Little Johnny and his family lived in the country, and as a result seldom had guests. He was eager to help his mother after his father appeared with two dinner guests from the office. When the dinner was nearly over, Little Johnny went to the kitchen and proudly carried in the first piece of apple pie, giving it to his father who passed it to a guest.
Little Johnny came in with a second piece of pie and gave it to his father, who again gave it to a guest.
This was too much for Little Johnny, who said, "It"s no use, Dad. The pieces are all the same size."
adj. Reckless, impetuous, hasty. rashly adv. Rashness n. [probably old english]
- n. - eruption of the skin in spots or patches.
- (usu. Foll. By of) sudden widespread phenomenon (rash of strikes). [origin uncertain]
RASP
—n. - coarse kind of file having separate teeth.
- grating noise or utterance. —v. - a scrape with a rasp. B scrape roughly. C (foll. By off, away) remove by scraping.
- a make a grating sound. B say gratingly.
- grate upon (a person or feelings). [french raspe(r)]
RATE
—n. - numerical proportion between two sets of things (moving at a rate of 50 m.p.h.) Or as the basis of calculating an amount or value (rate of interest).
- fixed or appropriate charge, cost, or value; measure of this (postal rates; the rate for the job).
- pace of movement or change (prices increasing at a great rate).
- (in comb.) Class or rank (first-rate).
- (in pl.) Tax levied by local authorities on businesses (and formerly on private individuals) according to the value of buildings and land occupied. —v. (-ting) 1 a estimate the worth or value of. B assign a value to.
- consider, regard as.
- (foll. By as) rank or be considered.
- a subject to the payment of a local rate. B value for the purpose of assessing rates.
- be worthy of, deserve. at any rate in any case, whatever happens. At this rate if this example is typical. [latin rata: related to *ratio]
- v. (-ting) scold angrily. [origin unknown]
RAVE
—v. (-ving) 1 talk wildly or furiously in or as in delirium.
- (usu. Foll. By about, over) speak with rapturous admiration; go into raptures.
v. (also rase) (-zing or -sing) completely destroy; tear down (esp. Raze to the ground). [latin rado ras- scrape]
READ
—v. (past and past part. Read) 1 (also absol.) Reproduce mentally or (often foll. By aloud, out, off, etc.) Vocally the written or printed words of (a book, author, etc.).
- convert or be able to convert into the intended words or meaning (written or other symbols or the things expressed in this way) (can't read music).
- understand by observing; interpret (read me like a book; read his silence as consent; read my mind; reads tea-leaves).
- find (a thing) stated in print etc. (read that you were leaving).
- (often foll. By into) assume as intended or deducible (read too much into it).
- bring into a specified state by reading (read myself to sleep).
- a (of a recording instrument) show (a specified figure etc.). B interpret (a recording instrument) (read the meter).
- convey meaning when read; have a certain wording (it reads persuasively; reads from left to right).
- sound or affect a hearer or reader when read (the book reads like a parody). 10 study by reading (esp. A subject at university). 11 (as read adj.) Versed in a subject (esp. Literature) by reading (well-read person). 12 (of a computer) copy or transfer (data). 13 hear and understand (over a radio) (are you reading me?). 14 replace (a word etc.) With the correct one(s) (for ‘this’ read ‘these’). —n. - spell of reading.
- colloq. Book etc. As regards readability (is a good read). read between the lines look for or find hidden meaning. Read up (often followed by on) make a special study of (a subject). Take as read treat (a thing) as if it has been agreed. [old english]
REAL
ale n. Beer regarded as brewed in a traditional way.
- life n. - life lived by actual people.
- (attrib.) (real-life) actual, not fictional (her real-life husband).
- money n. Current coin; cash.
- tennis n. Original form of tennis played on an indoor court.
- time n. - actual time during which a process occurs.
- (attrib.) (real-time) computing (of a system) in which the response time is the actual time during which an event occurs.
- —adj. - actually existing or occurring.
- genuine; rightly so called; not artificial.
- law consisting of immovable property such as land or houses (real estate).
- appraised by purchasing power (real value).
- math. (of a quantity) having no imaginary part (see *imaginary 2). —adv. Scot. & us colloq. Really, very. for real colloq. Seriously, in earnest. The real thing (of an object or emotion) genuine, not inferior. [anglo-french and latin realis from res thing]
- n. Hist. Coin and monetary unit in spanish-speaking countries. [spanish: related to *royal]
REAM
n. - twenty quires of paper.
- (in pl.) Large quantity of writing. [arabic, = bundle]
REAP
v. - cut or gather (esp. Grain) as a harvest.
- harvest the crop of (a field etc.).
- receive as a result of one's own or others' actions. [old english]
