[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./