1: an exhibition of pictures or objects viewed through a small hole or magnifying glass [syn: {peepshow}] 2: a street show

1: a decrease in the density of something; "a sound wave causes periodic rarefactions in its medium"

{rarefy}

1: lessen the density or solidity of; "The bones are rarefied" 2: make more subtle or refined [syn: {sublimate}, {subtilize}] 3: weaken the consistency of (a chemical substance) [syn: {attenuate}] [al...

1: not often; "we rarely met" [syn: {seldom}] [ant: {frequently}]

1: noteworthy scarcity [syn: {rarity}, {infrequency}]

1: having low density; "rare gasses"; "lightheaded from the rarefied mountain air" [syn: {rare}, {rarefied}] 2: reserved for an elite group [syn: {rarefied}] 3: of high moral or intellectual value; el...

1: make more complex, intricate, or richer; "refine a design or pattern" [syn: {complicate}, {refine}, {elaborate}]

1: (usually followed by `to') full of eagerness; "impatient to begin"; "raring to go" [syn: {impatient(p)}, {raring(p)}]

1: (plural) rare collector's items

1: noteworthy scarcity [syn: {rareness}, {infrequency}] 2: a rarified quality; "the tenuity of the upper atmosphere" [syn: {tenuity}, {low density}] 3: something unusual -- perhaps worthy of collectin...

1: the network in the reticular formation that serves an alerting or arousal function [syn: {reticular activating system}]

1: emperor of Ethiopia; worshipped by Rastafarians (1892-1975) [syn: {Haile Selassie}, {Ras Tafari Makonnen}]

1: emperor of Ethiopia; worshipped by Rastafarians (1892-1975) [syn: {Haile Selassie}, {Ras Tafari}]

1: a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel [syn: {rogue}, {knave}, {rapscallion}, {scalawag}, {scallywag}, {varlet}] 2: one who is playfully mischievous [syn: {imp}, {scamp}, {monkey}, {rapscallion}, {sc...

1: the trait of indulging in disreputable pranks [syn: {prankishness}, {roguishness}] 2: the quality of being a slippery rascal [syn: {shiftiness}, {slipperiness}, {trickiness}] 3: reckless or malicio...

1: playful in an appealingly bold way; "a roguish grin" [syn: {devilish}, {roguish}] 2: lacking principles or scruples; "the rascally rabble"; "the tyranny of a scoundrelly aristocracy" - W.M. Thackar...

1: tear down so as to make flat with the ground; "The building was levelled" [syn: {level}, {raze}, {dismantle}, {tear down}, {take down}, {pull down}] [ant: {raise}]

1: imprudently incurring risk; "do something rash that he will forever repent"- George Meredith 2: marked by unthinking boldness; with defiant disregard for danger or consequences; "foolhardy enough t...

1: a commercially important fish of the Pacific coast of North America [syn: {vermillion rockfish}, {Sebastodes miniatus}]

1: in a hasty and foolhardy manner; "he fell headlong in love with his cousin" [syn: {headlong}]

1: the trait of acting rashly and without prudence [syn: {heedlessness}, {mindlessness}] 2: the trait of giving little thought to danger [syn: {recklessness}, {foolhardiness}]

1: city in northwestern Iran near the Caspian Sea [syn: {Resht}]

1: a secret all-male organization begun in 1925 to foster nationalism in India's Hindus [syn: {National Volunteers Association}]

1: Danish philologist whose work on Old Norse pioneered in the field of comparative linguistics (1787-1832) [syn: {Rasmus Christian Rask}]

1: a fictional character in Dostoevsky's novel `Crime and Punishment'; he kills old women because he believes he is beyond the bounds of good or evil [syn: {Rodya Raskolnikov}]

1: Danish philologist whose work on Old Norse pioneered in the field of comparative linguistics (1787-1832) [syn: {Rask}]

1: Danish ethnologist and arctic explorer; led expeditions into the Arctic to find support for his theory that Eskimos and North American Indians originally migrated from Asia (1879-1933) [syn: {Kund ...

1: uttering in an irritated tone [syn: {rasping}] 2: a coarse file with sharp pointed projections [syn: {wood file}] v 1: scrape with a rasp 2: utter in a grating voice

1: any fern of the genus Doodia having pinnate fronds with sharply dentate pinnae [syn: {doodia}]

1: woody brambles bearing usually red but sometimes black or yellow fruits that separate from the receptacle when ripe and are rounder and smaller than blackberries [syn: {raspberry bush}] 2: red or b...

1: woody brambles bearing usually red but sometimes black or yellow fruits that separate from the receptacle when ripe and are rounder and smaller than blackberries [syn: {raspberry}]

1: unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound; "a gravelly voice" [syn: {grating}, {gravel}, {gravelly}, {raspy}, {rough}] n : uttering in an irritated tone [syn: {rasp}]

1: in a harsh and grating manner; "her voice fell gratingly on our ears" [syn: {gratingly}, {harshly}]

1: Siberian peasant monk who was religious advisor in the court of Nicholas II; was assassinated by Russian noblemen who feared that his debauchery would weaken the monarchy (1872-1916) [syn: {Grigori...

1: unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound; "a gravelly voice" [syn: {grating}, {gravel}, {gravelly}, {rasping}, {rough}]

1: the sport of hand-to-hand struggle between unarmed contestants who try to throw each other down [syn: {wrestling}, {grappling}]

1: follower of Rastafarianism [syn: {Rastafarian}]

1: a Black youth subculture and religious movement that arose in the ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica, in the 1950s; Rastafarians regard Ras Tafari as divine; males grow hair in long dreadlocks and wear w...

1: of or pertaining to or characteristic of Rastafarianism or Rastafarians n : follower of Rastafarianism [syn: {Rasta}]

1: belief in Ras Tafari (Haile Selassie) as the Messiah and that Africa (especially Ethiopia) is the promised land

1: a Black youth subculture and religious movement that arose in the ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica, in the 1950s; Rastafarians regard Ras Tafari as divine; males grow hair in long dreadlocks and wear w...

1: formation consisting of the set of horizontal lines composed of pixels that is used to form an image on a CRT

1: the font that is displayed on a computer screen; "when the screen font resembles a printed font a document may look approximately the same on the screen as it will when printed" [syn: {screen font}...

1: any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse 2: someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike [syn: {scab}, {strikebreaker}, {blackleg}] 3: a person who is deemed...

1: ratlike rodent with soft fur and large ears of the Andes [syn: {abrocome}, {chinchilla rat}]

1: any of several rabbit-sized rat-like Australian kangaroos [syn: {kangaroo rat}]

1: an exhausting routine that leaves no time for relaxation

1: any of various nonvenomous rodent-eating snakes of North America and Asia

1: any of several breeds of terrier developed to catch rats [syn: {ratter}]

1: acute infection caused by rickettsia and transmitted by the bite of an infected flea; characterized by fever and chills and muscle aches and a rash [syn: {murine typhus}, {urban typhus}, {endemic t...

1: commonly cultivated tropical American cactus having slender creeping stems and very large showy crimson flowers that bloom for several days [syn: {rattail cactus}, {Aporocactus flagelliformis}]

1: a series of short sharp taps (as made by strokes on a drum or knocks on a door) [syn: {rat-a-tat-tat}, {rat-tat}]

1: a series of short sharp taps (as made by strokes on a drum or knocks on a door) [syn: {rat-a-tat}, {rat-tat}]

1: a workman employed to destroy or drive away vermin [syn: {disinfestation officer}]

1: a thin round file shaped like the tail of a rat

1: a series of short sharp taps (as made by strokes on a drum or knocks on a door) [syn: {rat-a-tat-tat}, {rat-a-tat}]

1: the state of being liable to assessment or taxation [syn: {rateability}] 2: the quality of being capable of being rated or estimated

1: liable to payment of rates or taxes; "the ratable value of property" [syn: {rateable}]

1: property that provides tax income for local governments [syn: {rateables}]

1: sweet liqueur made from wine and brandy flavored with plum or peach or apricot kernels and bitter almonds [syn: {ratafia}]

1: sweet liqueur made from wine and brandy flavored with plum or peach or apricot kernels and bitter almonds [syn: {ratafee}] 2: macaroon flavored with ratafia liqueur [syn: {ratafia biscuit}]

1: macaroon flavored with ratafia liqueur [syn: {ratafia}]

1: a switch made from the stems of the rattan palms [syn: {rattan}]

1: the sound made by beating a drum [syn: {rub-a-dub}, {drumbeat}]

1: either of two infectious diseases transmitted to humans by the bite of a rat or mouse; characterized by fever and headache and nausea and skin eruptions

1: a bacterium causing rat-bite fever [syn: {Spirillum minus}]

1: mechanical device consisting of a toothed wheel or rack engaged with a pawl that permits it to move in only one direction [syn: {ratchet}, {rachet}]

1: mechanical device consisting of a toothed wheel or rack engaged with a pawl that permits it to move in only one direction [syn: {rachet}, {ratch}] v : move by degrees in one direction only; "a ratc...

1: move by degrees in one direction only; "a ratcheting lopping tool" [syn: {ratchet}, {rachet up}]

1: a screwdriver with a ratchet (so the blade turns in only one direction) and a spiral in the handle (so the blade rotates) with downward pressure on the handle [syn: {spiral ratchet screwdriver}]

1: toothed wheel held in place by a pawl or detent and turned by a lever

1: amount of a charge or payment relative to some basis; "a 10-minute phone call at that rate would cost $5" [syn: {charge per unit}] 2: a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit; "they travele...

1: (mechanics) the rate of change of velocity [syn: {jerk}]

1: the rate of shrinkage in size or number [syn: {attrition rate}]

1: the rate at which the value of property is reduced; used to calculate tax deduction [syn: {depreciation rate}]

1: the charge for exchanging currency of one country for currency of another [syn: {exchange rate}]

1: the amount of fluid that flows in a given time [syn: {flow}, {flow rate}]

1: the rate of increase in size per unit time [syn: {growth rate}]

1: the rate of change of prices (as indicated by a price index) calculated on a monthly or annual basis [syn: {inflation rate}]

1: the percentage of a sum of money charged for its use [syn: {interest rate}]

1: amount of money received per unit time; "women's pay rate is lower than men's" [syn: {pay rate}]

1: the amount of money paid out per unit time [syn: {payment rate}, {repayment rate}, {installment rate}]

1: the rate at which a person inhales and exhales; usually measured to obtain a quick evaluation of a person's health [syn: {respiratory rate}]

1: the state of being liable to assessment or taxation [syn: {ratability}]

1: liable to payment of rates or taxes; "the ratable value of property" [syn: {ratable}]

1: property that provides tax income for local governments [syn: {ratables}]

1: nocturnal badger-like carnivore of wooded regions of Africa and southern Asia [syn: {honey badger}, {Mellivora capensis}]

1: a person who pays local rates (especially a householder)

1: a local tax on property (usually used in the plural)

{ratfish}

1: on the contrary; "rather than disappoint the children, he did two quick tricks before he left"; "he didn't call; rather (or instead), he wrote her a letter"; "used English terms instead of Latin on...

1: a hole (as in the wall of a building) made by rats 2: a small dirty uncomfortable room

1: a tavern below street level featuring beer; originally a German restaurant in the basement of city hall

1: genus of perennial wildflowers of North American plains and prairies; often cultivated for their showy flower heads [syn: {genus Ratibida}]

1: coneflower with flower heads resembling a Mexican hat with a tall red-brown disk and drooping yellow or yellow and red-brown rays; great plains along base of Rocky Mountains [syn: {Mexican hat}]

1: plant similar to the Mexican hat coneflower; from British Columbia to New Mexico [syn: {long-head coneflower}, {prairie coneflower}]

1: coneflower of central to southwestern United States [syn: {prairie coneflower}]

1: making something valid by formally ratifying or confirming it; "the ratification of the treaty"; "confirmation of the appointment" [syn: {confirmation}]

{ratify}

1: someone who expresses strong approval [syn: {subscriber}, {endorser}, {indorser}]

1: approve and express assent, responsibility, or obligation; "All parties ratified the peace treaty"; "Have you signed your contract yet?" [syn: {sign}] [also: {ratified}]

1: an appraisal of the value of something; "he set a high valuation on friendship" [syn: {evaluation}, {valuation}] 2: act of ascertaining or fixing the value or worth of [syn: {evaluation}] 3: standi...

1: a system of classifying according to quality or merit or amount [syn: {scoring system}]

1: the relative magnitudes of two quantities (usually expressed as a quotient)

1: reason methodologically and logically

1: the proposition arrived at by logical reasoning (such as the proposition that must follow from the major and minor premises of a syllogism) [syn: {conclusion}] 2: logical and methodical reasoning

1: based on exact thinking; "one's ratiocinative powers"

1: someone who reasons logically [syn: {reasoner}]

1: the food allowance for one day (especially for service personnel); "the rations should be nutritionally balanced" 2: a fixed portion that is allotted (especially in times of scarcity) v 1: restrict...

1: a card certifying the bearer's right to purchase rationed goods

1: distribute in rations, as in the army; "Cigarettes are rationed" [syn: {ration}]

1: consistent with or based on or using reason; "rational behavior"; "a process of rational inference"; "rational thought" [ant: {irrational}] 2: of or associated with or requiring the use of the mind...

1: a motive that can be defended by reasoning or logical argument

1: an integer or a fraction

1: (law) an explanation of the fundamental reasons (especially an explanation of the working of some device in terms of laws of nature); "the rationale for capital punishment"; "the principles of inte...

1: (psychiatry) a defense mechanism by which your true motivation is concealed by explaining your actions and feelings in a way that is not threatening [syn: {rationalization}] 2: the cognitive proces...

1: structure and run according to rational or scientific principles in order to achieve desired results; "We rationalized the factory's production and raised profits" [syn: {rationalize}] 2: defend, e...

1: substitute a natural for a supernatural explanation of; "you can rationalize away all the strange noises you hear--there is no poltergeist in the house!" [syn: {rationalize away}]

1: (philosophy) the doctrine that knowledge is acquired by reason without resort to experience 2: the theological doctrine that human reason rather than divine revelation establishes religious truth 3...

1: of or relating to or characteristic of rationalism; "rationalist philosophy" n : someone who emphasizes observable facts and excludes metaphysical speculation about origins or ultimate causes [syn:...

1: of or relating to the philosophical doctrine of rationalism

1: the state of having good sense and sound judgment; "his rationality may have been impaired"; "he had to rely less on reason than on rousing their emotions" [syn: {reason}, {reasonableness}] 2: the ...

1: the cognitive process of making something seem consistent with or based on reason [syn: {rationalisation}] 2: (psychiatry) a defense mechanism by which your true motivation is concealed by explaini...

1: defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning; "rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior"; "he rationalized his lack of success" [syn: {apologize}, {apologise}, {excuse}, {j...

1: substitute a natural for a supernatural explanation of; "you can rationalize away all the strange noises you hear--there is no poltergeist in the house!" [syn: {rationalise away}]

1: in a rational manner; "we must act rationally" [ant: {irrationally}]

1: the quality of being consistent with or based on logic [syn: {rationality}]

1: distributed equitably in limited individual portions; "got along as best we could on rationed meat and sugar"

1: the act of rationing; "during the war the government imposed rationing of food and gasoline"

1: used in former classifications to include all ratite bird orders [syn: {superorder Ratitae}]

1: flightless birds having flat breastbones lacking a keel for attachment of flight muscles: ostriches; cassowaries; emus; moas; rheas; kiwis; elephant birds [syn: {ratite bird}, {flightless bird}] [a...

1: flightless birds having flat breastbones lacking a keel for attachment of flight muscles: ostriches; cassowaries; emus; moas; rheas; kiwis; elephant birds [syn: {ratite}, {flightless bird}] [ant: {...

1: resembling or characteristic of a rat

1: (nautical) a small horizontal rope between the shrouds of a sailing ship; they form a ladder for climbing aloft [syn: {ratline}]

1: (nautical) a small horizontal rope between the shrouds of a sailing ship; they form a ladder for climbing aloft [syn: {ratlin}]

1: deep-sea fish with a large head and body and long tapering tail [syn: {grenadier}, {rattail fish}]

1: commonly cultivated tropical American cactus having slender creeping stems and very large showy crimson flowers that bloom for several days [syn: {rat's-tail cactus}, {Aporocactus flagelliformis}]

1: deep-sea fish with a large head and body and long tapering tail [syn: {grenadier}, {rattail}]

1: climbing palm of Sri Lanka and southern India remarkable for the great length of the stems which are used for Malacca canes [syn: {rattan palm}, {Calamus rotang}] 2: the stem of various climbing pa...

1: the stem of various climbing palms of the genus Calamus and related genera used to make wickerwork and furniture and canes [syn: {rattan}]

1: climbing palm of Sri Lanka and southern India remarkable for the great length of the stems which are used for Malacca canes [syn: {rattan}, {Calamus rotang}]

{rat}

1: a disloyal person who betrays or deserts his cause or religion or political party or friend etc. [syn: {deserter}, {apostate}, {renegade}, {turncoat}, {recreant}] 2: any of several breeds of terrie...

{ratty}

{ratty}

1: British playwright (1911-1977) [syn: {Terence Rattigan}, {Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan}]

{rat}

1: a rapid series of short loud sounds (as might be heard with a stethoscope in some types of respiratory disorders); "the death rattle" [syn: {rattling}, {rale}] 2: a baby's toy that makes percussive...

1: recite volubly or extravagantly; "He could recite the names of all the chemical elements" [syn: {rattle off}, {reel off}, {spiel off}, {roll off}]

1: recite volubly or extravagantly; "He could recite the names of all the chemical elements" [syn: {rattle down}, {reel off}, {spiel off}, {roll off}]

1: talk incessantly and tiresomely [syn: {yack}, {jaw}, {yack away}, {yap away}]

1: much-branched erect herb with bright yellow flowers; distributed from Massachusetts to Florida [syn: {indigo broom}, {horsefly weed}, {Baptisia tinctoria}]

1: North American bugbane found from Main and Ontario to Wisconsin and south to Georgia [syn: {black cohosh}, {black snakeroot}, {Cimicifuga racemosa}]

1: any of various plants of the genus Crotalaria having inflated pods within which the seeds rattle; used for pasture and green-manure crops [syn: {crotalaria}]

1: lacking sense or discretion; "his rattlebrained crackpot ideas"; "how rattlepated I am! I've forgotten what I came for"- Glenway Westcott [syn: {rattlepated}, {scatterbrained}, {scatty}]

1: thrown into a state of agitated confusion; (`rattled' is an informal term) [syn: {flustered}, {hot and bothered(p)}, {perturbed}]

1: lacking sense or discretion; "his rattlebrained crackpot ideas"; "how rattlepated I am! I've forgotten what I came for"- Glenway Westcott [syn: {rattlebrained}, {scatterbrained}, {scatty}]

1: pit viper with horny segments at the end of the tail that rattle when shaken [syn: {rattlesnake}] 2: a railroad train consisting of freight cars [syn: {freight train}]

1: pit viper with horny segments at the end of the tail that rattle when shaken [syn: {rattler}]

1: American fern whose clustered sporangia resemble a snake's rattle [syn: {Botrychium virginianum}]

1: coarse prickly perennial eryngo of United States thought to cure rattlesnake bite [syn: {rattlesnake's master}, {button snakeroot}, {Eryngium yuccifolium}]

1: any of various orchids of the genus Pholidota having numerous white to brown flowers in spiraling racemes clothed in slightly inflated bracts and resembling a rattlesnake's tail

1: any of several small temperate and tropical orchids having mottled or striped leaves and spikes of small yellowish-white flowers in a twisted raceme [syn: {helleborine}]

1: herb of central and southern Europe having purple florets [syn: {Prenanthes purpurea}] 2: a plant of the genus Nabalus

1: a hawkweed with a rosette of purple-veined basal leaves; Canada to northern Georgia and Kentucky [syn: {Hieracium venosum}]

1: coarse prickly perennial eryngo of United States thought to cure rattlesnake bite [syn: {rattlesnake master}, {button snakeroot}, {Eryngium yuccifolium}]

{rattly}

{rattly}

1: extraordinarily good; used especially as intensifiers; "a fantastic trip to the Orient"; "the film was fantastic!"; "a howling success"; "a marvelous collection of rare books"; "had a rattling conv...

1: a difficult entangling situation 2: filthy run-down dilapidated housing 3: a trap for catching rats

1: common house rats; upper incisors have a beveled edge [syn: {genus Rattus}]

1: common domestic rat; serious pest worldwide [syn: {brown rat}, {Norway rat}]

1: common household pest originally from Asia that has spread worldwide [syn: {black rat}, {roof rat}]

1: showing signs of wear and tear; "a ratty old overcoat"; "shabby furniture"; "an old house with dirty windows and tatty curtains" [syn: {moth-eaten}, {shabby}, {tatty}] [also: {rattiest}, {rattier}]

1: antihypertensive consisting of an alkaloid extracted from the plant Rauwolfia serpentina (trade names Raudixin or Rau-Sed or Sandril or Serpasil) [syn: {reserpine}, {Raudixin}, {Sandril}, {Serpasil...

1: unpleasantly loud and harsh [syn: {strident}] 2: disturbing the public peace; loud and rough; "a raucous party"; "rowdy teenagers" [syn: {rowdy}]

1: with a raucous sound; "his voice rang raucously" 2: in a rowdy manner; "the crowd got drunk and started to behave rowdily" [syn: {rowdily}]

1: antihypertensive consisting of an alkaloid extracted from the plant Rauwolfia serpentina (trade names Raudixin or Rau-Sed or Sandril or Serpasil) [syn: {reserpine}, {Rau-Sed}, {Sandril}, {Serpasil}...

1: large Chilean timber tree yielding coarse lumber [syn: {Nothofagus procera}]

1: the quality of lacking taste and refinement [syn: {coarseness}, {commonness}, {grossness}, {vulgarity}, {vulgarism}]

{raunchy}

{raunchy}

1: earthy and sexually explicit; "a raunchy novel" 2: suggestive of or tending to moral looseness; "lewd whisperings of a dirty old man"; "an indecent gesture"; "obscene telephone calls"; "salacious l...

1: any shrub or small tree of the genus Rauwolfia having leaves in whorls and cymose flowers; yield substances used medicinally especially as emetics or purgatives or antihypertensives [syn: {rauwolfi...

1: any of several alkaloids extracted from the shrub Rauwolfia serpentina 2: any shrub or small tree of the genus Rauwolfia having leaves in whorls and cymose flowers; yield substances used medicinall...

1: East Indian climbing shrub with twisted limbs and roots resembling serpents [syn: {snakewood}]

1: (usually plural) a destructive action; "the ravages of time"; "the depradations of age and disease" [syn: {depredation}] v 1: make a pillaging or destructive raid on (a place), as in wartimes [syn:...

1: having been robbed and destroyed by force and violence; "the raped countryside" [syn: {despoiled}, {pillaged}, {raped}, {sacked}] 2: made uninhabitable; "upon this blasted heath"- Shakespeare; "a w...

1: ruinously destructive and wasting; "a ravaging illness" n : plundering with excessive damage and destruction [syn: {devastation}]

1: a dance party that lasts all night and electronically synthesized music is played; "raves are very popular in Berlin" 2: an extravagantly enthusiastic review; "he gave it a rave" v 1: participate i...

1: a raucous gathering

1: a hooked hand tool used to prepare the seams of a boat for oakum

1: French composer and exponent of Impressionsim (1875-1937) [syn: {Maurice Ravel}] 2: a row of unravelled stitches; "she got a run in her stocking" [syn: {run}, {ladder}] v 1: disentangle; "can you u...

1: disentangle; "can you unravel the mystery?"; "unravel the ball or yarn" [syn: {ravel}, {unravel}]

1: a bit of fiber that has become separated from woven fabric [syn: {ravelling}]

{ravel}

{ravel}

1: large black bird with a straight bill and long wedge-shaped tail [syn: {Corvus corax}] v 1: obtain or seize by violence 2: prey on or hunt for; "These mammals predate certain eggs" [syn: {prey}, {p...

1: giant treelike plant having edible nuts and leafstalks that yield a refreshing drink of clear watery sap; reputedly an emergency source of water for travelers [syn: {traveler's tree}, {traveller's ...