Ruth, Babe
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Ruth, Babe /ru:θ/ (1895-1948) a US BASEBALL player, the
most famous ever, who played mainly for the New York
Yankees team, and got more HOME RUNS than anyone before
him. He was known as the Sultan of Swat.
Ruth, Doctor → see DOCTOR RUTH
Ruth·er·ford, Dame Margaret /'rʌðəfɔ:d||-ərfɔ:rd/ (1892-
1972) a British actress famous for playing old women whose
behaviour is ECCENTRIC (=funny and slightly strange), and
known especially for playing the Agatha CHRISTIE character
Miss MARPLE
Rutherford, Er·nest /'ɜ:nɪst||'ɜ:rɪr-/ (1871-1937) a British
scientist, born in New Zealand, who discovered the structure
of the atom, and discovered that there are three types of
RADIATION - alpha, beta, and gamma rays. He is best known
for being the first person to 'split the atom', when he split
the NUCLEUS (=central part) of an atom in 1919.
ruth·less /'ru:θləs/ adj 1 (of a person or their behaviour)
showing no human feelings; without pity or forgiveness:
The enemy killed women and children with ruthless cru-
elty. 2 not always derog firm in taking unpleasant decisions:
We'll have to be ruthless if we want to eliminate unnecessary
waste. —~ly adv —~ness n [U]
Rut·land /'rʌtlənd/ the smallest COUNTY in England, in the
centre of the country
RV /,ɑ: 'vi:||,ɑ:r-/ n AmE abbrev. for recreational vehicle; a large
vehicle, usually with cooking equipment and beds in it, that
a family can use for travelling or camping
Rw·an·da /ru'ændə||-'ɑ:n-/ a country in east central Africa
between Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Population: 7,810,056 (2003). Capital: Kigali. In 1994 there
was a CIVIL WAR between two tribes, the Hutus and the Tutsis.
Groups of Hutu fighters killed around 500,000 Tutsis and it
was thought that their aim was to destroy the whole race.
Millions of people left Rwanda, and went to live in REFUGEE
camps in other countries, mainly the Democratic Republic
of the Congo. —Rwandan n, adj
Rx n letters used on signs and labels in the US to mean a
PRESCRIPTION for a medicine
Ry·an, Meg /'raɪən, meg/ (1961-) a US actress who often
appears in humorous romantic films such as When Harry Met
Sally (1989) and Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
Ryan, No·lan /'nəʊlən/ (1947-) a US BASEBALL player who
was a famous PITCHER, and was known for throwing the ball
very fast. He is considered to be one of the best baseball
players ever, and he set more than 50 records.
Ry·an·Air /'raɪəneər/ an Irish AIRLINE company, which sells
cheap tickets to cities in many European countries. It does
not fly to the main airports in the cities it goes to. It began
in 1985, and started selling tickets on the Internet in 2000.
Ry·der, Wi·no·na /'raɪdəʳ, wɪ'nəʊnə/ (1971-) a US actress
whose films include Edward Scissorhands (1990), The Crucible
(1997), and Girl, Interrupted (1999). She was found guilty of
SHOPLIFTING (=the crime of stealing things from shops) in
2002 in a case that received a lot of attention on television
and in newspapers.
'Ryder Cup, the an important GOLF competition held
every two years, in which two teams compete, one repre-
senting Europe and the other the US
rye /raɪ/ n [U] a grass plant grown in cold countries for its
grain, which is used especially for making flour: rye bread |
rye whisky