1215
rutabaga
where the rock has been cut into the shape of the faces of four
US presidents: WASHINGTON, JEFFERSON, LINCOLN, and Theod-
ore ROOSEVELT
'rush week n AmE the week, usually in the autumn, in which
fraternities (FRATERNITY) and sororities (SORORITY) hold par-
ties and other events to attract new members
rusk /rʌsk/ n especially BrE a hard dry BISCUIT for babies, often
made from a piece of bread baked hard
Rus-sell, Ber-trand /'rʌsəl, 'bɜ:rənd||'bɜ:r-/ (1872-1970) a
British PHILOSOPHER and MATHEMATICIAN who developed
new ideas connecting MATHEMATICS and LOGIC. He was also
known for being a PACIFIST (=someone who believes that all
wars are wrong), and he was one of the leading members of
the opposition to NUCLEAR WEAPONS. He received the Nobel
Prize for Literature in 1950.
Russell, Bill (1934-) a US BASKETBALL player who was a
famous CENTER for the Boston Celtics team. He helped them
win 11 NBA CHAMPIONSHIPS, and is remembered for playing
against Wilt CHAMBERLAIN in the 1960s.
Russell, Charles (1864-1926) a popular US artist who
painted scenes of COWBOYS and NATIVE AMERICANS
Russell, Jane (1921-) a US actress whose first film, The
Outlaw (1943), made her into a SEX SYMBOL (=actress or
model who is considered to be very sexually attractive). Her
other films include The Paleface (1948) and Gentlemen Prefer
Blondes (1953).
Russell, Ken (1927-) a British film DIRECTOR known espe-
cially for making television and cinema films about great
musicians, such as The Music Lovers (1970) about Tchaiko-
vsky and Mahler (1974). He also made other films such as
Women in Love (1969) and The Devils (1971). Many people
are shocked by the sex and violence in his films.
rus-set /rʌsɪt/ n [U] especially lit of a reddish brown or golden
brown colour—russet adj
Rus-sia /rʌʃə/ a very large country in Eastern Europe and
northern Asia, officially called the Russian Federation, which
goes from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Black Sea in
the south, and from the borders of Belarus and Ukraine in the
west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. Population: 143,782,000
2004). Capital: Moscow. Before the RUSSIAN REVOLUTION,
Russia was a large powerful country, ruled by a king called the
CZAR. It formed the largest part of the Soviet Union (1917-91),
and people often used the name 'Russia' when they meant
the whole Soviet Union and its Communist government. The
country now has a DEMOCRATIC government, but it has
serious economic problems. Russia is known for its beautiful
old buildings, especially in Moscow and St. Petersburg, for
its many great writers, including Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and
Chekhov, and for having extremely cold winters. ➔ see also
CIS, SOVIET UNION
Rus-sian1 /rʌʃən/ n 1 [C] someone who comes from Rus-
sia 2 [U] the language spoken in Russia
Russian2 adj from or connected with Russia or its language:
a Russian hat | Russian literature
Russian dolls
Russian dolls n [P] a Russian toy consisting of a set of
wooden figures of different sizes, usually painted like a
woman. The smallest doll fits inside a slightly larger one,
and this one fits inside another larger one, and so on. The
largest figure has all of the others inside it.
Russian dressing n [U] AmE a type of SALAD DRESSING that
is red and slightly sweet
Russian Orthodox Church, the the main religion in
Russia, which is a Christian church that formed in the 11th
century by separating from the Catholic Church. The Ortho-
dox Church is known for its very complicated religious
ceremonies in which the words are mostly sung rather than
spoken, and the Russian Orthodox Church is closely related
to the GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH.—Russian Orthodox adj
Russian Revolution, the the events of 1917, when the
Russian people overthrew (OVERTHROW) their CZAR and then
a government before the COMMUNISTS took over under the
leadership of Lenin
Russian roulette n [U] a game in which you risk killing
yourself by shooting at your head with a gun that has a bullet
in only one of six CHAMBERS
Russo- ➔ see WORD FORMATION TABLE
Rus-so, Richard /'rʌsəʊ/ (1949-) a US writer whose books
deal with life in a small town, often in a way that combines
humour and sadness. His novels include The Risk Pool,
Straight Man, and Empire Falls, which won a Pulitzer Prize in
2002.
rust1 /rʌst/ n [U] 1 the reddish brown surface that forms on
iron and some other metals when they are attacked by water
and air: patches of rust on the bicycle frame | a tin of rust
remover | rust-coloured upholstery 2 a plant disease causing
reddish brown spots: wheat rust ➔ see also RUSTPROOF,
RUSTY
rust2 v [I;T] to (cause to) become covered with rust: Stainless
steel does not rust. | The rain will rust the iron roof.
rust away phr v [I;T(= rust sthg. ⇔ away)] to (cause to)
disappear through the action of rust: The ancient lock had
completely rusted away so the door opened easily.
Rust Belt, the AmE an area in the northern US, including
parts of the states such as Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio,
and Wisconsin, where many large older industries, espe-
cially the steel and car industries, have become less success-
ful and many factories have closed down
rus-tic1 /rʌstɪk/ adj 1 often approv typical of the country,
especially in being simple and unspoiled by modern devel-
opments: The village has a certain rustic charm. ➔ compare
RURAL 2 [A] (of furniture and wooden objects) roughly made
out of wood with its BARK (=outer skin) left on: a rustic
garden seat—ity /rʌˈstɪsɪti/ n [U]
rustic2 n old-fash often derog a person from the country, espe-
cially a farm worker
rus-ti-cate /'rʌstɪkeɪt/ v [T] BrE fml to send (a student) away
from university for a period as a punishment
rus-tle1 /rʌsəl/ v 1 [I;T] to (cause to) make slight sounds like
paper, dry leaves, silk etc, moving or being rubbed together:
Her long silk skirt rustled as she walked. | Stop rustling that
newspaper! 2 [T] especially AmE to steal (cattle or horses that
are left loose in open country)
rustle sthg. ⇔ up phr v [T] infml to provide or find quickly:
I'll try and rustle up something for you to eat.
rustle2 n [S] a sound of rustling: a rustle of leaves
rus-tler /rʌslər/ n especially AmE a cattle thief; person who
rustles cattle
rust-proof /rʌstpru:f/ adj (of metal) protected from RUST by
special treatment—rustproof v [T]
rust-y /rʌsti/ adj 1 (of metal) covered with RUST: a rusty
nail 2 [F] infml (of one's knowledge of a subject, language etc)
mostly forgotten: My French is a bit rusty. 3 [F] infml unable
to perform well because of lack of recent practice: I agreed to
play in the cricket match, although I'm very rusty. 4 old-fash
(of black cloth) having become brown with age—iness n
[U]
rut1 /rʌt/ n 1 [C] a deep narrow track left in soft ground by a
wheel: The farm carts have worn ruts in the lane. 2 [S] a
fixed and dull way of life: I felt I was getting into a rut/stuck
in a rut, so I decided to change my job.
rut2 v -tt- [T] to form ruts in: the rutted surface of the road
rut3 n [(the) U] tech (the season of) sexual excitement in an
animal, especially a male deer
rut4 v -tt- [I] tech (of an animal, especially a male deer) to be in
a state of sexual excitement: rutting stags
ru-ta-ba-ga /ˌrʌtəbeɪɡə/ n AmE for SWEDE
ru·bab·ga /ˌrʌtəˈbeɪɡə/