Текст книги "Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц"

Автор книги: Adam Makkai

Соавторы: Maya Glinberg
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Текущая страница: 46 (всего у книги 61 страниц)

[rise in the world] See: COME UP IN THE WORLD.

[rise to]{v.} To succeed in doing what is expected by trying especially hard in or on; show that you are able to do or say what is needed or proper in or on. •/Jane was surprised when the principal handed her the prize, but she rose to the occasion with a speech of thanks./ •/When Michael became sick on the day before the program, Paul rose to the need and learned Michael’s part./

[rise up]{v. phr.} To stage a rebellion; revolt. •/The people finally rose up and communism came to an end in Eastern Europe./

[risk] See: CALCULATED RISK, RUN A RISK.

[road] See: ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME, BURN UP THE ROAD, END OF THE ROAD, GET THE SHOW ON THE ROAD, HIT THE ROAD, HUG THE ROAD, MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, ON THE ROAD.

[road gang]{n.} A group of men who work at road construction. •/Football players often work with road gangs during summer vacations./

[road hog]{n.}, {informal} A car driver who takes more than his share of the road. •/A road hog forced John’s car into the ditch./

[road show]{n.} A theatrical play that is performed for a few days in one town and then moves to other towns. •/Many actors get their start in road shows./ •/The road show is often not as good as the original play on Broadway./

[road sign]{n.} A sign on which there is information about a road or places; a sign with directions to drivers. •/The road sign read, «25 MPH LIMIT» but Jack drove along at fifty miles an hour./ •/The road sign said Westwood was four miles away./

[road test]{n.} 1. A test to see if you can drive a car. •/Jim took the road test and got his driver’s license last week./ 2. A test to see if a car works all right on the road. •/Most new cars are given road tests before they are put on the market./ •/After he repaired the car, the mechanic gave it a road test./

[roast] See: WEINER ROAST or HOT DOG ROAST.

[roasting ear]{n.} An ear of corn young and tender enough to be cooked and eaten; also corn cooked on the cob. •/The scouts buried the roasting ears in the coals of their campfire./ •/At the Fourth of July picnic we had fried chicken and roasting ears./

[robbery] See: HIGHWAY ROBBERY.

[robin] See: ROUND ROBIN.

[rob Peter to pay Paul]{v. phr.} To change one duty or need for another; take from one person or thing to pay another. •/Bill owed Sam a dollar, so he borrowed another from Joe to pay Sam back. He robbed Peter to pay Paul./ •/Trying to study a lesson for one class during another class is like robbing Peter to pay Paul./

[rob the cradle]{v. phr.}, {informal} To have dates with or marry a person much younger than yourself. •/When the old woman married a young man, everyone said she was robbing the cradle./ – [cradle-robber]{n.} •/The judge died when he was seventy. He was a real cradle-robber because he left a thirty-year-old widow./ – [cradle-robbing]{adj.} or {n.} •/Bob is seventeen and I just saw him with a girl about twelve years old. Has he started cradle-robbing? No, that girl was his sister, not his date!/

[rob the till] or [have one’s hand in the till]{v. phr.}, {informal} To steal money in your trust or for which you are responsible. •/The supermarket manager suspected that one of the clerks was robbing the till./ •/Mr. Jones deposited one thousand dollars in their joint savings account and told his wife not to rob the till./ •/The store owner thought his business was failing until he discovered that the treasurer had his hand in the till./

[rock] See: HAVE ROCKS IN ONE’S HEAD, ON THE ROCKS.

[rock and roll] See: ROCK N ROLL.

[rock-bottom]{n.} The lowest possible point. •/The nation’s morale hit rock bottom in the hours following the president’s assassination./ – Often used like an adjective, with a hyphen. •/The rock-bottom price of this radio is $25./

[rocker] See: OFF ONE’S ROCKER.

[rock hound]{n.}, {slang} A person who studies and collects rocks for a hobby. •/Many young rock hounds grow up to be geologists./ •/Tony is an eager rock hound, and we have rocks all through our house./

[rock’n'roll] or [rock and roll]{n.} A style of popular music with heavily accented rhythm. •/Rock’n'roll appeals mostly to youngsters nine to sixteen years old./ •/Rock and roll became popular for dances about 1954./

[rock the boat]{v. phr.}, {informal} To make trouble and risk losing or upsetting something; cause a disturbance that may spoil a plan. •/The other boys said that Henry was rocking the boat by wanting to let girls into their club./ •/Politicians don’t like to rock the boat around election time./ Compare: UPSET THE APPLE CART. Contrast: LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE.

[rod] See: HOT ROD.

[roll] See: GET THE BALL ROLLING, KEEP THE BALL ROLLING, ROCK N ROLL OT ROCK AND ROLL.

[roll around]{v.}, {informal} To return at a regular or usual time; come back. •/When winter rolls around, out come the skis and skates./

[rolling stone gathers no moss] A person who changes jobs or where he lives often will not be able to save money or things of his own. – A proverb. •/Uncle Willie was a rolling stone that gathered no moss. He worked in different jobs all over the country./

[roll out the red carpet]{v. phr.} 1. To welcome an important guest by putting a red carpet down for him to walk on. •/They rolled out the red carpet for the Queen when she arrived in Australia./ 2. To greet a person with great respect and honor; give a hearty welcome. •/Margaret’s family rolled out the red carpet for her teacher when she came to dinner./ Compare: WELCOME MAT. – [red-carpet]{adj.} •/When the president visited the foreign country, he was given the red-carpet treatment and welcomed by a great crowd./ •/We gave Uncle Willie the red-carpet treatment when he returned from Hong Kong./

[roll up one’s sleeves] To get ready for a hard job; prepare to work hard or seriously. •/When Paul took his science examination, he saw how little he knew about science. He rolled up his sleeves and went to work./

[Roman collar]{n.} The high, plain, white collar worn by priests and clergymen. •/The man with the Roman collar is the new Episcopalian preacher./ •/Many Protestant churches do not require their ministers to wear Roman collars./

[Rome] See: ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME.

[Rome wasn’t built in a day] Great things are not accomplished overnight; great deeds take a long time. – A proverb. •/A takes a long time to write a successful novel, but don’t worry; Rome wasn’t built in a day, as the saying goes./

[roof] See: HIT THE CEILING or HIT THE ROOF, RAISE THE ROOF.

[rooftop] See: SHOUT PROM THE HOUSE– TOPS or SHOUT FROM THE ROOFTOPS.

[room] See: CONTROL ROOM, POWDER ROOM, UTILITY ROOM.

[room and board]{n. phr.} A room for rent with meals included. •/A room alone in that country costs only $10 a day, but room and board together run $22 a day./

[room clerk] or [desk clerk]{n.} A person who is responsible for assigning rooms and providing service to guests in hotels, motels, inns, etc. •/At first-class hotels, room clerks are trained to be at the service of every guest./ •/Sometimes resort hotels in the mountains hire college students as room clerks during the summer./

[room to] See: LIVE IN.

[room service]{n.} Service provided to hotel guests in their rooms. Also: The hotel workers who give this service. •/We called for room service when we wanted ice./ •/Room service will install a TV set in your room upon demand./

[room with]{v. phr.} 1. To live in a furnished room with someone as a roommate without having an affair. •/I roomed with him in college for four years./ 2. To live together as husband and wife without the benefit of marriage. •/Dan and Sue have been rooming together for quite a while and people are wondering if they will ever get married./

[roost] See: CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST, RULE THE ROOST.

[root] See: TAKE ROOT.

[root-bound]{adj.} 1. Having a limited amount of space for root growth. •/After seven or eight years day lilies become root-bound and will not bloom well unless they are divided./ 2. Liking the familiar place where you live and not wanting to go away from it; having a sentimental attachment to one place. •/Mr. Jones has lived in Connecticut all his life. He is too root-bound to consider moving to another state./

[root for]{v. phr.} To cheer for; applaud; support. •/During the Olympics one usually roots for the team of one’s own country./

[rope] See: END OF ONE’S ROPE, GIVE ONE ENOUGH ROPE AND HE WILL HANG HIMSELF, ON THE ROPES, THE ROPES.

[rope in]{v.}, {informal} 1. To use a trick to make (someone) do something; deceive; fool. •/The company ropes in high school students to sell magazine subscriptions by telling them big stories of how much money they can earn./ Syn.: TAKE UP(5a). 2. To get (someone to join or help); persuade to do something. •/Martha roped in Charles to help her decorate the gym for the party./ •/I didn’t want the job of selling tickets for the dance, but I was roped in because everyone else was too busy to do it./

[rope Into]{v.}, {informal} 1. To trick into; persuade dishonestly. •/Jerry let the big boys rope him into stealing some apples./ 2. To get (someone) to join in; persuade to work at. •/It was Sue’s job to bathe the dog but she roped Sam into helping her./ •/Mother did not go to the first meeting of the club because she was afraid she would be roped into something./ Compare: TALK INTO.

[rope off]{v. phr.} To divide into sections by use of a rope. •/The police roped off the section of the street where the president was expected to jog./

[rose] See: BED OF ROSES, LOOK AT THE WORLD THROUGH ROSE-COLORED GLASSES.

[rose-colored glasses] See: LOOK AT THE WORLD THROUGH ROSE-COLORED GLASSES.

[rotten egg]{n.}, {informal} A person whose character or way of acting is not good. •/His friends have all learned he is a rotten egg./ Often used by children in fun, as of someone who is slow in doing something. •/The boys ran to the river to go swimming and Dick cried, «Last one in is a rotten egg!»/

[rotten to the core]{adj. phr.} 1. Thoroughly decayed or spoiled. •/This apple is inedible; it is brown and soft and rotten to the core./ 2. In total moral collapse. •/The Communist government of Cuba is rotten to the core./

[rough] See: DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH.

[rough-and-ready]{adj.} 1. Not finished in detail; not perfected; rough but ready for use now. •/We asked Mr. Brown how long it would take to drive to Chicago and his rough-and-ready answer was two days./ 2. Not having nice manners but full of energy and ability. •/Jim is a rough-and-ready character; he’d rather fight than talk things over./

[rough-and-tumble] 1. {n.} Very rough, hard fighting or arguing that does not follow any rules. •/There was a rough-and-tumble on the street last night between some soldiers and sailors./ •/Many people don’t like the rough-and-tumble of politics./ 2. {adj.} Fighting or arguing in a very rough and reckless way; struggling hard; not following rules or laws. •/It took strong men to stay alive in the rough-and-tumble life of the western frontier./

[rough diamond] See: DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH.

[roughhouse]{n.} Riotous play or commotion. •/? told the boys they can play in the attic if there is no roughhouse./

[roughhouse]{v.} To play very wildly; be running around as young boys usually do. •/«Stop roughhousing this minute,» Grandma cried. «Your father will be home soon.»/

[rough it]{v. phr.} To live like primitive people; live with little of the comfort and equipment of civilization. •/Scouts like to rough it in the woods on weekend hikes./

[roughneck]{n.} A low, coarse fellow. •/The only boys in the neighborhood are a bunch of roughnecks, and Mrs. Smith is unhappy about the fact that her son is rapidly becoming one of them./

[rough-shod] See: RIDE ROUGH-SHOD OVER.

[rough sledding] See: HARD SLEDDING.

[rough up]{v.} To attack or hurt physically; treat roughly; beat. •/Three boys were sent home for a week because they roughed up a player on the visiting team./ •/While Pete was walking in a strange part of town some boys roughed him up and told him to stay out of their territory./

[roughly speaking]{adv. phr.} Approximately; in general terms. •/Roughly speaking, about 250 people attended the annual convention of the Dictionary Society of America./

[roulette] See: RUSSIAN ROULETTE.

[round] See: BRING AROUND or BRING ROUND, COME ROUND, GO THE ROUNDS, MAKE ROUNDS, SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLE, YEAR-ROUND.

[round-eyed] or [wide-eyed] also [large-eyed]{adj.} Very much surprised; astonished; awed. •/The people were round-eyed when they learned what the computer could do./ •/The children were wide-eyed at the sight of the Christmas tree and didn’t make a sound./

[round off]{v.} 1. To make round or curved. •/John decided to round off the corners of the table he was making so that no one would be hurt by bumping them./ 2. To change to the nearest whole number. •/The teacher said to round off the averages./ 3. To end in a satisfactory way; put a finishing touch on; finish nicely. •/We rounded off the dinner with mixed nuts./ •/A boat ride in the moonlight rounded off the day at the lake./ Compare: TOP OFF.

[round out]{v. phr.} To complete; make whole. •/He needs only one or two more rare compact discs to round out his collection of Vivaldi./

[round robin]{n. phr.} 1. Something written, especially a request or protest that is signed by a group of people. – Often used like an adjective. •/The people in our neighborhood are sending a round robin to the Air Force to protest the noise the jet planes make flying over our houses./ 2. A letter written by a group of people each writing one or two paragraphs and then sending the letter to another person, who adds a paragraph, and so on. •/The class sent a round-robin letter to Bill in the hospital./ 3. A meeting in which each one in a group of people takes part; a talk between various members of a group. – Often used like an adjective. •/There is a round-robin meeting of expert fishermen on the radio, giving advice on how to catch fish./ 4. A contest or games in which each player or team plays every other player or team in turn. – Often used like an adjective. •/The tournament will be a round robin for all the high school teams in the city./

[rounds] See: GO THE ROUNDS.

[round the clock] See: AROUND THE CLOCK.

[round trip]{n.} A return trip; passage to a place and back. •/The ticket agent explained that a ticket for a round trip to Hawaii at certain times of the year may cost less than a one-way ticket during the high season./

[roundup]{n.} A muster; an inspection; a gathering together. •/The farmer and his son decided to hold a major roundup of all their cattle to see that none had been stolen by the bandits./ •/The police roundup of all suspected drug dealers took place early in the morning./

[round up]{v.} 1. To bring together (cattle or horses). •/Cowboys round up their cattle in the springtime to brand the new calves./ 2. {informal} To collect; gather. •/Dave rounded up many names for his petition./

[row] See: HARD ROW TO HOE or TOUGH ROW TO HOE, HOE ONE’S OWN ROW, SKID ROW.

[royal road]{n. phr.} A quick means of accomplishment; an easy path. •/There is no royal road to learning in order to obtain a university degree./

[rubdown]{n.} A massage. •/The chiropractor gave his patient a powerful rubdown./

[rub-a-dub]{n.} The sound made by beating a drum. •/We heard a great rub-a-dub as the parade marched into view./

[rubber check]{n.}, {informal} A check written without enough money in the bank to make it good. •/Bill got into trouble when he paid his bills with rubber checks./ •/By the time we knew he had paid us with a rubber check, the man had left the state./ •/The rubber check bounced./

[rub down]{v. phr.} 1. To dry the body of (an animal or person) by rubbing. •/Stablemen rub down a horse after a race./ 2. To rub and press with the fingers on the body of (a person) to loosen muscles or prevent stiffness; massage. •/Trainers rub down an athlete after hard exercise./

[rub elbows] also [rub shoulders]{v. phr.} To be in the same place (with others); meet and mix. •/City people and country people, old and young, rub elbows at the horse show./ •/On a visit to the United Nations Building in New York, you may rub elbows with people from faraway lands./

[rub it in]{v. phr.}, {slang} To remind a person again and again of an error or short-coming; tease; nag. •/Jerry was already unhappy because he fumbled the ball, but his teammates kept rubbing it in./ •/I know my black eye looks funny. You don’t need to rub it in./

[rub off]{v.} 1. To remove or be removed by rubbing; erase. •/The teacher rubs the problem off the chalkboard./ •/After Ann shook hands with the president, she would not shake hands with anyone else because she thought that the good luck would rub off./ 2. To stick to something touched; come off. •/Don’t touch that charcoal, it will rub off./ •/Mary’s dress touched the door that Father was painting, and some paint rubbed off on her dress./ 3. To pass to someone near as if by touching. •/Jimmy is very lucky; I wish some of his luck would rub off on me./

[rub out]{v.}, {slang} To destroy completely; kill; eliminate. •/The gangsters rubbed out four policemen before they were caught./ •/The gangsters told the storekeeper that if he did not pay them to protect him, someone would rub him out./ Compare: WIPE OUT, RID OF.

[rub salt into one’s wounds]{v. phr.}, {informal} To deliberately add pain when one feels shame, regret, or defeat. •/Must you rub salt into my wounds by telling me how much fun I missed by not going to the party?/

[rub shoulders] See: RUB ELBOWS.

[rub the wrong way]{v. phr.}, {informal} To make (someone) a little angry; do something not liked by (someone); annoy; bother. •/John’s bragging rubbed the other boys the wrong way./ •/Mother’s friend called Harold a little boy, and that rubbed Harold the wrong way./ Compare: AGAINST THE GRAIN(2).

[rub up against]{v. phr.} To come into contact with. •/In that business one naturally has to rub up against all kinds of people./

[rub up to]{v. phr.} To do nice things for one; flatter a person; gain attention or rewards. •/Mona has the ability to rub up to the right kinds of people, so it’s no wonder she is so popular at her work./

[ruffle feathers] or [ruffle one’s feathers]{v. phr.} Insult or disturb slightly; offend. •/The author ruffled some feathers by his portrait of his hometown./

[rug] See: PULL THE RUG OUT FROM UNDER, SWEEP UNDER THE RUG.

[rule] See: EXCEPTION PROVES THE RULE, GROUND RULE.

[rule of thumb]{n. phr.} A simple and practical method that has proven successful or useful in the past. •/It is a very good rule of thumb to look up all unfamiliar words in a good dictionary./

[rule out]{v.} 1. To say that (something) must not be done; not allow; also: decide against. •/The principal ruled out dances on school nights./ •/The play was ruled out by the referee./ •/Jean probably will not go to college, but she has not ruled that out./ 2. To show that (someone or something) is not a possibility; make it unnecessary to think about; remove (a chance). •/We have to find a baby-sitter for tonight; Betsy has a date, so that rules her out./ •/The doctor took X rays to rule out the chance of broken bones./ 3. To make impossible; prevent. •/Father’s death seems to rule out college for Jean./ •/Betsy’s date for the dance ruled out any baby-sitting that evening./

[rule the roost]{v. phr.}, {informal} To be leader or boss; be in charge. •/Jim is very bossy; he always wants to rule the roost./ •/Who rules the roost in the Smith’s house?/ Compare: WEAR THE TROUSERS.

[run] See: BLOOD RUNS COLD, END RUN, CUT AND RUN, FIRST-RUN, HOME RUN, IN THE LONG RUN, IN THE RUNNING, ON THE RUN, OUT OF THE RUNNING, SECOND-RUN.

[run across] See: COME ACROSS(1).

[run after] or [chase after]{v.} 1. To try to find; look for; hunt. •/The Dramatic Club has to run all over town after things for setting the stage when it puts on a play./ 2. {informal} To seek the company of; chase. •/Some boys spend a lot of time and money running after girls./

[run along]{v.} To go away; leave. •/Joan said she had errands to do and must run along./

[run a risk] or [take a risk]{v. phr.} To be open to danger or loss; put yourself in danger; be unprotected. •/A baseball umpire wears a mask and chest protector so he won’t run the risk of being hit by the ball./ •/Billy takes a risk of being hit by a car when he runs into the street without looking./ •/I was afraid to run the risk of betting on the game./ Compare: TAKE A CHANCE.

[run around in circles]{v. phr.} To waste time in repetitious movements; be confused. •/There was such a crowd in the lobby that I ran around in circles trying to find my group./

[run around] or [chase around]{v.}, {informal} To go to different places for company and pleasure; be friends. •/Tim hasn’t been to a dance all year; with school work and his job, he hasn’t time to run around./ •/Chuck and Jim chase around a lot together./ – Often used with «with». •/Ruth runs around with girls who like to go dancing./ Compare: GO AROUND, HANG AROUND.

[run around like a chicken with its head cut off] See: RUN AROUND IN CIRCLES.

[run a temperature]{v. phr.} To have a body temperature that is above normal; have a fever. •/Jimmy didn’t look ill, although he was running a temperature./ •/We took the baby to the doctor because he was running a temperature./

[run a tight ship]{v. phr.} To run an organization with a firm hand, with strict rules and regulations. •/Our dean of the college runs a very tight ship; he tolerates no mistakes./

[run away] or [run off]{v.} To leave and not plan to come back; go without permission; escape. •/Many times Tommy said he would run away from home, but he never did./ •/The guards in jail make sure that none of the prisoners run away./ Compare: GET AWAY.

[run away with]{v.} 1a. To take quickly and secretly, especially without permission; steal. •/A thief ran away with Grandma’s silver teapot./ Syn.: MAKE OFF. 1b. To go away with; elope. •/Mary said that if her parents wouldn’t let her marry Phil, she would run away with him./ 1c. To take hold of; seize. •/The boys thought they saw a ghost in the old house last night; they let their imagination run away with them./ Compare: GET THE BETTER OF. 2. To be much better or more noticeable than others in; win easily. •/Our team ran away with the game in the last half./ •/The fat comedian ran away with the TV show./ Compare: STEAL THE SHOW.

[run circles around] also [run rings around]{v. phr.} To show that you can do a task much better than; do better than (someone) very easily. •/In spelling, Ruth could run circles around Barbara any day./ •/Frank ran rings around the other boys on the basketball team./

[run down]{v.} (stress on «down») 1. To crash against and knock down or sink. •/Jack rode his bicycle too fast and almost ran down his little brother./ •/It was so foggy that the steamship almost ran down a small boat leaving port./ Compare: RUN INTO(3a). 2a. To chase until exhausted or caught. •/The dogs ran down the wounded deer./ 2b. To find by hard and thorough search; also: trace to its cause or beginning. •/The policeman ran down proof that the burglar had robbed the store./ Compare: HUNT DOWN. 2c. To catch (a base runner) between bases and tag out in baseball. •/The pitcher saw that the base runner was not on base, so he surprised him by throwing the ball to the first baseman, who ran him down before he reached second base./ 3. {informal} To say bad things about; criticize. •/Suzy ran down the club because the girls wouldn’t let her join./ Compare: FIND FAULT. 4. To stop working; not run or go. •/The battery in Father’s car ran down this morning./ •/The kitchen clock ran down because we forgot to wind it./ 5. To get into poor condition; look bad. •/A neighborhood runs down when the people don’t take care of their houses./

[run-down]{adj.} (stress on «run») In poor health or condition; weak or needing much work. •/Grandma caught a cold because she was very run-down from loss of sleep./ •/The houses near the center of the city get more run-down every year./

[run dry]{v. phr.} To dry up; lose the water content. •/After many years of use, our well ran dry./

[run errands]{v. phr.} To carry messages or perform similar minor tasks. •/Peter runs errands for our entire neighborhood to make some extra money./

[run for it] or [make a run for it]{v. phr.} To dash for safety; make a speedy escape. •/The bridge the soldiers were on started to fall down and they had to run for it./ •/The policeman shouted for the robber to stop, but the robber made a run for if./

[run for one’s money]{n. phr.} 1. A good fight; a hard struggle. – Usually used with «give» or «get». •/Our team didn’t win the game, but they gave the other team a run for their money./ 2. Satisfaction; interest; excitement. – Usually used with «give» or «get». •/People like to watch the champion fight because they get a good run for their money from him./ •/A good student gives a teacher more than a run for his money./

[run in]{v. phr.} 1. {informal} To take to jail; arrest. •/The policeman ran the man in for peddling without a license./ 2. To make a brief visit. •/The neighbor boy ran in for a minute to see Bob’s newest model rocket./ Syn.: DROP IN. Compare: STOP OFF.

[run-in]{n.} 1. A traffic accident. •/My car was wrecked when I had a run-in with a small truck./ 2. A violent quarrel. •/John had a nasty run-in with his boss and was fired./

[run in the blood] or [run in the family]{v. phr.} To be a common family characteristic; be learned or inherited from your family. •/A great interest in gardening runs in his family./ •/Red hair runs in the family./

[run into]{v.} 1. To mix with; join with. •/If the paint brush is too wet, the red paint will run into the white on the house./ •/This small brook runs into a big river in the valley below./ 2. To add up to; reach; total. •/Car repairs can run into a lot of money./ •/The number of people killed on the highways during holidays runs into hundreds./ •/A good dictionary may run into several editions./ 3a. Bump; crash into; hit. •/Joe lost control of his bike and ran into a tree./ Compare: RUN DOWN. 3b. To meet by chance. •/I ran into Joe yesterday on Main Street./ Compare: BUMP INTO, CHANCE ON, COME ACROSS(2). 3e. Be affected by; get into. •/I ran into trouble on the last problem on the test./ •/When I ran into a problem while making my model airplane, I asked Uncle Mark for help./

[run into a brick wall] or [run into a stone wall] See: STONE WALL.

[run into the ground]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To do or use (something) more than is wanted or needed. •/It’s all right to borrow my hammer once in a while, but don’t run it into the ground./ 2. To win over or defeat (someone) completely. •/We lost the game today, but tomorrow we’ll run them into the ground./

[run its course]{v. phr.} To fulfill a normal development; terminate a normal period. •/Your flu will run its course; in a few days you’ll be back on your feet./

[run off]{v. phr.} 1. To produce with a printing press or duplicating machine. •/The print shop ran off a thousand copies of the newspaper./ 2. To drive away. •/The boys saw a dog digging in mother’s flower bed, and they ran him off./ •/When the salesman tried to cheat the farmer, the farmer ran him off the farm with a shotgun./ 3. See: RUN AWAY.

[run-off]{n.} A second election held to determine the winner when the results of the first one were inconclusive. •/The senatorial race was so close that the candidates will have to hold a run-off./

[run off at the mouth]{v. phr.} To talk too much; be unable to stop talking. •/«Shut up, John,» our father cried. «You are always running off at the mouth.»/

[run of luck]{n. phr.} A period of good luck. •/I had a run of luck last Saturday when I went fishing and caught seven big trout within one hour./

[run-of-the-mill] or [run-of-the-mine]{adj.} Of a common kind; ordinary; usual. •/Frank is a very good bowler, but Joe is just run-of-the-mill./ •/It was just a run-of-the-mine movie./

[runner-up]{n.} The person who finishes second in a race or contest; the one next after the winner. •/Tom won the race and Jack was runner-up./ •/Joan was runner-up in the contest for class secretary./ Compare: SECOND-BEST.

[running start]{n. phr.} Good progress at the beginning. •/The team was off to a running start, having won the first two games./ •/Contributions of $5000 before the drive began gave the charity fund a running start./ Compare: HEAD START.

[run out]{v.} 1a. To come to an end; be used up. •/Jerry almost got across the brook on the slippery stones but his luck ran out and he slipped and fell./ •/We’d better do our Christmas shopping; time is running out./ Syn.: GIVE OUT(5). 1b. To use all of the supply; be troubled by not having enough. •/The car ran out of gas three miles from town./ •/Millie never runs out of ideas for clever party decorations./ Compare: RUN SHORT. 2. {informal} To force to leave; expel. •/Federal agents ran the spies out of the country./ Syn.: KICK OUT, RUN OFF.

[run out on]{v. phr.} To leave someone in the lurch; abandon another. •/When Ted ran out on Delores, she got so angry that she sued him for divorce./

[run over]{v.} 1. To be too full and flow over the edge; spill over. •/Billy forgot he had left the water on, and the tub ran over./ 2. To try or go over (something) quickly; practice briefly. •/During the lunch hour, Mary ran over her history facts so she would remember them for the test./ •/The coach ran over the signals for the trick play with the team just before game time./ 3. To drive on top of; ride over. •/At night cars often run over small animals that are blinded by the headlights./ Syn.: RUN DOWN.

[run ragged]{v. phr.} To tire out; make nervous by too much worry or work. •/Trying to keep up with too many clubs, sports, and activities in addition to his homework ran Tom ragged./ •/On a rainy day the children sometimes ran Mother ragged./ Compare: WEAR OUT.

[run rings around] See: RUN CIRCLES AROUND.

[run riot]{v. phr.} 1. To act freely or wildly; not control yourself. •/The monkey got out of his cage and ran riot in the pet shop./ •/John let his imagination run riot, thinking he was hunting lions in Africa./ 2. To be or grow in great numbers or large amounts. •/Daisies ran riot in the meadow./ Compare: RUN WILD.