rat pack
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in order to share out these limited articles fairly. The number of stamps in the book showed the amount of a particular thing that people were allowed to buy.
'rat pack n [the+S] derog the photographers who follow members of the British royal family wherever they go, in order to take photographs of them for newspapers and magazines → see also PAPARAZZI
'rat race [the] infml derog the unpleasant situation experienced by people working in big cities, when they continuously compete for success and have a lot of STRESS in their lives: I moved to the country to get out of the rat race.
'rat run n BrE a normally quiet street that some drivers use as a quick way of getting to a place, rather than using a main road
rats /ræts/ interj infml (used to express annoyance or slight anger)
rat-tan /rə'tæn/ n [U] a plant from which WICKER furniture is made: a rattan chair
rat-tat /ˌræt 'tæt/ also rat-a-tat n [S] a sound of knocking, especially on a door: I heard a loud rat-tat at the door.
Rat-ti-gan, Sir Ter·ence /'rætɪgæn, 'terəns/ (1911-77) a British writer of plays best known for The Winslow Boy, The Browning Version, and Separate Tables
rat·tle¹ /'rætl/ v 1 [I;T] to (cause to) make a number of quick sharp noises like small hard objects hitting each other repeatedly: The windows rattled in the wind. | The beggar rattled the coins in his tin. 2 [I+adv/prep] to move quickly while making these noises: The cart rattled along the stony road. 3 [T] BrE infml to make anxious and cause to lose confidence; UNNERVE: She was badly rattled by her failure in the exam. → see also SABRE-RATTLING
rattle sthg. ⇔ off phr v [T] infml to repeat quickly and easily from memory: He rattled off the poem.
rattle on phr v [I] infml to talk quickly and continuously, especially about things of no importance
rattle through sthg. phr v [T] infml to perform quickly: She rattled through her speech/her work.
rattle² n 1 [S] a rattling noise: the rattle of milk bottles 2 [C] a baby's toy that rattles 3 [C] an instrument that rattles, used especially by people watching a football match 4 [C] the hard rings in a rattlesnake's tail that make a rattling noise → see also DEATH RATTLE
Rattle, Sir Simon (1955-) a British CONDUCTOR (=someone who directs a group of musicians), known especially for working with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980-1997). In 2002 he became the chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic.
Rat·tle·snake /'rætlsneɪk/ also rat·tler /'rætlər/ especially AmE — a poisonous American snake that makes a rattling noise with its tail when it is angry
rat·tling /'rætlɪŋ/ adv old-fash infml, apprec very: a rattling good story
'rat trap n AmE a dirty old building that is in very bad condition
rat·ty /'ræti/ adj 1 BrE infml bad-tempered; IRRITABLE 2 AmE infml untidy and in bad condition; SHABBY: a ratty old coat 3 like or full of rats
rau·cous /'rɔ:kəs/ adj (of voices) rough and unpleasant: raucous shouts | the raucous behaviour of drunken teenagers →-ly adv →-ness n [U]
raunch·y /'rɔ:ntʃi/ adj infml suggesting thoughts of sex; sexy: a raunchy dance →-ily adv →-iness n [U]
rav·age /'rævɪdʒ/ v [T often pass.] to ruin and destroy; DEVASTATE: crops ravaged by storms | The whole area was ravaged by forest fires.
rav·ag·es /'rævɪdʒɪz/ n [the P+of] damage caused (as if) by ravaging; destroying effects: the ravages of fire/war/inflation
rave¹ /reɪv/ v [I(about, against, at)] to talk wildly as if mad: He raved all night in his fever. | Father's raving at/against the government again. → see also RAVING
rave about sthg. phr v [T] infml to speak about with extreme praise or admiration: Everyone was raving about the new singer.
rave² adj [A] infml full of very eager praise, especially in a newspaper: His new play has been getting rave notices/reviews in the papers.
rave³ n (in Britain) a very large dance for young people which may last all night. Raves take place in large empty buildings, sometimes without the owner's permission, and are associated in people's minds with HOUSE MUSIC and drugs such as ECSTASY. The police often try to prevent raves. → see also ACID HOUSE PARTY and Feature on page A9
rav·el /'rævəl/ v -ll- BrE || -l- AmE [i;T] 1 [(UP)] to (cause to) become twisted and knotted 2 to UNRAVEL
Ra·vel, Mau·rice /ræ'vel, mɔ:'ri:slmɔ:-/ (1875-1937) a French COMPOSER, known especially for his Boléro
ra·ven /'reɪvən/ n a large shiny black bird with a black beak which makes a deep unmusical sound (CROAK). Some ravens live outside the Tower of London and it is said that something terrible will happen to England if they leave. A well-known poem by Edgar Allan Poe called The Raven features a raven who repeats the word 'nevermore'.
,raven-'haired adj lit with shiny black hair
rav·e·ning /'rævənɪŋ/ adj [A] especially lit fierce and dangerous because of hunger: ravening tigers
rav·e·nous /'rævənəs/ adj very hungry: a ravenous appetite | Have a sandwich; you must be ravenous! →-ly adv: The wolf ate ravenously, tearing strips of flesh from the carcass.
rav·er /'reɪvər/ n infml, especially BrE 1 a person who leads an exciting life of social and sexual freedom 2 someone who goes to a RAVE³
'rave-up n infml, especially BrE a wild exciting party
ra·vine /rə'vi:n/ n a deep narrow valley with steep sides → see VALLEY (USAGE)
rav·ing /'reɪvɪŋ/ adj, adv infml 1 talking or behaving wildly: a raving lunatic | He's (stark) raving mad. 2 [A] very great; attracting great admiration: a raving beauty (=a very beautiful woman) | The concert was not a raving success.
rav·ings /'reɪvɪŋz/ n [P] wild uncontrolled talk: the ravings of a madman
rav·i·o·li /ˌrævi'əʊli/ n [U] Italian PASTA (=food made from a flour and water mixture) in the form of small cases filled with meat, cooked in boiling water → see picture at PASTA
rav·ish /'rævɪʃ/ v [T] especially lit 1 [often pass.] to fill with delight: I was ravished by her beauty. 2 to seize or rob with violence 3 to RAPE →-ment n [U]
rav·ish·ing /'rævɪʃɪ/ adj very beautiful; causing great delight: a ravishing sight/blonde →-ly adv: ravishingly beautiful
raw¹ /rɔ:/ adj 1 (of food) not cooked: raw vegetables 2 in the natural state; not yet treated for use: raw sugar/cotton/sewage 3 (of a person) not yet trained; not experienced: a raw recruit who has just joined the army 4 (of a part of the skin) painful; sore: hands raw with cold 5 (of weather) cold and wet: a raw winter day →-ly adv →-ness n [U]
raw² n in the raw a) in an original natural state, without civilization: life in the raw b) infml without clothes
,raw-'boned adj having large bones that show under the skin
,raw 'deal n infml a case of unfair or cruel treatment: The employees who were sacked got (rather) a raw deal
raw·hide /'rɔ:haɪd/ n [U] natural untreated cow's leather: a rawhide belt
Raw·lings, Jerry /'rɔ:lɪŋz/ (1947-) a Ghanaian politician, who first came to power when he led a group of low-ranking military officers who removed Ghana's military government in 1979 and again in 1981. Each time he put government officials who had used their power in a dishonest or illegal way in prison and then returned the country to DEMOCRATIC rule. He was elected president in 1992 and 1996 before leaving the position in 2000.
Rawl-plug /'rɔ:lplʌg/ trademark a special piece of plastic that you put into a hole in a wall before a SCREW is put in, so that the screw stays firmly in place
,raw ma'terials n [P] things such as minerals, metals, wood, oil, or skins which are the starting point for many manufacturing (MANUFACTURE) processes: Coal and oil are important raw materials for the manufacture of plastics.
ray¹ /reɪ/ n [(of)] 1 a narrow beam of light, especially one of a group going out from the same centre: a ray of light | the sun's rays | (fig.) Her visit brought a ray of sunshine into the old man's life. 2 a beam of heat, electricity, or some other