American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms

plane. [c. 1920]

quick on the draw Also, quick on the trigger. Rapid in acting or reacting, as in You have to be quick on the draw if you want to find low-rent housing here, or Bruce was quick on the trigger when it came to answering questions. The first expression came from the American West's gunslingers and was broadened to mean "a quick reaction" in the first half of the 1900s. The variant originated about 1800.

quick on the uptake

hand. see ON THE UPTAKE.

quid pro quo

An equal exchange or substitution, as in I think it should be quid pro quo? you mow the lawn and I'll take you to the movies. This Latin expression, meaning "something for something," has been used in English since the late 1500s.

quiet

hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with QUIET, also see KEEP QUIET; PEACE

AND QUIET.

quiet as a mouse Also, still as a mouse. Silent, without noise, as in She sneaked into the house, quiet as a mouse, or When he heard the news he was still as a mouse. The first of these similes dates from the mid-1500s, the second from the 1300s.

quit

hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with QUIT, also see CALL IT QUITS.

quite a bit Also, quite a few; quite a lot. A considerable or moderate amount, as in There's still quite a bit of snow on the ground, or Quite a few parking spaces are open. [Second half of 1800s]

quit while one's ahead

Don't try to improve on something that is already accomplished, as in Those drapes we hung are even enough?

let's quit while we're ahead. This idiom also implies that further action runs the risk of spoiling

something. Also see LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE.

R

R

hand. see THREE R'S.

rabbit

hand. see PULL (A RABBIT) OUT OF A HAT.

race

hand. see RAT RACE; SLOW BUT SURE (STEADY WINS THE RACE).

rack

hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with RACK, also see ON THE RACK.

rack and ruin, go to Also, go to wrack and ruin. Become decayed, decline or fall apart, as in

After the founder's death the business went to rack and ruin. These expressions are emphatic redundancies, since rack and wrack (which are actually variants of the same word) mean "destruction" or "ruin." [Mid-1500s]

rack one's brain Also, cudgel one's brains. Strain to remember or find a solution, as in

I've been racking my brain trying to recall where we put the key, or He's been cudgeling his brains all day over this problem. The first term, first recorded in 1583 as rack one's wit, alludes to the rack that is an instrument of torture, on which the victim's body was stretched until the joints were broken. The variant, from the same period, uses cudgel in the sense of "beat with a cudgel" (a short thick stick). Shakespeare used it in Hamlet (5:1): "Cudgel thy brains no more about it, for your dull ass will not bend his pace with beating." Also see BEAT ONE'S BRAINS OUT.

rack out Go to sleep, as in I racked out about midnight. This slangy expression, as well as the related rack time, for sleeping or snooze time, use rack to refer to being laid out on a framework, here a bed.

rack up

Accumulate or score, as in Last night's episode of that new sitcom racked up at least fifteen points in the ratings. [Colloquial; mid-1900s]

rag

hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with RAG, also see CHEW THE FAT (RAG);

FROM RAGS TO RICHES; GLAD RAGS; RUN RAGGED.

rag doll

A limp, ineffectual person, as in You won't get a decision from her; she's a rag doll when it comes to making up her mind. This ex

pression transfers the limpness of a soft doll made from scraps of cloth to human behavior. [Mid-1800s]

hand. see ALL THE RAGE.

A time of need or trouble, as in We knew a rainy day would come sooner or later. This idiom is often used in the context of save for a rainy day, which means to put something aside for a future time of need. [Late 1500s]

raise

hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with RAISE, also see CAUSE RAISED

EYEBROWS; CURTAIN RAISER; MAKE (RAISE) A STINK; PLAY (RAISE) HAVOC.

raise a hand against Also, lift one's hand against. Threaten to hit or actually hit, as in She's never raised a hand against the children. [First half of 1500s]

raise an objection

Protest, as in I'll raise no objections to your proposed bill if you promise to support me next time.

The use of raise in the sense of "bring up" or "mention" dates from the mid-1600s. raise a stink

hand. see MAKE A STINK.

raise Cain Also, raise hell or the devil. Behave in a rowdy or disruptive way, as in He said he'd raise Cain if they wouldn't give him a refund, or The gang was out to raise hell that night, or The wind raised the devil with our picnic. The first term alludes to the son of Adam and Eve who killed his brother, Abel. It was first recorded in the St. Louis Daily Pennant (May 2, 1840): "Why have we every reason to believe that Adam and Eve were both rowdies? Because . . . they both raised Cain." This statement makes a pun on raise, meaning "bring up" or "nurturing." The two variants, alluding to bringing hell or the devil up to this world, are older, the first from about 1700, the second from about 1800.

raise eyebrows

hand. see CAUSE RAISED EYEBROWS.

raise havoc

hand. see PLAY HAVOC.

raise hell

hand. see under RAISE CAIN.

raise one's hackles

Make one very angry, as in That really raised my hackles when he pitched straight at the batter's head. Hackles are the hairs on the back of an animal's neck, which stick up when the animal feels fearful or angry. [Late 1800s]

raise one's sights

Establish higher goals for oneself, as in She seemed content as a paralegal, but we thought she

should raise her sights and get a law degree. This idiom uses sights in the sense of "a device on a gun or optical instrument that helps one take aim." [Mid-1900s] For the antonym, see LOWER

ONE'S SIGHTS.

raise one's voice

Talk louder, either to be heard more clearly or in anger, as in You'll have to raise your voice if you expect the audience to hear you, or Don't you raise your voice at me! [Late 1300s]

raise the ante

Increase the price or cost of something, as in We'd hoped to invest in some land, but they've raised the ante and now we can't afford it. This term alludes to the ante or stakes of gambling. [Slang; late 1800s]

raise the curtain Also, lift the curtain. 1. Begin or start, as in It's time to raise the curtain, guys?

start shoveling. 2. Make something public, disclose. In this sense, both terms often occur with on, as in We won't know what the new design is until they lift the curtain on it. Both usages, from the mid-1700s, allude to the curtain raised at the beginning of a theatrical performance, revealing the stage.

raise the devil

hand. see under RAISE CAIN.

raise the roof

1. Be extremely noisy and boisterous, as in They'd had a lot to drink and were really raising the roof last night. 2. Complain loudly and angrily, as in When the landlord increased the rent, the tenants raised the roof about his lack of repairs and maintenance. Both usages convey the image of the roof being lifted because it cannot contain either noise or rage. [Slang; mid-1800s] Also see

HIT THE CEILING.

rake off

Make an unlawful profit, as in They suspected her of raking off some of the campaign contributions for her personal use. This expression alludes to the raking of chips by an attendant at a gambling table. [Late 1800s]

rake over the coals Also, haul over the coals. Reprimand severely, as in When Dad finds out about the damage to the car, he's sure to rake Peter over the coals, or The coach hauled him over the coals for missing practice. These terms allude to the medieval torture of pulling a heretic over red-hot coals. [Early 1800s]

rake up

Revive, bring to light, especially something unpleasant, as in She was raking up old gossip. [Late 1500s]

hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with RAP, also see BEAT THE RAP; BUM RAP;

NOT GIVE A DAMN (RAP); TAKE THE RAP.

rap someone's knuckles

Reprimand, as in If I'd seen John take that last piece of cake, I'd have rapped his knuckles. This term transfers a physical punishment to a verbal one. [Late 1600s]

rare bird, a

An exceptional individual, a unique person, as in That wife of yours is a rare bird; you're lucky to have her. This idiom, generally used as a compliment, is a translation of the Latin rara avis, which itself was used from about 1600 on and began to be translated only in the late 1800s.

rarely ever

hand. see HARDLY EVER.

raring to go

Very eager to begin, as in The children were all dressed and raring to go. This idiom uses raring for rearing, and alludes to a horse's standing on its hind legs when it is anxious to get moving. [Early 1900s]

rat

hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with RAT, also see LIKE A DROWNED RAT;

SMELL A RAT.

rate

hand. see AT ANY RATE; AT THIS RATE; X-RATED.

rather

hand. see HAD RATHER.

rat on

Betray a comrade by giving information, as in He ratted on his best friend to the police. [Slang; early 1900s]

rat race

Fierce competition to maintain or improve one's position in the workplace or social life. For example, You may not realize what a rat race it is to get research grants. This term presumably alludes to the rat's desperate struggle for survival. [Colloquial; first half of 1900s]

rattle off Also, reel off. Utter or perform rapidly or effortlessly, often at length. For example, The treasurer rattled off the list of all those who had not paid their dues, or She reeled off song after song. The verb rattle has been used for fast talking since the late 1300s and for other kinds of fast production since the late 1800s (George Bernard Shaw wrote of "men who rattle off their copy" in a letter of 1896). The verb reel off, which alludes to unwinding from a reel, has been used figuratively since about 1830.

rave

hand. see RANT AND RAVE; STARK RAVING MAD.

raw

hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with RAW, also see IN THE ALTOGETHER

(RAW).

raw deal

An instance of unfair or harsh treatment, as in After 25 years with the bank Bob got a raw deal?

no pension, no retirement benefits of any kind, just a gold watch. Raw here means "crude" or "unfair." [First half of 1900s]

razor

hand. see SHARP AS A TACK (RAZOR).

reach

hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with REACH, also see BOARDINGHOUSE

REACH; GET TO (REACH) FIRST BASE; IN REACH.

reach for the sky

1. Set very high goals, aspire to the best, as in I'm sure they'll make you a partner, so reach for the sky. The sky here stands for high aspirations. Also see SKY'S THE LIMIT. 2. Put your hands

up high, as in One robber held the teller at gunpoint, shouting "Reach for the sky!"

This usage is always put as an imperative. [Slang; mid-1900s]

read

hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with READ, also see DO YOU READ ME;

OPEN BOOK, READ LIKE AN.

read a lecture Also, read a lesson. Issue a reprimand, as in Dad read us a lecture after the teacher phoned and complained. The first term dates from the late 1500s, the variant from the

early 1600s. Also see READ THE RIOT ACT; TEACH A LESSON.

read between the lines

Perceive or detect a hidden meaning, as in They say that everything's fine, but reading between the lines I suspect they have some marital problems. This term comes from cryptography, where in one code reading every second line of a message gives a different meaning from that of the entire text. [Mid1800s]

read into

Find an additional hidden or unintended meaning in something that is said or written, as in What I read into that speech on foreign policy is that the Vice President plans to run for President. [Late 1800s]

read like an open book

hand. see OPEN BOOK.

read out of

Expel from a group by proclamation, as in After he was convicted for embezzling their funds, the members read him out of the investment club. [First half of 1800s]

read someone's mind

Discern what someone is thinking or feeling, as in He often finished her sentences for her, almost as though he could read her mind. [Late 1800s]

read the riot act

Warn or reprimand forcefully or severely, as in When he was caught throwing stones at the windows, the principal read him the riot act. This term alludes to an actual British law, the Riot Act of 1714, which required reading a proclamation so as to disperse a crowd; those who did not obey within an hour were guilty of a felony. [First half of 1800s]

read up

Study or learn by reading, as in I don't know much about childhood illnesses, but I can always read up on them. [First half of 1800s]

ready

hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with READY, also see AT THE READY; GET

READY; GOOD AND (READY); ROUGH AND READY.

ready, willing, and able

Well prepared and eager to do something, as in Any time you want me to babysit, I'm ready, willing, and able.

real

hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with REAL, also see FOR REAL; GET REAL.

reality check

An assessment to determine if one's circumstances or expectations conform to reality, as in Time for a reality check?

wasn't this supposed to be a money-making enterprise? [Slang; second half of 1900s]

real McCoy, the Also, the McCoy. The genuine thing, as in That painting's not a reproduction?

it's the real McCoy. This idiom has a disputed origin, but the most likely source is its use to distinguish welterweight champion "Kid McCoy," the name used by Norman Selby (1873-1940), from other boxers using his name to capitalize on his popularity. [c. 1900]

rear

hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with REAR, also see BRING UP THE REAR.

rear end 1. The back part of anything, especially a vehicle, as in There's a large dent in the rear end of the car. 2. The buttocks, as in I'm afraid these pants don't fit my rear end. The noun rear alone has been used in both these senses, the first since the late 1700s and the second since the mid-1900s. The addition of end occurred in the first half of the 1900s.

rear its ugly head

Appear. This phrase is used only of something undesirable or unpleasant, as in The interview went very well until a question about his academic record reared its ugly head. This expression was first recorded in slightly different form in Anthony Trollope's Barchester Towers (1857): "Rebellion had already reared her hideous head."

reason

hand. see BY REASON OF; IN REASON; IT STANDS TO REASON; LISTEN TO REASON; LOSE ONE'S MIND (REASON); RHYME OR REASON; SEE REASON; STAND TO REASON; WITH REASON.

reasonable

hand. see BEYOND A (REASONABLE) DOUBT.

rebound

hand. see ON THE REBOUND.

recall

hand. see BEYOND RECALL.

receiving

hand. see ON THE RECEIVING END.