A father and son went fishing one day. While they were out in the boat, the boy suddenly became curious about the world around him. He asked his father, "How does this boat float?"
The father replied, "Don"t rightly know, son."
A little later, the boy looked at his father and asked, "How do fish breath underwater?"
Once again the father replied, "Don"t rightly know, son."
A little later the boy asked his father, "Why is the sky blue?"
Again, the father replied, "Don"t rightly know, son."
Finally, the boy asked his father, "Dad, do you mind my asking you all of these questions?"
The father replied, "Of course not, you don"t ask questions, you never learn nothin"."
- talk or write incoherently. —n. Walk taken for pleasure. [dutch rammelen]
RAMIFY
v. (-ies, -ied) (cause to) form branches, subdivisions, or offshoots; branch out. [latin ramus branch]
RAMROD
n. - rod for ramming down the charge of a muzzle-loading firearm.
- thing that is very straight or rigid.
RANCID
adj. Smelling or tasting like rank stale fat. rancidity n. [latin rancidus stinking]
RANCOR
n. (brit. Rancour) inveterate bitterness, malignant hate. rancorous adj. [latin rancor: related to *rancid]
RANDOM
adj. Made, done, etc., without method or conscious choice. at random without a particular aim. randomize v. (also -ise) (-zing or -sing). Randomization n. Randomly adv. Randomness n. [french randon from randir gallop]
RANGER
n. - keeper of a royal or national park, or of a forest.
- member of a body of mounted soldiers.
- (ranger) senior guide.
RANKLE
v. (-ling) (of envy, disappointment, etc., or their cause) cause persistent annoyance or resentment. [french (d)rancler fester, from medieval latin dra(cu)nculus little serpent]
RANSOM
—n. - money demanded or paid for the release of a prisoner.
- liberation of a prisoner in return for this. —v. - buy the freedom or restoration of; redeem.
- = hold to ransom (see *hold1).
- release for a ransom. [latin: related to *redemption]
