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"."
—adj. - of or like country people or country life.
- unsophisticated.
- of rude or rough workmanship.
- made of untrimmed branches or rough timber (rustic bench).
- archit. With a roughened or rough-hewn surface. —n. Country person, peasant. rusticity n. [latin rus the country]
RUSTLE
—v. (-ling) 1 (cause to) make a gentle sound as of dry blown leaves.
- (also absol.) Steal (cattle or horses). —n. Rustling sound. rustle up colloq. Produce at short notice. rustler n. (esp. In sense 2 of v.). [imitative]
RACCOON
var. Of *racoon.
RACQUET
var. Of *racket1.
RADIANT
heat n. Heat transmitted by radiation.
- —adj. - emitting rays of light.
- (of eyes or looks) beaming with joy, hope, or love.
- (of beauty) splendid or dazzling.
- (of light) issuing in rays. —n. Point or object from which light or heat radiates. radiance n. Radiantly adv.
RADIATE
—v. (-ting) 1 a emit rays of light, heat, etc. B (of light or heat) be emitted in rays.
- emit (light, heat, etc.) From a centre.
- transmit or demonstrate (joy etc.).
- diverge or spread from a centre. —adj. Having divergent rays or parts radially arranged.
RADICAL
—adj. - fundamental (a radical error).
- far-reaching; thorough (radical change).
- advocating thorough reform; holding extreme political views; revolutionary.
- forming the basis; primary.
- of the root of a number or quantity.
- (of surgery etc.) Seeking to ensure the removal of all diseased tissue.
- of the roots of words.
- bot. Of the root. —n. - person holding radical views or belonging to a radical party.
- chem. A = *free radical. B atom or a group of these normally forming part of a compound and remaining unaltered during the compound's ordinary chemical changes.
- root of a word.
- math. Quantity forming or expressed as the root of another. radicalism n. Radically adv. [latin: related to *radix]
RADICLE
n. Part of a plant embryo that develops into the primary root; rootlet. [latin: related to *radix]
