr.> To realize great profits; take in money. * /Because of the heavy snowfall, ski lodge operators in the Rocky Mountains have been raking in the dough this winter season./

[rake off] <v. phr.> To illegally expropriate part of a sum paid. * /The secretary-treasurer of the association has been caught raking off some of the membership dues./

[rake-off] See: KICKBACK.

[rake over the coals] See: HAUL OVER THE COALS.

[rake up] <v. phr.> To expose; gather; bring to light. * /Let's forget about the past; there's no need to rake up all those old memories./

[ramble on about] <v. phr.> To chatter on idly and without a purpose. * /When Ted has too much to drink, he always rambles on about the good old days./

[ram down one's throat] See: SHOVE DOWN ONE'S THROAT.

[random] See: AT RANDOM.

[rank] See: CLOSE RANKS, PULL RANK.

[rank and file] <n. phr.> Ordinary people; the regular membership of an organization; the enlisted privates in the Army. * /The general usually inspects the rank and file on specific national holidays./ * /The secretary of the association sends letters annually to the rank and file./

[rap] See: TAKE THE RAP.

[rap one's knuckles] <v. phr.> To scold or punish. * /The principal rapped our knuckles for cheating on the test./ * /If you talk back to Dad, you'll get your knuckles rapped./ * /The club got its knuckles rapped by the principal for hazing new members./ * /Why rap my knuckles? It wasn't my fault./ Compare: DRESSING DOWN, GIVE IT TO(2).

[rat] See: SMELL A RAT.

[rate] See: AT ANY RATE, FIRST RATE.

[rather] See: HAD RATHER.

[rat on] See: BLOW THE WHISTLE, RAT OUT.

[rat out] or [rat out on] <v. phr.>, <slang> To desert; to leave at a critical time. * /Joe ratted out on Sue when she was seven months pregnant./

[rat race] <n.>, <slang> A very confusing, crowded, or disorderly rush; a confusing scramble, struggle, or way of living that does not seem to have a purpose. * /The dance last night was a rat race. It was too noisy and crowded./ * /School can be a rat race if you don't keep up with your studies./ * /This job is a rat race. The faster you work, the faster the boss wants you to work./

[rate with someone] <v. phr.> To be esteemed highly by another. * /The professor really rates with both the graduate students and the undergraduates./

[rattle] See: SABRE RAITLING.

[rattle off] or [reel off] <v.> To say quickly without having to stop to think; recite easily and rapidly. * /When Roger was seven he could rattle off the names of all the states in alphabetical order./ * /Joan memorized the "Gettysburg Address" so well that she could reel it off./ * /We asked the waitress what flavors of ice cream she had, and she rattled them off./

[rattle one's saber] <v. phr.> To threaten another government or country without subsequent acts of war. * /It is considered an act of demagoguery on the part of politicians to rattle their sabers./ Compare: YELLOW JOURNALISM.

[rave about] <v. phr.> To talk very enthusiastically about someone or something. * /Hank praised the new TV show very highly but we didn't think it was anything to rave about./

[raw] See: IN THE RAW.

[raw deal] <n. phr.> Unfair treatment; inequity. * /Barry got a raw deal when he was sent to teach the class on advanced nuclear physics; he's an inexperienced graduate student./

[razzle-dazzle] <n.>, <slang> Fancy display; showing off. * /He is such a good player that he doesn't have to add razzle-dazzle to his game./ * /Do we need all this razzle-dazzle to advertise our fair?/

[reach] See: BOARDING HOUSE REACH.

[reach first base] See: GET TO FIRST BASE.

[reach for the sky] <v. phr.>, <slang> 1. To put your hands high above your head or be shot.
– Usually used as a command. * /A holdup man walked into a gas station last night and told the attendant "Reach for the sky!"/ Syn.: HANDS UP. 2. To set one's aims high. * /"Why medical technician?" asked her father. "Reach for the sky! Become a physician!"/

[read between the lines] <v. phr.> To understand all of a writer's meaning by guessing at what he has left unsaid. * /Some kinds of poetry make you read between the lines./ * /A clever foreign correspondent can often avoid censorship by careful wording, leaving his audience to read between the lines./

[read into] <v. phr.> To attribute extra meaning to; deduce from; consider to be implicit in. * /Just because Fred's letters sounded so friendly Mary was wrong to read anything serious into them./

[read off] <v. phr.> To read in a speaking voice from a list. * /The secretary read off the names of those present in alphabetical order./

[read one like a book] <v. phr.>, <informal> To understand someone completely; know what he will think or do at any time. * /John's girlfriend could read him like a book./ Compare: READ ONE'S MIND.

[read one one's rights] <v. phr.> To give to an arrested person the legally required statement regarding the rights of such a person. * /"Read him his rights," Sergeant," the captain said, "and book him for breaking and entering."/

[read one's mind] <v. phr.> To know what someone else is thinking. * /I have known John so long that I can read his mind./ - [mind reader] <n.> * /That's exactly what I was going to say. You must be a mind reader!/ Compare: READ LIKE A BOOK.

[read the riot act] <v. phr.> To give someone a strong warning or scolding. * /Three boys were late to class and the teacher read the riot act to them./

[read over] <v. phr.> To read hurriedly in a rather superficial manner. * /The professor said he had no time to read my essay thoroughly but that he had read it over and would comment later in detail./