1135
radical
'race re,lations n [P] relations between people of different
racial origin in a country. Britain has many different racial
groups, including Indians, Pakistanis, and West Indians.
Their interests are looked after by the Commission for Racial
Equality. The US also has many different racial groups,
including African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians, as well
as whites. Race relations, especially in the large cities, are
often a problem.
,Race Re'lations ,Act, the a law passed in the UK in
1976 to protect the legal rights especially of black and Asian
people, and to make sure that people of all races are treated
fairly and equally
rac-es /'reɪsɪz/ n [the P] a race meeting: a day at the races
race-track /'reɪs-træk/ n a track round which runners, cars,
horses etc, race
Rach-man-i-noff, Ser-gei /ræk'mænɪnɒf
||rɑːk'mɑːnɪnɔːf, 'seɪgeɪ||sər'geɪ-/ (1873-1943) a Russian
COMPOSER and PIANIST best known for his piano CONCER-
TOS, symphonies (SYMPHONY), and his Rhapsody on a Theme
of Paganini
ra-cial /'reɪəl/ adj 1 of or connected with a person's race:
racial pride/customs 2 existing or happening between dif-
ferent races of people: racial violence/harmony/segregation
,racial discrimi'nation n [U] the unfair treatment of people
because of their race. Racial discrimination is illegal in Britain
and the US, and people and companies can be PROSECUTED
(=brought before a court of law) for practising it. Racial
discrimination can be difficult to prove, however, as it can
be very SUBTLE (=existing, but hard to recognize). → see also
COMMISSION FOR RACIAL EQUALITY, RACE RELATIONS ACT
,racial engi'neering n [U] BrE the practice of doing things
to give people of different races in a society equal chances in
employment, education etc → compare AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
,racial e'quality n [U] the state in which all the races in a
society have the same chances of employment, education
etc
ra-cial-is-m /'reɪʃəlɪzəm/ n BrE [U] RACISM —ist n, adj
ra-cial-ly /'reɪʃəli/ adv from the point of view of race: a
racially mixed population
Ra-cine, Jean /rə'si:n, ʒ̃||ʒɑːn/ (1639-99) a French writer
of plays, whose work was based mainly on ancient Greek
TRAGEDY and used many of the same subjects as Greek plays
rac-ing /'reɪsɪŋ/ adj [A] 1 used for racing in competitions: a
racing car | a racing pigeon 2 interested in or concerned
with racing: a racing club → see also FLAT RACING
'racing car BrE || race car AmE — n [C] a car that is specially
designed for car races
ra-cis-m /'reɪsɪzəm/ n [U] 1 the belief that racial differences
between people are the main influence on their characters
and abilities, and especially that one's own race is the
best 2 dislike or unfair treatment of people based on this
belief → compare XENOPHOBIA —cist n, adj: racist policies | a
racist attack
rack1 /ræk/ n 1 [C] (often in comb.) a frame or shelf with bars,
hooks etc, for holding things: Wash the dishes then put them
in the plate rack to dry. → see also LUGGAGE RACK, ROOF
RACK 2 [the] an instrument formerly used to TORTURE people
(=to cause them great pain) by stretching their bodies 3 [C]
a part of a machine consisting of a bar with teeth on one
edge, moved along by a PINION (=a wheel with teeth round its
edge) 4 on the rack suffering from severe pain or anxiety
rack2 v [T] 1 [(by, with)] to cause great pain or anxiety to;
TORMENT: He was racked with pain/by doubts. 2 rack one's
brains to think very deeply or for a long time: I really had to
rack my brains to remember his name.
rack sthg. ⇔ up phr v AmE infml 1 to gain (points etc) in a
competition 2 to hurt; INJURE: I've racked up my knee, so I
can't play.
rack3, wrack n [U] rack and ruin a ruined state, especially
of a building, caused by lack of care: The house was unoccu-
pied for several years and went to rack and ruin/is in rack and
ruin.
rack4, wrack n [C;U] lit (a) floating cloud
rack-et1, racquet /'rækɪt/ n an instrument consisting of a
network usually of nylon stretched in a frame with a handle,
used for hitting the ball in games such as tennis → see also
RACKETS
racket2 n infml 1 [S] a loud noise: Stop making such a racket!
I can't sleep. 2 [C] a) a dishonest way of getting money, for
example by threatening people or selling them goods which
are useless or illegal: a drugs racket b) humor any business or
trade → see also PROTECTION RACKET
rack-et-ball /'rækɪtbɔːl/ n [U] AmE an indoor game in which
two players use RACKETS to hit a small rubber ball against the
four walls of a square court
rack-e-teer /ˌræk'tɪər/ n derog someone who works a
RACKET: Al Capone was a famous racketeer in Chicago.
rack-ets, racquets /'rækɪts/ n [U] a fast ball game for two
or four players, played with rackets and a hard ball in an
enclosed court that is smaller than for SQUASH
Rack-ham, Arthur /'rækəm/ (1867-1939) a British artist who
drew ILLUSTRATIONS (=pictures for books), especially for chil-
dren's books such as Peter Pan and Grimm's Fairy Tales. His
pictures are often in a strange, magical, sometimes frighten-
ing style.
rac-on-teur /ˌrækɒn'tɜːr || -kɑːn-/ n someone who is good at
telling stories in an interesting and amusing way
rac-coon /rə'kuːn, rə-||ræ-/ n a RACCOON
rac-quet /'rækɪt/ n a RACKET
rac-quet-ball /'rækɪtbɔːl/ n [U] a game played in a four-
walled court by two or four people following the rules of
HANDBALL but using a short-handled RACKET. It is popular
especially in the US. → compare SQUASH
rac-quets /'rækɪts/ n [U] RACKETS
rac-y /'reɪsi/ adj (of speech or writing) amusing, full of life,
and perhaps dealing with sex: racy stories —ily adv
—iness n [U]
RADA /'rɑːdə/ abbrev. for Royal Academy of Dramatic Art; a
famous school in London for people who want to become
actors
ra-dar /'reɪdɑːr/ n [U] a method of finding the position of
solid objects by receiving and measuring the speed of radio
waves returning from them: There are enemy aircraft on the
radar screen.
'radar trap n a method, using radar, employed by police to
catch motorists who are driving faster than the legal speed
Rad-cliffe, Pau-la /'rædklɪf, 'pɔːlə/ (1973-) a British LONG-
DISTANCE runner. In 2003 she ran the 10km, 20km, and the
MARATHON in world record times. She won the London
Marathon at her first attempt.
ra-di-al1 /'reɪdiəl/ adj arranged like a wheel; with bars, lines
etc, coming from the centre —ly adv
radial2 also ,radial 'tyre n a car tyre with cords inside the
rubber that go across the edge of the wheel rather than
along it, so as to give better control → compare CROSSPLY
ra-di-ant /'reɪdiənt/ adj 1 [A] sending out light or heat in all
directions; shining: the radiant sun 2 [with] (of a person or
his/her appearance) showing love and happiness: her radi-
ant face | She was radiant with joy. 3 [A] tech sent out by
radiation: radiant heat —ly adv —ance n [C;U]
ra-di-ate /'reɪdiet/ v [T] to send out (light or heat) in all
directions: (fig.) She radiated happiness/confidence.
radiate from sthg. phr v [T no pass.] to come out or spread in
all directions from: A system of roads radiates from the town
centre.
ra-di-a-tion /ˌreɪdi'eɪʃən/ n 1 [U] the radiating of heat, light
etc 2 [C] something which is radiated: This apparatus
produces harmful radiations. 3 [U] RADIOACTIVITY: an escape
of low-level radiation from the nuclear power plant
radi'ation ,sickness n [U] sickness that results from strong
radiation, marked by NAUSEA, vomiting (VOMIT), and hair and
teeth loss
ra-di-a-tor /'reɪdɪeɪtər/ n 1 an apparatus, especially one
consisting of pipes with steam or hot water passing through
them, used for heating buildings: the radiator cap (=cover
that you remove in order to add water etc) 2 an apparatus
which keeps the engine of a motor vehicle cool → see
picture at ENGINE
rad-i-cal1 /'rædɪkəl/ adj 1 (of a change) having wide and