A man goes into a pet shop to buy a parrot.
The shop owner points to three identically looking parrots on a perch and says:
"The parrot on the left costs $500."
"Why does the parrot cost so much?", asks the guest.
The owner says,
"Well, the parrot knows how to use a computer."
The man then asks about the next parrot. He is told that this one costs $1000, because it can do everything the other parrot can do, plus it knows how to use the UNIX operating system.
Naturally, the increasingly startled man asks about the third parrot. He is told that it costs $2000. Needless to say this begs the question,
"What can it do?"
To which the owner replies,
"To be honest I have never seen it do a thing, but the other two call him boss!"
- (of an inherited characteristic) appearing in offspring only when not masked by an inherited dominant characteristic.
RECHERCHE
adj. - carefully sought out; rare or exotic.
- far-fetched. [french]
RECIPIENT
n. Person who receives something. [italian or latin: related to *receive]
RECKONING
n. - counting or calculating.
- consideration or opinion.
- settlement of an account.
RECOGNIZE
v. (also -ise) (-zing or -sing) 1 identify as already known.
- realize or discover the nature of.
- (foll. By that) realize or admit.
- acknowledge the existence, validity, character, or claims of.
- show appreciation of; reward.
- (foll. By as, for) treat. recognizable adj. [latin recognosco]
RECOLLECT
v. - remember.
- succeed in remembering; call to mind. [latin recolligo: related to *collect1]
RECOMBINE
v. (-ning) combine again or differently.
RECOMMEND
v. - suggest as fit for some purpose or use.
- advise as a course of action etc.
- (of qualities, conduct, etc.) Make acceptable or desirable.
- (foll. By to) commend or entrust (to a person or a person's care). recommendation n. [medieval latin: related to *re-]
RECONCILE
v. (-ling) 1 make friendly again after an estrangement.
- (usu. In refl. Or passive; foll. By to) make acquiescent or contentedly submissive to (something disagreeable).
- settle (a quarrel etc.).
- a harmonize, make compatible. B show the compatibility of by argument or in practice. reconcilable adj. Reconciliation n. [latin: related to *conciliate]
RECONDITE
adj. - (of a subject or knowledge) abstruse, out of the way, little known.
- (of an author or style) dealing in abstruse knowledge or allusions, obscure. [latin recondo -dit- put away]
