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RSPCA, the
respect for a member of a royal family, especially a prince or
princess: Their Royal Highnesses have graciously consented to
attend. | His Royal Highness Prince William
Royal 'Horse Guards, the also The Blues a former
REGIMENT (=large division of men) of the British army, called
The Blues because of their blue uniform, which joined with
the Royal Dragoons in 1969 to form the Blues and Royals ->
see also HOUSEHOLD CAVALRY
roy-al-ist /'rɔɪəlɪst/ adj, n (sometimes cap.) (typical of) someone
who supports a king or queen, or who believes that a country
should be ruled by kings and queens: an ardent royalist
royal 'jelly n [U] a substance produced by bees which, it is
claimed, has the effect of increasing health and helping
humans to live longer. It is used in cosmetics (COSMETIC) and
eaten.
Royal Mail, the the part of the British POST OFFICE that
deals with the collection and delivery of letters -> compare
PARCELFORCE, POST OFFICE COUNTERS
Royal Ma'rines, the a British military force whose mem-
bers are trained to fight both on land and at sea. There is a
similar force in the US called the Marine Corps.
Royal 'Mile, the a line of old streets in Edinburgh which
runs from the Castle to HOLYROOD PALACE
Royal Military A'cademy, the -> see SANDHURST
Royal 'Mint, the 1 a British government department
which is responsible for producing paper money and
coins 2 the building where this work is done
Royal National Institute for the 'Blind, the also
the RNIB a CHARITY organization that helps people who
are blind or cannot see well, providing them with help and
equipment
Royal National 'Theatre, the the official name of the
NATIONAL THEATRE in London
Royal Naval College, the a training college at Dart-
mouth, southwest England, where young people in the
Royal Navy learn to be officers
Royal 'Navy, the the part of the UK's military forces that
operates at sea in ships and SUBMARINES -> compare MER-
CHANT NAVY
Royal 'Opera House, the a theatre in COVENT GARDEN in
London where the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet are
based, which is often simply called Covent Garden
CULTURAL NOTE The Royal Opera House is the most
important opera house in the UK, and many of the
greatest opera singers in the world come to perform
there. It is sometimes criticized for being ELITIST (=only
intended for a small part of the population who have
special advantages) and the cost of tickets is known to be
very high. It received a lot of money from the National
Lottery to help with its programme of rebuilding. Some
people believed this was an unsuitable use of Lottery
money.
Royal Pa'vilion, the a building in an original and unusual
ORIENTAL style built in BRIGHTON, southern England, in 1817
for the Prince of Wales, who later became GEORGE IV
Royal Philharmonic 'Orchestra, the also the Royal
Philharmonic, abbrev. the RPO a leading British
ORCHESTRA, based in London
royal pre'rogative n [the] (often caps.) (any of) the special
rights of a king or queen: In Britain it is the royal prerogative
to order Parliament to meet.
Royal 'Scot, the a famous steam train used on British
railways until the 1950s
Royal 'Shakespeare Company, the abbrev. the RSC
a British theatre company that performs plays by Shakespeare
and other writers. It performs mainly in the Barbican (in
London) and in STRATFORD-UPON-AVON. Its actors are
regarded as being extremely good.
Royal So'ciety, the the oldest and most respected scientific
society in the UK, started in the 17th century. Its members are
called 'Fellows' and they are elected if they have done high-
quality work in any area of science. There is a similar society
for people working in the HUMANITIES (=subjects such as
language, literature, and history), called the British Academy.
Royal 'Tournament, the a yearly public show produced
by the British army, air force, and navy in which they show
their skills with displays of GYMNASTICS etc
roy-al-ty /'rɔɪəlti/ n 1 [U+sing/pl. v] also the Royals — mem-
bers of the Royal Family: The flag is only raised when royalty
is/are present. 2 [C] a payment made to the writer of a
book, piece of music etc, out of the money made from
selling that work: The writer gets a 10% royalty on each copy
(sold) of his book.
Royal Ulster Con'stabulary, the -> see RUC
Royal Va'riety Performance, the also the Royal
Va'riety Show n a show which takes place every year at
the LONDON PALLADIUM, in which well-known singers, COME-
DIANS, dancers, and entertainers perform in order to collect
money for CHARITY. Members of the British royal family go to
this show, and it is always shown on television in the UK.
royal 'we, the n sometimes humor the use of we (by a king or
queen) when it really means I
Royal 'Worcester trademark a type of fine CHINA made in
England, known for its very good quality
Royal 'Yacht, the a large ship which was used by the
British royal family, both for official visits to other countries
and for holidays, from 1953 until its last journey in 1997. Its
full name was the Royal Yacht Britannia. There was a lot of
discussion in the UK about whether it should be replaced,
but it was decided that there would not be a new Royal Yacht.
Roy Ro-gers /rɔɪ 'rɒdʒəzl~'rɑːdʒər/ n a popular drink for
children in the US, made from LEMONADE and GRENADINE (=a
sweet red liquid), and served with a CHERRY. Roy Rogers are
usually served in restaurants, and they are sometimes called
SHIRLEY TEMPLES if they are served to girls. -> see also
ROGERS, ROY
rozz-er /'rɒzə||'rɑː-/ n BrE old-fash slang a policeman
RP /,ɑː 'pi||,ɑːr-/ n [U] tech abbrev. for Received Pronunciation;
the form of British pronunciation which many educated
people in Britain use, and that is regarded as standard
pronunciation
CULTURAL NOTE RP is used by MIDDLE-CLASS and
UPPER-CLASS people from all over the UK, especially in
the south of England, and it is the form of pronunciation
shown in British dictionaries. RP was traditionally the
ACCENT that was most respected, and it was also the
accent used by most people on radio and television,
especially people who read the news or WEATHER
FORECAST and people who introduced programmes. For
this reason it is sometimes called 'BBC English'. However,
it is no longer regarded as the only 'correct' form of British
pronunciation, and many other accents can be heard on
British radio and television. -> see Cultural Note at
ACCENT
rpm /,ɑː piː 'em||,ɑːr-/ abbrev. for revolutions per minute; a
measure of the speed of an apparatus that goes round or of
an engine: Play this record at 33⅓ rpm.
RPO, the /,ɑː piː 'əʊ||,ɑːr-/ abbrev. for ROYAL PHILHARMONIC
ORCHESTRA
RR /ɑːr 'ɑː/ 1 abbrev. for rural route; used in addresses in
country areas of the US, to show which mail delivery area a
letter should go to 2 written abbrev. for RAILROAD
RSA, the /,ɑː es 'ɑː/ abbrev. for the Royal Society of Arts; a
British organization that encourages education in ARTS (=not
science) subjects and for business. It organizes examinations
in many different subjects, including English as a Foreign
Language.
RSC, the /,ɑː es 'siː/ abbrev. for the ROYAL SHAKESPEARE
COMPANY
RSI /,ɑː es 'aɪ/ n [U] abbrev. for repetitive strain injury; pain in
your hands, arms etc caused by doing the same movements
very many times, especially when typing (TYPE)
RSPB, the /,ɑː es piː 'biː/ abbrev. for the Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds; a British CHARITY organization which looks
after wild birds, and educates the public about them. There is a
similar organization in the US called the Audubon Society.
RSPCA, the /,ɑː es piː siː 'eɪ/ abbrev. for the Royal Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; a British CHARITY
organization which aims to protect animals from cruel
treatment, and can bring a legal case to court if someone is