American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms

reckon

hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with RECKON, also see FORCE TO BE

RECKONED WITH.

reckon with

1. Take into account, be prepared for, as in The third-party movement is a force to be reckoned with during the primaries. This usage was first recorded in 1885. 2. Deal with, as in Your lost wallet isn't the only problem we have to reckon with. Also see TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.

record

hand. see BREAK THE RECORD; GO ON RECORD; JUST FOR THE RECORD; OFF THE RECORD; SET (THE RECORD) STRAIGHT; TRACK RECORD.

red

hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with RED, also see CATCH RED-HANDED; IN

THE RED; NOT WORTH A DIME (RED CENT); PAINT THE TOWN RED; SEE RED.

red carpet

Honorary treatment, lavish hospitality, as in We'll have to get out the red carpet for the President's visit. This term comes from the literal practice of rolling out a carpet to welcome a royal or other esteemed guest, and indeed is often put as roll out the red carpet. [Early 1900s]

red cent

hand. see under NOT WORTH A DIME.

redeeming feature

A good quality or aspect that makes up for other drawbacks, as in The house isn't very attractive, but the garden is the redeeming feature. This idiom, first recorded in 1827, uses redeem in the sense of "compensate."

red herring

Something that draws attention away from the central issue, as in Talking about the new plant is a red herring to keep us from learning about downsizing plans. The herring in this expression is red and strongsmelling from being preserved by smoking. The idiom alludes to dragging a smoked herring across a trail to cover up the scent and throw off tracking dogs. [Late 1800s]

red in the face, be

Suffer embarrassment or shame; also, exert oneself to the utmost. For example, He was red in the face from all of the mistakes he made while announcing the winners' names, or You can try until you're red in the face, but you still won't get straight A's. The phrase red face was already used in the late 1300s to refer to blushing on account of shame. However, the interjection Is my face

red! meaning "I am very embarrassed or ashamed," dates only from about 1930.

red-letter day

A special occasion, as in When Jack comes home from his tour of duty, that'll be a red-letter day.

This term alludes to the practice of marking feast days and other holy days in red on church calendars, dating from the 1400s. [c. 1700]

redress the balance

Readjust matters, restore equilibrium, as in If our party wins in a few big cities, it will redress the balance of urban and rural interests in the House. [Mid-1800s]

red tape

Official forms and procedures, especially those that are complex and time-consuming. For example,

There's so much red tape involved in approving our remodeling that we're tempted to postpone it indefinitely. This expression alludes to the former British custom of tying up official documents with red ribbon. [Early 1800s]

reed

hand. see BROKEN REED.

reel off

hand. see RATTLE OFF.

reference

hand. see IN REGARD (REFERENCE) TO.

reflect on

1. Consider or think carefully about, as in She reflected on her country's role in history. [c. 1600] A closely related phrase is on due reflection, meaning "after careful consideration." For example,

On due reflection I decided to vote for the incumbent. 2. reflect on one. Give evidence of one's qualities, as in The hasty preparation of this report will reflect on you. [Second half of 1600s]

regard

hand. see IN REGARD TO.

region

hand. see IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD (REGION) OF.

regular as clockwork

hand. see LIKE CLOCKWORK.

regular guy Also, regular fellow. A nice or agreeable person, as in Luke's a regular guy, or Hilda's a regular fellow. [Colloquial; first half of 1800s]

rein

hand. see DRAW IN THE REINS; FREE HAND (REIN); TIGHT REIN ON.

reinvent the wheel

Do something again, from the beginning, especially in a needless or inefficient effort, as in School committees need not reinvent the wheel every time they try to improve the curriculum. This expression alludes to the invention of a simple but very important device that requires no improvement. [Second half of 1900s]

rejoice in

Have or possess something highly desirable, as in He rejoices in a keen mind. [Late 1400s]

relation

hand. see POOR RELATION; RELATIVE (IN RELATION) TO.

relative to

Correspondent or proportionate to, as in Relative to its size, Boston has a great

many universities, or It's important to get all the facts relative to the collision. Another form of this idiom is in or with relation to, meaning ''in reference or with regard to," as in Demand is high in relation to supply, or That argument changes nothing with relation to our plans for hiring workers.

The usages with relative date from the second half of the 1700s, those with relation from the late 1500s.

relieve oneself

Urinate or defecate, as in The puppy relieved itself in the middle of the floor. The use of relieve for these bodily functions dates from the mid-1800s.

relieve someone of

1. Take something away from someone, rob someone of something, as in The pickpocket relieved Dean of his wallet. 2. Take away a burden or responsibility, as in The doorman relieved her of her packages, or He was relieved of all his duties. [Early 1800s]

religion

hand. see GET RELIGION.

repeat oneself

Express oneself in the same way or with the same words, as in Grandma forgets she has told us this story before and repeats herself over and over, or This architect tends to repeat himself?

all his houses look alike. A well-known version of this idiom is the proverb History repeats itself, first recorded (in English) in 1561. For example, Her mother also married when she was 18?

history repeats itself. [Mid1800s]

request

hand. see AT SOMEONE'S REQUEST; BY REQUEST; ON REQUEST.

requirement

hand. see MEET THE REQUIREMENTS.

resistance

hand. see LEAST RESISTANCE.

resort

hand. see LAST RESORT.

resources

hand. see LEAVE SOMEONE TO HIS OR HER RESOURCES.

respect

hand. see IN REGARD (RESPECT) TO; PAY A CALL (ONE'S RESPECTS); WITH ALL DUE RESPECT.

rest

hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with REST, also see AT REST; LAY AT REST;

LAY TO REST; SET ONE'S MIND AT REST.

rest assured

You can be sure, as in Rest assured that the police will recover your diamonds. This expression uses assured in the sense of "certain" or "confident," a usage dating from the early 1500s.

rest on one's laurels

Rely on one's past achievements, especially as a way of avoiding the work needed to advance one's status. For example, Now that Julian's in his eighties, he's decided to rest on his laurels and let some of the younger agents do the work. This term alludes to the crown of laurels awarded in ancient times for a spectacular achievement. [Late 1800s]

retreat

hand. see BEAT A RETREAT.

return

hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with RETURN, also see IN RETURN; MANY

HAPPY RETURNS; POINT OF NO RETURN.

return the compliment Also, return the favor. Repay someone in kind, as in Her political opponent came out with a smear campaign, and she returned the compliment. Neither the compliment nor the favor in this idiom is necessarily desirable. [First half of 1700s]

return to the fold

Come back to a group after an absence, as in Matthew taught for a number of years, but now he's returned to the fold as vice-president of the firm. This term employs fold in the sense of "an enclosure for sheep," which has been used figuratively since the first half of the 1300s.

rev up

Increase the speed or rate of, enliven, stimulate, as in Bill revved up the motor, or They looked for ways to rev up the ad campaign. The verb rev is an abbreviation for revolution, alluding to the rate of rotation of an engine. The idiom dates from about 1920 and has been used figuratively since the mid-1900s.

rhetorical question

A question asked without expecting an answer but for the sake of emphasis or effect. The expected answer is usually "yes" or "no." For example, Can we improve the quality of our work? That's a rhetorical question. [Late 1800s]

rhyme or reason, no

An absence of common sense or reasonableness, as in This memo has no rhyme or reason. Closely related variants are without rhyme or reason, as in The conclusion of her paper was without rhyme or reason, and neither rhyme nor reason, as in Neither rhyme nor reason will explain that lawyer's objections. This term originated in French about 1475 and began to be used in English about a century later. Sir Thomas More is credited with saying of a mediocre book that a friend had put into verse, "Now it is somewhat, for now it is rhyme; whereas before it was neither rhyme nor reason."

rib

hand. see STICK TO THE RIBS.

rich

hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with RICH, also see EMBARRASSMENT OF

RICHES; FROM RAGS TO RICHES; STRIKE IT RICH.

rich as Croesus

Very wealthy, as in They're rich as Croesus, with their penthouse, yacht, and horses. This term alludes to Croesus, the legendary King of Lydia and supposedly the richest man on earth. The

right away Also, right off. Without delay, immediately, as in Can you bring our dinners right away? We're in a hurry, or We liked her right off. This idiom uses right as an intensifier and away in the sense of "at once," the latter usage dating from the 1500s and surviving only in such

phrases as this one and FIRE AWAY. It was first recorded in 1818. Also see RIGHT OFF THE BAT.

right-hand man Also, right-hand woman. A trusted helper, as in Give it to Jill, she's my right-hand man. Based on the idea that in most people the right hand is the stronger of the two, this idiom today usually disregards gender, as in the example. However, in the the 17th and 18th centuries it also meant a soldier in a post of command on the right side of a cavalry unit, and then always denoted a man. [c. 1800]

right in the head

hand. see NOT RIGHT IN THE HEAD.

right off

hand. see RIGHT AWAY.

right off the bat

Instantly, immediately, as in I can't tell you how many right off the bat, but I can find out. This term alludes to a baseball being hit by a bat. [First half of 1900s]

right of way

1.The right of one person or vehicle to travel over another's property, as in The new owner doesn't like it, but hikers have had the right of way through these woods for decades. [Mid-1700s]

2.The right to precede another person or vehicle, as in Sailboats always have the right of way over motorboats, and swimmers do over any kind of boat. [Early 1900s]

right on

An exclamation of enthusiasm or encouragement, as in You've said it really well?

right on! This interjection has a disputed origin. Some believe it comes from African-American slang (it was recorded in Odum and Johnson's The Negro and His Songs, 1925); others feel it is a shortening of right on target, used by military airmen, or right on cue, theatrical slang for saying the right lines at the right time. [Slang; first half of 1900s] Also see WAY TO GO.

right out Also, straight out. Plainly, without holding back, as in He told her right out that he couldn't run for another term, or When Jan told us she wanted to study medicine, Dad said straight out that be couldn't afford medical school.

right side, on someone's Also, on someone's good side. In someone's favor. It is often put as get, keep, or stay on someone's right side, as in We must get on Bill's right side if we're to get approval of our plans, or Jane had a hard time staying on the good side of her difficult supervisor.

The antonym on someone's wrong side, means "in someone's disfavor," as in I got on her wrong side by opening my mouth once too often. Also see WRONG SIDE.

right side of the tracks

The desirable part of town, as in They were relieved to learn that his fiancée came from the right side of the tracks. This expression alludes to the fact that when a railroad ran through a town, it often divided the prosperous neighborhoods from the poor ones. The latter district was called the wrong side of the tracks, as in The children from the wrong side of the tracks often came to school without having eaten breakfast. Today these terms are considered snobbish. [Second half of 1800s]

right-side out

Turned correctly, with the outer side on the outside, as opposed to INSIDE OUT, def. 1. For

example, I turned the sweater right-side out before putting it on.

right-side up

With the top facing upward, as in Please keep the box holding the china rightside up, or He turned his cards right-side up. [Early 1500s]

right tack

hand. see ON THE RIGHT TACK.

right up one's alley Also, right down one's alley. In one's specialty, to one's taste, as in

Writing press releases is right up her alley, or He loved opera, so this program of arias was right down his alley. These idioms use alley in the sense of "one's own province," a usage dating from the early 1600s. [First half of 1900s] Also see CUP OF TEA.

Riley

hand. see LIFE OF RILEY.

ring

hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with RING, also see BRASS RING; GIVE

SOMEONE A RING; HAVE A FAMILIAR RING; RUN RINGS AROUND; THREE-RING CIRCUS; THROW ONE'S HAT IN THE RING.

ring a bell

Arouse an indistinct memory, remind one of something, as in That name rings a bell?

I think I've met him. The bell here summons up a memory. [1930s]

ring down the curtain on

Bring something to an end, as in We'd best get to that grand old hotel before they ring down the curtain on it. This idiom alludes to the old practice of signaling that a theater curtain be lowered at the ring of a bell. Similarly, ring up the curtain on refers to a bell rung to begin a performance and came to mean starting anything, as in Their contribution rang up the curtain on the fund drive.

The figurative use of these terms dates from the early 1900s.

ring false Also, have a false or hollow ring; strike a false note. Seem wrong or deceitful, as in Her denial rings false?

I'm sure she was there when it happened, or His good wishes

always seem to have a hollow ring, or Carol's congratulatory phone call really struck a false note.

Ring false and the antonym, ring true, which means "seem genuine," allude to the old practice of judging a coin genuine or fake by the sound it gives out when tapped. This practice became obsolete when coins ceased to be made of precious metals, but by then the idioms were being used to refer to other matters. [Mid-1800s]

ring one's chimes

Arouse one's attention, excite one, as in That kind of music really rings my chimes. [Slang; 1970]

ringside seat

A place providing a close view of something, as in We lived right next door, so we had ringside seats for their quarrels. This term presumably came from boxing, where it denotes the seats just outside the boxing ring. [c. 1860]

ring the changes

Keep varying how one performs an action or says something, as in She went on and on, ringing the changes on the joy of computers. This expression alludes to the art of change-ringing, where a series of church bells are rung in as many sequences, or changes, as possible. [Early 1600s]

ring true

hand. see under RING FALSE.

ring up

1. Record, especially by means of a cash register, as in They had already rung up the sale so I decided not to get the extra items. [c. 1930] Although older cash registers usually signaled a recorded sale with the ringing of a bell, the idiom survives in the age of computers. 2. Accomplish, achieve, as in They rang up an impressive string of victories.

riot

hand. see READ THE RIOT ACT; RUN AMOK (RIOT).

riotous living

An extravagant, dissolute lifestyle, as in Two years of riotous living, and they'd squandered the entire inheritance. This term was first recorded in 1389.

rip

hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with RIP, also see LET IT RIP.