American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms

Be tempted by or react to an enticement, as in We told him there'd be lots of single young women at the party, and he rose to the bait. Likening a fish rising to bait to human behavior dates from the late 1500s.

rise to the occasion

Show unexpected skill in dealing with a difficulty that arises, as in The leading man broke his leg in the first act but his understudy rose to the occasion and was rewarded with excellent reviews.

[Mid-1800s]

risk

hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with RISK, also see AT RISK; CALCULATED

RISK; RUN A RISK.

risk life and limb Also, risk one's neck. Take dangerous chances, as in There he was on the roof, risking life and limb to rescue the kitten, or I don't want to risk my neck contradicting him.

The first hyperbolic expression, dating from the early 1600s, doesn't make sense, since if one loses one's life one also loses the use of one's limbs. The variant, used for risky undertakings of all kinds, physical and nonphysical, presumably alludes to being hanged or beheaded. Also see STICK

ONE'S NECK OUT.

river

hand. see SELL DOWN THE RIVER; UP THE RIVER.

road

hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with ROAD, also see ALL ROADS LEAD TO

ROME; DOWN THE LINE (ROAD); END OF THE LINE (ROAD); GET THE SHOW ON THE ROAD; HIT THE ROAD; ONE FOR THE ROAD; ON THE ROAD.

road hog

A motorist whose vehicle straddles two traffic lanes, as in Stay in your own lane, you road hog! This expression uses hog in the sense of "a greedy or selfish person." [Colloquial; late 1800s]

road show

A tour made for a particular purpose, especially a political campaign. For example, It was primary season, and every would-be candidate was planning a road show. This term originated about 1900 for touring theatrical productions and in the mid-1900s began to be transferred to other endeavors.

road to hell is paved with good intentions, the

Well-intended acts can have disastrous results, as in She tried to help by defending Dad's position and they haven't spoken since?

the road to hell is paved with good intentions. This proverbial idiom probably derives from a similar statement by St. Bernard of Clairvaux about 1150, L'enfer est plein de bonnes volontés ou désirs

Show poor judgment, act stupidly, as in If you think that's an accurate summary, you've got rocks in your head. The rocks in this idiom are a supposed substitute for brains. [Slang; 1940s]

rock the boat

Disturb a stable situation, as in An easygoing manager, he won't rock the boat unless it's absolutely necessary. This idiom alludes to capsizing a small vessel, such as a canoe, by moving about in it too violently. [Colloquial; early 1900s]

rod

hand. see HOT ROD; SPARE THE ROD.

rogues' gallery

A police collection of pictures of criminals and suspects kept for identification purposes. For example, The detective went through the entire rogues' gallery but couldn't find a match with the suspect. [Mid1800s]

roll

hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with ROLL, also see EASY AS PIE (ROLLING

OFF A LOG); GET ROLLING; GET THE BALL ROLLING; HEADS WILL ROLL; ON A ROLL; RED CARPET.

roll around

Return or recur, as in When income tax time rolls around, Peggy is too busy to play tennis. [Late 1600s]

roll back

Decrease, cut back, or reduce, especially prices, as in Unless they roll back oil prices, this summer's tourist traffic will be half of last year's. [c. 1940]

roll in

1. Retire for the night, as in It's time to roll in?

we'll see you in the morning. 2. Add, as in She tried to roll in several new clauses, but the publisher would not agree. 3. Arrive, flow, or pour in, as in The football fans have been rolling in since this morning. 4. Enjoy ample amounts of, especially of wealth, as in Ask the Newmans for a donation?

they're rolling in money. This idiom alludes to having so much of something that one can roll around in it (as a pig might roll in mud). It is sometimes put as rolling in it, the it meaning

money. [Late 1700s] Also see ROLL IN THE AISLES; ROLL IN THE HAY.

rolling stone

A person who moves about a great deal and never settles down, as in Kate's lived in ten cities in as

many years?

she's a real rolling stone. This expression is a shortening of the proverb a rolling stone gathers no moss, first recorded in 1523, which indicates that one who never settles anywhere will not do well. After some 300 years of this interpretation, in the mid-1800s the value of gathering moss (and staying put) began to be questioned, and in current usage the term is most often used without any particular value judgment.

roll in the aisles

Laugh very hard, as in The comedian's new book had them rolling in the aisles. This hyperbolic idiom alludes to a performance that causes an audience to laugh so hard that they might well roll about in the theater's aisles. [First half of 1900s]

roll in the hay

Sexual intercourse, as in The main character in the movie was always looking for a roll in the hay.

This phrase alludes to secret lovemaking in a hayloft. [Slang; mid-1900s]

roll out

1. Get out of bed, as in I rolled out around six o'clock this morning. [Colloquial; late 1800s] 2.

Introduce, disclose, as in They rolled out the new washing machine with great fanfare.

roll over

Reinvest profits from one investment back into that investment or into another, as in Our broker advised us to roll over the proceeds into a tax shelter. [Mid-1900s]

roll the bones

Cast dice, especially in the game of craps, as in Let's go to the casino and roll the bones tonight.

This slangy term was first recorded in 1897, but the noun bones has referred to dice since the late 1300s (Chaucer used it in The Pardoner's Tale).

roll up

1. Accumulate, as in He rolled up a fortune in commodity trading, or She rolled up a huge number of votes in this district. [Mid-1800s] 2. Arrive in a vehicle, as in They rolled up in a taxi at exactly eight o'clock.

roll up one's sleeves

Prepare to work, as in When he saw how much snow had fallen he simply rolled up his sleeves and went to find the shovel. This expression, alluding to turning one's sleeves upward to avoid getting them wet or dirty, is used both literally and more loosely, as in the example here.

roll with the punches

Cope with and withstand adversity, especially by being flexible. For example, She'd had three different editors for her book, each with a different style, but she'd learned to roll with the punches. This term alludes to the boxer's ability to deflect the full force of an opponent's blow by

adroitly moving his body. [Mid-1900s]

Roman

hand. see WHEN IN ROME DO AS THE ROMANS DO.

Rome

hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with ROME, also see ALL ROADS LEAD TO

ROME; FIDDLE WHILE ROME BURNS; WHEN IN ROME DO AS THE ROMANS DO.

Rome wasn't built in a day

Important work takes time. This expression functions as an injunction or plea for someone to be patient. For example, You can't expect her to finish this project in the time allotted; Rome wasn't built in a day. This phrase was a French proverb in the late 1100s but was not recorded in English until 1545.

roof

hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with ROOF, also see GO THROUGH THE

ROOF; HIT THE CEILING (ROOF); LIKE A CAT ON HOT BRICKS (A HOT TIN ROOF); RAISE THE ROOF.

roof over one's head, a

A shelter, especially a home, as in I can barely afford to put a roof over my head, my salary is so low.

rooftop

hand. see SHOUT FROM THE ROOFTOPS.

room

hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with ROOM, also see NOT ENOUGH ROOM TO

SWING A CAT; TAKE UP SPACE (ROOM).

room and board

Lodging and meals, as in The university's price for room and board has increased by another 10 percent. [Mid-1900s]

roost

hand. see CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST; RULE THE ROOST.

root

hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with ROOT, also see PUT DOWN ROOTS;

TAKE ROOT.

root and branch

Utterly, completely, as in The company has been transformed root and branch by the new management. Alluding to both the underground and aboveground parts of a tree, this idiom was first recorded in 1640.

rooted to the spot

Not moving, especially owing to some strong emotion. For example, When the truck bore down on the dog, he was terrified and stood rooted to the spot. This idiom likens the roots of a plant to a strong feeling that keeps one from moving.

root for

Cheer on, give moral support to, as in The fans were out rooting for their team, or I've been rooting for you to get that promotion. This expression may come from the British verb rout, which is used of cattle and means "bellow." [Late 1800s]

root of the matter

The essential part or cause of something, as in We still don't understand what happened; we must get to the root of the matter. This expression was first recorded in the Bible (Job 19:28).

root out

Search for, seek to discover, as in He was trying to root out the reason for her long absence. This idiom alludes to the way hogs dig by using their snouts. [Mid-1800s]

rope

hand. In addition to the idiom beginning with ROPE, also see END OF ONE'S ROPE;

ENOUGH ROPE; (SHOW SOMEONE) KNOW THE ROPES; ON THE ROPES.

rope in Also, rope into. Lure or entice someone into doing something, as in We didn't want to spend the night there, but we got roped in by my lonely aunt, or The salesman tried to rope us into buying some worthless real estate. These expressions allude to catching an animal by throwing a rope around it. [Mid-1800s]

rose

hand. see BED OF ROSES; COME UP ROSES; SEE THROUGH ROSE-COLORED GLASSES.

rote

hand. see BY HEART (ROTE).

rotten apple

A bad individual among many good ones, especially one that spoils the group. For example, The roommates are having problems with Edith?

she's the one rotten apple of the bunch. This expression is a shortening of the proverb a rotten apple spoils the barrel, coming from a 14th-century Latin proverb translated as "The rotten apple injures its neighbors." The allusion in this idiom is to the spread of mold or other diseases from one apple to the rest. In English the first recorded use was in Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack (1736).

rotten egg

hand. see under BAD EGG.

rotten to the core

Thoroughly bad, as in It seems that this police unit is rotten to the core, involved in numerous extortion schemes. The noun core here denotes the central part or heart of anything or anyone. The idiom was first recorded in 1804.

rough

hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with ROUGH, also see DIAMOND IN THE

ROUGH; RIDE ROUGHSHOD OVER; TAKE THE ROUGH WITH THE SMOOTH; WHEN THE GOING GETS ROUGH.

rough and ready

Unrefined or makeshift but available for use or action, as in The agenda is somewhat rough and ready, but it covers the main issues. [First half of 1800s]

rough and tumble

Disorderly scuffling or infighting, as in She had some reservations about entering the rough and tumble of local politics. This expression originated in the late 1700s in boxing, where it referred to a fight without rules. [Mid-1800s]

rough it

Do without the usual comforts and conveniences, as in We spent our vacation roughing it in a log cabin. This idiom was first recorded in 1768. Mark Twain used it as the title of an account of his experiences in Nevada (Roughing It, 1872).

rough on, be

1. Be harmful to or difficult for, as in The harsh winter has been rough on the highways, or Their divorce was rough on the whole family. 2. Treat harshly, be severe with, as in The police have been very rough on housebreakers, or Don't be too rough on Sam; he's only a child. Both colloquial usages date from the second half of the 1800s.

rough out Also, rough in. Prepare or indicate in unfinished form, as in He roughed out several plans for a merger, or They roughed in where the doors would go without checking with the

architect. [Second half of 1700s]

rough up

Manhandle, subject to physical abuse, as in The gang was about to rough him up when the police arrived. [First half of 1900s]

round

hand. In addition to the idioms beginning with ROUND, also see ALL YEAR ROUND;

BRING AROUND (ROUND); COME AROUND (ROUND); GET AROUND (ROUND); IN ROUND NUMBERS; IN THE ROUND; MAKE THE ROUNDS; OTHER WAY ROUND; PULL ROUND; RALLY AROUND. Also see under AROUND.

round and round Also, around and around. In circles, as in You've gone round and round with the same argument and we still have no solution. This idiom transfers moving in a circle to mental or verbal activities. [Second half of 1800s]

round figures

hand. see IN ROUND NUMBERS.

round off

1. Change a number to the closest whole number or the closest multiple of 10. For example,

Rounding it off, I expect the new school addition will cost a million dollars. 2. Also, round out.

Finish, complete, especially in a neat or perfect way. For example, They rounded off the dinner with a magnificent liqueur, or That stamp rounded out his collection. [Mid-1700s; variant, mid-1800s] Also see ROUND OUT.

round on

Turn on, assail, especially verbally. For example, They all rounded on Jake for not upholding the party line. [Mid-1800s]

round out

1. See ROUND OFF, def. 2. 2. Grow or develop to a round form, as in The tree was spindly when first planted, but it has since rounded out nicely. [c. 1900]

round peg in a square hole

see SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLE.

round robin

1. A petition or other document signed by several persons in sequence, so that no one can tell who was the first to sign it. For example, We decided to send a round robin to management to protest the new rules about work hours. This term originally referred to a grievance presented by seamen to their captain, called round because of the circular sequence of names, but the source of robin

has been lost. [Early 1700s] 2. In sports, a tournament in which each player or team plays against all of the others in turn. For example, The club always holds a tennis round robin on the Fourth of July. [Late 1800s]

round the bend

hand. see AROUND THE BEND, def. 2.

round the clock

hand. see AROUND THE CLOCK.

round trip

A journey to a given place and back again, usually over the same route; also, a ticket for such a trip. For example, The fare for a round trip is generally lower than for two one-way journeys.

[Mid-1800s]

roundup

hand. see HEAD FOR (THE LAST ROUNDUP). Also see ROUND UP.

round up

Collect or gather in a body, as in We'll have to round up some more volunteers for the food drive, or The police rounded up all the suspects. This term comes from the West,

where since the mid-1800s it has been used for collecting livestock by riding around the herd and driving the animals together. By about 1875 it was extended to other kinds of gathering together.

row

hand. see GET ONE'S DUCKS IN A ROW; KICK UP A FUSS (ROW); SKID ROW; TOUGH ROW TO HOE.

rub

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

rubber check

A check drawn on an account without the funds to pay it, as in He's been handing out rubber checks right and left, but the police have caught up with him. The rubber alludes to the fact that, like rubber, the check ''bounces," in this case back from the bank. [Slang; c. 1920]

rubber stamp

A person or organization that automatically approves or endorses a policy without assessing its merit; also, such an approval or endorsement. For example, The nominating committee is merely a rubber stamp; they approve anyone the chairman names, or The dean gave his rubber stamp to the recommendations of the tenure committee. This metaphoric term alludes to the rubber printing