Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[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 HOUSETOPS 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./