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roach
an election/risk holding an election. (=because they may lose
it) 4 risk one's neck to endanger one's life
risk·y /'rɪski/ adj (especially of an action) having a high
degree of risk; rather dangerous: You drove too fast round
that corner – it was a risky thing to do. | a risky journey/
operation/business investment —ily adv —iness n [U]
ri·sot·to /rɪ'ztəʊl-'sɔː-/ n pl. -tos [C,U] a dish made of rice
cooked with cheese, onions, chicken etc
ris·qué /'rɪskeɪl'rɪ'skeɪ/ adj (of a joke, story etc) slightly rude
and shocking, especially because concerned with sex
ris·sole /'rɪsəʊl/ n a small round flat mass of cut-up meat
cooked in hot fat
Ritch·ie, Guy /'rɪtʃi/ (1968–) a British film DIRECTOR whose
films include Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch,
and Revolver. He is married to the pop singer Madonna.
Rich·ie, Shane /'rɪtʃi, ʃeɪn/ (1964–) a British actor best-
known for playing the role of Alfie Moon in the popular
British television SOAP OPERA EastEnders
rite /raɪt/ n [usually pl.] a ceremonial act with a fixed pattern,
usually for a religious purpose: funeral rites | The priest
performed the last rites over the dying woman. | Anthropol-
ogists have described rites of passage (=ceremonies marking
a new stage in one's life) practised by certain societies. |
Satanic rites
rit·u·al¹ /'rɪtʃuəl/ adj [A] done as (part of) a rite or ritual:
ritual dances | ritual murder —ly adv: ritually killed
ritual² n [C,U] one or more ceremonies or customary acts
which are often repeated in the same form: Christian
ritual(s) (=the form of church services) | (fig., humor) She went
through her usual ritual of making sure all the doors were
locked before she went to bed.
rit·u·al·ism /'rɪtʃuəlɪzəm/ n [U] often derog great interest in
or obedience to ritual —istic /ˌrɪtʃuə'lɪstɪk/ adj
—istically /kli/ adv
ritz /rɪts/ n AmE infml put on the ritz to show that one is
wealthy by living in a large house, giving parties etc: He
really puts on the ritz to try to impress people.
Ritz, the a large, very expensive hotel, named after the
original Swiss owner, César Ritz. Several large cities includ-
ing London and Paris have Ritz hotels.
Ritz 'crackers trademark a type of small round salty CRACKER
(=thin BISCUIT) sold in boxes in the US and the UK
ritz·y /'rɪtsi/ adj infml apprec fashionable and expensive; GLAM-
OROUS (from the Ritz hotel chain, which is very comfortable
and expensive, especially The Ritz in London)
ri·val¹ /'raɪvəl/ n [(for, in)] a person, group, or organization
with whom one competes: Who will be his main rival in the
presidential election? | Bob and I were friendly rivals for the
job/rivals in love. | These two companies are arch-rivals
(=very great rivals) in the computer industry. | She left her job
and went to work for a rival company. | a clash between rival
football supporters
rival² v -ll- BrE || -l- AmE [T] to equal; be as good as or reach the
same standard as: Ships can't rival aircraft for speed. | As a
tourist centre, it rivals anywhere in Europe. ➔ see also
UNRIVALLED
ri·val·ry /'raɪvəlri/ n [C;U(with, between)] competition; (a case
of) being rivals: There was a friendly rivalry between the two
women. | There was fierce/intense rivalry between the two
companies to get the contract.
Rivals, The /'raɪvəlz/ (1775) a humorous play by Richard
Brinsley Sheridan, whose best-known character is Mrs MALA-
PROP
riv·en /'rɪvən/ adj [F] fml split violently apart: The whole
community was riven by the strike, which some men had
joined and others had not.
riv·er /'rɪvə/ n 1 a wide natural stream of water flowing
between banks into a lake, into another wider stream, or
into the sea: Let's go swimming in the river/sailing on the
river. | the river Amazon | the Mississippi River | a river
steamer | a river delta | the mouth of a river | sail up/down
the river | (fig.) Rivers of blood flowed during the war. 2 rivers
of blood quote a phrase used to refer to a speech given by the
British politician Enoch Powell in 1968, in which he said that
Britain should not allow IMMIGRANTS to enter the country. He
used words from the Aeniad, by Virgil, and said 'Like the
Roman, I seem to see 'the river Tiber foaming with much
blood'.' ➔ compare STREAM; see also sell someone down
the river (SELL) and Enoch POWELL
Ri·ve·ra, Di·e·go /ri'veərə, di'eɪɡəʊ/ (1886–1957) a Mexican
artist and painter of MURALS, who also painted in the United
States. He was known for his LEFT-WING politics, and in 1933
one of his murals was removed from the Rockefeller Center
in New York because it had a picture of Lenin in it. He was
married for a time to Frida Kahlo.
'river ,basin n an area from which all the water flows into
the same river
riv·er·bed /'rɪvəbedl-ər-/ n the ground over which a river
flows between its banks
Riv·ers, Joan /'rɪvəzl-vərz, dʒəʊn/ (1933–) a US COMEDIAN
who says rude things about famous and important people,
and who makes jokes about sex, and about her own body
and how it is changing as she gets older
riv·er·side /'rɪvəsaɪdl-ər-/ n [the] the land on or near the
banks of a river: Let's go for a picnic by the riverside. | an old
riverside inn
riv·et¹ /'rɪvɪt/ n a metal pin used for fastening metal plates
together by putting it through a hole in the plates and then
hammering one end flat, so that it spreads and holds firmly
rivet² v [T] 1 to fasten with rivets: The metal plates used in
making ships used to be riveted together, but now they're
usually welded. | (fig.) I stood riveted to the spot (=unable to
move) as the lions escaped from the cage and charged towards
me. 2 to attract and hold (someone's attention) strongly:
My attention was riveted by a slight movement in the bushes;
could it be the murderer?
rivet sthg. on sbdy./sthg. phr v [T often pass.] to fix (eyes or
attention) firmly on: He riveted his eyes on her. | Public
attention was riveted on the nuclear accident.
riv·et·er /'rɪvɪtə/ n a person whose job is fastening rivets ➔
see also ROSIE THE RIVETER
riv·et·ing /'rɪvɪtɪŋ/ adj apprec very interesting and exciting;
holding one's attention: This is an absolutely riveting book; I
can hardly put it down!
ri·vi·e·ra /ˌrɪvi'eərə/ n [the] 1 a warm stretch of coast that
is popular with holidaymakers: the Cornish Riviera 2 the
(French) Riviera the Mediterranean coast of France and
Italy including Nice, Cannes, St Tropez, the Côte d'Azur, and
Monaco
CULTURAL NOTE People think of the Riviera as being
fashionable and expensive, and a place where rich and
famous people go. ➔ see also SOUTH OF FRANCE
riv·u·let /'rɪvjʊlət/ n lit a very small stream: (fig.) rivulets of
sweat
Riy·adh /'ri:æd/ the capital city of Saudi Arabia
ri·yal, rial /ri'ɑ:lɪri'ɔ:l, -'ɑ:l/ n a unit of money in Saudi
Arabia and certain other Arab countries
RMT, the /ˌɑ:r em 'ti:/ a TRADE UNION in the UK for people
who work in the transport industry, including people who
work on the London UNDERGROUND, people who drive
trucks, bus drivers etc
RN /ˌɑ:r 'en/ abbrev. for 1 Royal Navy; used after the name of a
member of the British Navy: Captain Anstruther, RN 2
REGISTERED NURSE
RNA /ˌɑ:r en 'eɪ/ n [U] abbrev. for ribonucleic acid; an impor-
tant chemical found in all living cells ➔ see also DNA
RNIB, the /ˌɑ:r en aɪ 'bi:/ abbrev. for ROYAL NATIONAL INSTI-
TUTE for the BLIND
RNLI, the /ˌɑ:r en el 'aɪ/ abbrev. for the Royal National
Lifeboat Institution; a British CHARITY organization that
raises money to pay for the LIFEBOAT service, which saves
people who are in trouble at sea around the coast of the UK
CULTURAL NOTE The British lifeboat service is not paid for
by the government, and the sailors who go in the lifeboats
are VOLUNTEERS (=they work for no money). In the US,
this job is done by the COASTGUARD, a government
organization.
roach¹ /rəʊtʃ/ n pl. roach or roaches a European fresh-water
fish related to the CARP