[rave about]{v. phr.} To talk very enthusiastically about someone or something. •/Hank praised the new TV show very highly but we didn’t think it was anything to rave about./

[raw] See: IN THE RAW.

[raw deal]{n. phr.} Unfair treatment; inequity. •/Barry got a raw deal when he was sent to teach the class on advanced nuclear physics; he’s an inexperienced graduate student./

[razzle-dazzle]{n.}, {slang} Fancy display; showing off. •/He is such a good player that he doesn’t have to add razzle-dazzle to his game./ •/Do we need all this razzle-dazzle to advertise our fair?/

[reach] See: BOARDING HOUSE REACH.

[reach first base] See: GET TO FIRST BASE.

[reach for the sky]{v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To put your hands high above your head or be shot. — Usually used as a command. •/A holdup man walked into a gas station last night and told the attendant "Reach for the sky!"/ Syn.: HANDS UP. 2. To set one’s aims high. •/"Why medical technician?" asked her father. "Reach for the sky! Become a physician!"/

[read between the lines]{v. phr.} To understand all of a writer’s meaning by guessing at what he has left unsaid. •/Some kinds of poetry make you read between the lines./ •/A clever foreign correspondent can often avoid censorship by careful wording, leaving his audience to read between the lines./

[read into]{v. phr.} To attribute extra meaning to; deduce from; consider to be implicit in. •/Just because Fred’s letters sounded so friendly Mary was wrong to read anything serious into them./

[read off]{v. phr.} To read in a speaking voice from a list. •/The secretary read off the names of those present in alphabetical order./

[read one like a book]{v. phr.}, {informal} To understand someone completely; know what he will think or do at any time. •/John’s girlfriend could read him like a book./ Compare: READ ONE’S MIND.

[read one one’s rights]{v. phr.} To give to an arrested person the legally required statement regarding the rights of such a person. •/"Read him his rights," Sergeant," the captain said, "and book him for breaking and entering."/

[read one’s mind]{v. phr.} To know what someone else is thinking. •/I have known John so long that I can read his mind./ — [mind reader] {n.} •/That’s exactly what I was going to say. You must be a mind reader!/ Compare: READ LIKE A BOOK.

[read the riot act]{v. phr.} To give someone a strong warning or scolding. •/Three boys were late to class and the teacher read the riot act to them./

[read over]{v. phr.} To read hurriedly in a rather superficial manner. •/The professor said he had no time to read my essay thoroughly but that he had read it over and would comment later in detail./

[read up on]{v. phr.} To study carefully in preparation for an examination or other special purpose. •/Since Mr. and Mrs. Lee are going to take their American citizenship exams soon, they must read up on the Constitution and the three branches of government./

[ready] See: AT THE READY, ROUGH-AND-READY.

[ready-made]{adj.} Mass-produced; machine made. •/I buy all my dresses ready-made because I can’t afford to have them made to order./

[ready money]{n. phr.} Cash on hand. •/Frank refuses to buy things on credit, but, if he had the ready money, he would buy that lovely old house./

[real] See: FOR REAL, IT’S BEEN REAL.

[rear] See: BRING UP THE REAR.

[rear end]{n.} 1. The back part (usually of a vehicle) •/The rear end of our car was smashed when we stopped suddenly and the car behind us hit us./ — Often used like an adjective, with a hyphen. •/A head-on crash is more likely to kill the passengers than a rear-end crash./ Contrast: HEAD-ON. 2. Rump; backside. •/Bobby’s mother was so annoyed with his teasing that she swatted his rear end./

[rear its head]{v. phr.} To appear; emerge. •/After decades of certainty that tuberculosis had been eradicated globally, it suddenly reared its ugly head right here in the United States./

[reason] See: IN REASON, LISTEN TO REASON, RHYME OR REASON, STAND TO REASON, WITHIN REASON.

[receive with open arms] See: WITH OPEN ARMS.

[reckon with]{v.} To consider as one of the things which may change a situation; consider (something) that will make a difference in the results. •/The coach said the opposing pitcher had a fast ball to be reckoned with./ Syn.: TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.

[reckon without]{v.} To fail to consider as one of the things which might change a situation; not think about. •/The committee for the class picnic party made careful plans for a beach party but they reckoned without a sudden change in the weather./

[record] See: MATTER OF RECORD, OFF THE RECORD, ON RECORD.

[red] See: IN THE RED, PAINT THE TOWN RED, SEE RED.

[redcap]{n.} A porter at an airport or at a railroad station. •/Mr. Smith works as a redcap at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport./

[red carpet] See: ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET.

[red cent]{n. phr.} The one-cent coin; a copper coin; very little money. •/Poor Oscar is so broke he doesn’t have a red cent to his name./

[red eye]{adj. phr.} Bloodshot eyes that are strained from too much reading. •/Poor Tim has a red eye; he must have been studying too late again./

[red eye]{n. phr.}, {informal} A night flight. •/The company refused to pay for him to take a more expensive daytime flight, so he had to come in on the red eye./

[red-handed]{adj.} In the very act; while committing a crime or evil action. •/The criminal was caught red-handed while holding up the neighborhood bank at gunpoint./

[red herring]{n. phr.} A false scent laid down in order to deceive; a phony or misleading story designed to cause confusion. •/That story about the president having an affair was a red herring created by the opposition in order to discredit him./

[red-letter day]{n. phr.} A holiday; memorable day (usually printed in red on calendars). •/The Fourth of July is a red-letter day./ •/It was a red-letter day for Felix, when he won the lottery./

[red-light district]{n. phr.} A district of brothels or where prostitutes hang out. •/Most unwisely, the young sailor decided to spend his leave on shore by haunting the red-light districts of the port of call./

[red tape]{n. phr.} Unnecessary bureaucratic routine; needless but official delays. •/If you want to get anything accomplished in a hurry, you have to find someone in power who can cut through all that red tape./

[reel off] See: RATTLE OFF.

[reference] See: IN REFERENCE TO or WITH REFERENCE TO.

[refine on] or [refine upon] {v.} 1. To make better; improve. •/Mary was asked to refine on her first outline to make it clearer and more exact./ 2. To be better than; surpass. •/Modern medical techniques refine on those of the past./

[regain one’s feet]{v. phr.} To get back up again after falling down. •/Tom fell while he skied down the hill but he regained his feet quickly./ Compare: TO ONE’S FEET.

[regard] See: IN REFERENCE TO or IN REGARD TO or WITH REGARD TO.

[regular guy] or [regular fellow] {n.}, {informal} A friendly person who is easy to get along with; a good sport. •/You’ll like Tom. He’s a regular guy./ Syn.: GOOD EGG.