The general went out to find that none of his GIs were there. One finally ran up, panting heavily.
"Sorry, sir! I can explain, you see I had a date and it ran a little late. I ran to the bus but missed it, I hailed a cab but it broke down, found a farm, bought a horse but it dropped dead, ran 10 miles, and now I"m here."
The general was very skeptical about this explanation but at least he was here so he let the G.I. go.
Moments later, eight more GIs came up to the general panting, he asked them why they were late.
"Sorry, sir! I had a date and it ran a little late, I ran to the bus but missed it, I hailed a cab but it broke down, found a farm, bought a horse but it dropped dead, ran 10 miles, and now I"m here."
The general eyed them, feeling very skeptical but since he let the first guy go, he let them go, too.
A ninth GI jogged up to the general, panting heavily. "Sorry, sir! I had a date and it ran a little late, I ran to the bus but missed it, I hailed a cab but..."
"Let me guess," the general interrupted, "it broke down."
"No," said the G.I., "there were so many dead horses in the road, it took forever to get around them."
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]
