R Idioms
Idioms Index | 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
rack one's brains
- try hard to think or remember something
I have been racking my brains all day trying to remember his name.rain check
- a free ticket to an event in place of one cancelled because of rain
We received two rain checks to the baseball game after it was cancelled because of the rain.rain check
- a promise to repeat an invitation at a later date
I didn't have time to go to the restaurant with my friend so I took a rain check instead.raining cats and dogs
- raining very hard
It has been raining cats and dogs all morning.raise a fuss
- make trouble, make a disturbance
The woman at the restaurant raised a fuss when her meal arrived late.raise a hand
- do something, do one's share, help
Nobody likes him because he will never raise a hand to help his friends.raise Cain
- create a disturbance, cause trouble
They began to raise Cain at the dance and were asked to leave.raise eyebrows
- cause surprise or disapproval
It really raised eyebrows when she appeared at the party unannounced.rake in the money
- make a lot of money
His new pizza franchise has been raking in the money since it first opened.rake someone over the coals
- scold, reprimand
His boss raked him over the coals when he heard about the lost sales report.ram (something) down one's throat
- force one to do or agree to something not wanted
She always tries to ram her ideas down our throats which makes us very angry.rat out on
- desert or betray someone, leave at a critical time
His friend ratted out on him when he refused to support him in his fight with the neighborhood bully.rat race
- endless hurried existence
He likes working for a major corporation although sometimes he finds it too much of a rat race.raw deal
- unfair treatment
he got a raw deal when he was forced to resign from his company.read between the lines
- find a hidden meaning in something
I know that he didn't say it but I can read between the lines so I know what he means.read the riot act
- give someone a strong warning or scolding
The teacher read the riot act to her students when they began to misbehave in class.real McCoy
- the genuine thing
That new camera is the real McCoy and will let you do everything that you want.red herring
- something that draws attention away from the matter under consideration
The issue of the pay cut is a red herring and is not related to the main issues.red letter day
- a day that is memorable because of some important event
Saturday was a red letter day when we finally won the championship.red tape
- excessive formalities in official transactions
There was much red tape when we went to city hall to get a business license.regular guy
- a friendly person who everyone gets along with
The former Prime Minister was a regular guy and was well liked by most people.rest on one's laurels
- be satisfied with the success one has already won
He is always willing to work hard and is not the type of person to rest on his laurels.rhyme or reason
- a good plan or reason, a reasonable purpose or explanation
Without rhyme or reason he suddenly decided to quit his job.ride herd on
- watch closely and control
The new supervisor plans to ride herd on the people who work for him.ride out
- survive safely, endure
We were able to easily ride out the storm at the small restaurant.riding high
- attracting attention, enjoying great popularity
The new government has been riding high in the polls for several months now.right away
- immediately
I forgot to bring the book today but I will go home and get it right away.right off the bat
- immediately, from the beginning
I told him right off the bat that we didn't need a new computer for the office.right on
- indicates approval, "that's right", "yes"
He called out "right on" every time that the politician promised a new program to help unemployed people.right out
- plainly, in a way that hides nothing
He told the new supervisor right out that he did not like him.right under one's nose
- in an obvious, nearby place
I found the calculator right under my nose after searching for it for an hour.ring a bell
- remind one of something
The name doesn't ring a bell. I'm sure I have never heard of him.ring up
- add and record on a cash register
I went to the cash register to have them ring up the things that I had bought.ring up
- telephone someone
You should ring up the police if you see anybody strange around your house.rip off
- cheat, rob
I was ripped off by the mechanics at that gas station.road hog
- a car driver who takes up more than his share of the road
My father becomes very angry at the road hogs when he is driving.rob Peter to pay Paul
- take from one person or thing to pay another
When the government began to take money from education to pay for the medical system it was like robbing Peter to pay Paul.rob the cradle
- have dates with or marry a person much younger than oneself
Everyone said that my friend was robbing the cradle when he married the young woman at his company.rock the boat
- upset the way things are
He is a very quiet worker and never likes to rock the boat at work.roll around
- return at a regular or usual time, come back
Every time that his birthday rolls around he has a big party.roll in
- arrive in great numbers or quantity
The money has been rolling in since they started the new franchise.rolling stone
- a person who does not live or work in one place
He is a rolling stone and I never know where to find him.roll out the red carpet
- welcome an important guest by putting a red carpet down for him or her to walk on
They rolled out the red carpet when the President of France came for a visit.roll out the red carpet
- make a big effort to greet and entertain someone
Whenever I visit my aunt in New York City she rolls out the red carpet for me.roll up one's sleeves
- prepare to work hard or seriously
Everyone in our club rolled up their sleeves to help prepare for the party.rope into
- trick, persuade by pressuring someone
I didn't want to help with the dinner but I was roped into doing it by my best friend.rough and ready
- rough or crude but effective
The boat is rough and ready so let's take it for a ride.rough and tumble
- fighting or arguing in a very rough and reckless way
It was a rough and tumble meeting that we attended at the city planning office last night.rough guess
- an approximate estimate
He made a rough guess as to how many people would come to the party.rough up
- attack or hurt physically
The three men roughed up the bartender at the hotel and were arrested by the police.round robin (letter)
- a letter written by a group of people with each person writing part of the letter
We sent a round robin letter to the librarian to ask for better opening hours for the library.round robin (meeting or discussion)
- a meeting or discussion in which each person in a group takes part
We had a round robin panel discussion on what we could do to help save the environment.round robin (tournament or contest)
- game or contest in which each player or team plays every other player or team in turn
The round robin tournament was held in order to choose the championship team for the city.round up
- bring together, collect
We rounded up enough people to play a game of soccer last night.rub elbows/shoulders
- be in the same place (with others), meet and mix
At the party we were able to rub elbows with many important people.rub off
- remove or be removed by rubbing, erase
She rubbed off the writing on the whiteboard.rub off
- pass to someone nearby, transmit to someone
Her bad habit of talking all the time has rubbed off on her husband as well.rub out
- destroy completely, kill, eliminate
The government troops rubbed out the whole village.rub someone the wrong way
- irritate others with something one says or does
Her lack of politeness always rubs me the wrong way.rub something in
- continue to talk or joke about something someone said or did
I know that she made a mistake but you shouldn't rub it in.rule out
- decide against, eliminate
They still haven't ruled out using him on the team for the tournament.rule the roost
- be the dominant one in the family
She seems rather quiet but she really rules the roost in their family.run a risk
- unprotected, open to danger or loss
You are running a great risk if you drive with him after he has been drinking.run around
- go to different places for entertainment or to do things
We ran around all day and now we are very tired.run around in circles
- act confused, do a lot but accomplish little
I have been running around all day but I can't seem to get anything done.run away with
- take quickly and secretly - especially without permission or by stealing
Someone ran away with the dictionary so now we don't have one.run away with
- take hold of
Their imagination ran away with them when they went to the circus. They decided that they actually wanted to join the circus.run away with
- be much better than others, win easily
Our hometown team ran away with the football championship.run down
- crash against and knock down
My dog was run down by a car last week.run down
- say bad things about someone, criticize
She is always running down her friends. That is why nobody likes her.run down
- get into poor health or condition, look bad
She has become run down since she started working at night.run for it
- dash for safety, make a speedy escape
As soon as it started raining we ran for it and tried to get to the shelter.run in
- make a brief visit
I ran in to see my sister at her office before I left for the weekend.run (someone) in
- take to jail, arrest
The police ran the three boys in for questioning about the robbery.run in the family/blood
- be a common family characteristic
Being a left-handed golfer and baseball hitter runs in our family.run into
- add up to, total
If you decide to stay in nice hotels during your holiday it will run into a lot of money.run into
- mix with, join with
During the hot weather the red paint on the roof ran into the white paint.run into
- be affected by, get into
He ran into trouble when he tried to cross the border with no visa.run into (something)
- hit something or crash into something
His car ran into the other car on the highway.run into (someone)
- meet by chance
I ran into him when I was at the supermarket.run into the ground
- use something more than is wanted or needed
He ran his car into the ground before he had to buy another one.run off
- produce with a printing press or copy machine
We ran off hundreds of copies of the poster for the festival.run off with (someone)
- go away with someone, elope
My sister ran off with her boyfriend and got married when she was quite young.run-of-the-mill
- ordinary, usual
The restaurant was in a run-of-the-mill building but it was superb.run out (of something)
- use up, come to an end
The car ran out of gas in the middle of the countryside.run out
- force to leave, expel
The drug dealers were run out of town by the police.run over
- be too full and flow over the edge
The water in the bathtub ran over the edge and got everything in the room wet.run over
- try to go over something quickly, practice briefly
We can run over this material tomorrow before the meeting.run over
- drive on top of, ride over
We ran over a small rabbit on the way to the meeting.run ragged
- be tired or exhausted
She has been run ragged by her three children.run scared
- try everything to avoid defeat as in a political campaign
The senator has been running scared in his attempt to win re-election.run short
- not have enough, be not enough in quantity
We ran short of money during our trip to Europe.run the gauntlet
- face a hard test or painful experience
He had to run the gauntlet of many interviews before he got the job.run through
- spend recklessly, use up wastefully
We ran through a lot of money when we were looking for a new apartment.run through
- read or practice from beginning to end without stopping
I usually try to run through my speech a couple of times before I have to give it.run up
- add to the amount of something, increase
He ran up a large bill at the department store before he left for home.run up
- pull something up on a rope
We ran up the flag early this morning before the parade started.run up against (something)
- encounter
They ran up against many problems when they were building the freeway.run wild
- be or go out of control
The crowd ran wild after the soccer game.Russian roulette
- a game of chance in which one bullet is placed in a revolver, the cartridge is spun, and the player aims the gun at his head and pulls the trigger
The men in the movie played Russian roulette until one of them finally died.Russian roulette
- a potentially dangerous situation
Putting the load of plutonium on the old ship was like playing a game of Russian roulette.
