<B>ratbite fever</B> or <B>disease,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a disease characterized by fever, ulceration, and a purplish rash, caused by the bite of a rat or other infected animal. </DL>
<A NAME="ratcatcher">
<B>ratcatcher, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person or animal that catches rats; ratter. </DL>
<A NAME="ratch">
<B>ratch, </B>noun. <B>=ratchet.</B></DL>
<A NAME="ratcheese">
<B>rat cheese,</B> <B>=Cheddar.</B> <I>Ex. It is also known, ... after one of its biggest fans, [as] rat cheese (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="ratchet">
<B>ratchet, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a wheel or bar with teeth that come against a catch so that motion is permitted in one direction but not in the other. <DD><B> 2. </B>the catch. <DD><B> 3. </B>the entire device, wheel and catch or bar and catch. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to operate or move by means of a ratchet. <BR> <I>Ex. One crew attached the chain, ... secured the cable, and ratcheted the lever with verve (Punch).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to move in the manner of a ratchet. </DL>
<A NAME="ratchetbar">
<B>ratchet bar,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a bar with pegs or teeth to hold against a ratchet wheel; rack. </DL>
<A NAME="ratchetbrace">
<B>ratchet brace,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a carpenters' brace in which, by means of a ratchet, reciprocating motion of the handle is converted into rotary motion of the bit. </DL>
<A NAME="ratchetdrill">
<B>ratchet drill,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a drill rotated by a ratchet wheel moved by a pawl and lever. </DL>
<A NAME="ratcheteffect">
<B>ratchet effect,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> intermittent advance, increase, growth, or the like. <BR> <I>Ex. It appears that there has been a ratchet effect in employment in the service industries (B.R. Lerner).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="ratchetjaw">
<B>ratchet jaw,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S. Slang.) a chatterbox. <BR> <I>Ex. But even without the ratchet jaws, some CBers on crowded highways ... never get a chance to talk (Robert K. Johnson).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="ratchetwheel">
<B>ratchet wheel,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a wheel with teeth and a catch that permits motion in only one direction. </DL>
<A NAME="ratchety">
<B>ratchety, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> resembling the movement of a ratchet; jerky; clipping. </DL>
<A NAME="rate">
<B>rate</B> (1), noun, verb, <B>rated,</B> <B>rating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a quantity, amount, or degree measured in proportion to something else. <BR> <I>Ex. The rate of interest is 6 cents on the dollar. The railroad rate is 4 cents a mile. Parcel post rates depend on weight.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the degree of speed, progress, accumulation, or other measure. <BR> <I>Ex. The car was going at the rate of 40 miles an hour. The General posted along at a great rate (Dickens).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a price. <BR> <I>Ex. the rates for a long-distance telephone call. We pay the regular rate.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>class; grade; rating. <BR> <I>Ex. first rate, second rate.</I> (SYN) rank, order. <DD><B> 5. </B>(British.) a tax on property for some local purpose. <DD><B> 6. </B>(Obsolete.) a style of living. <BR> <I>Ex. Nor do I now make moan to be abridged From such a noble rate (Shakespeare).</I> <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to put a value on. <BR> <I>Ex. We rated the house as worth $30,000.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to consider; regard. <BR> <I>Ex. He was rated one of the richest men in town.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to put in a certain class or grade. <BR> <I>Ex. I should be rated ship's boy (Robert Louis Stevenson).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Informal.) to be worthy of. <BR> <I>Ex. She rates the best seat in the house.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>to subject to a certain tax. <DD><B> 6. </B>to fix at a certain rate. <DD><B> 7. </B>to arrange for transporting (goods) at a certain rate. <DD><B> 8. </B>to design for a certain speed. <DD><B> 9. </B>to determine the speed of. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to be ranked; be considered. <BR><I>expr. <B>at any rate,</B> </I>in any case; under any circumstances; anyway. <BR> <I>Ex. Commercially the arrangement was not a success, at any rate for the firm (Joseph Conrad).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>at that</B> (or <B>this</B>) <B>rate,</B> </I>in that or this case; under such circumstances. <BR> <I>Ex. At this rate, overspeculation will be followed by declines, but there is a vast difference between a speculative reaction and a panic (Boston Transcript).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="rate">
<B>rate</B> (2), transitive verb, intransitive verb, <B>rated,</B> <B>rating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to scold; berate. <BR> <I>Ex. [Elizabeth I] rated great nobles as if they were schoolboys (John R. Green).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="rate">
<B>rate, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (French.) a failure; bungler. </DL>
<B>rate card,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a card listing rates for advertising. </DL>
<A NAME="ratel">
<B>ratel, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> either of two badgerlike, carnivorous mammals, one found in South and East Africa and the other in southern Asia, having a gray back and black underside; honey badger. </DL>
<A NAME="ratemeter">
<B>rate meter,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a device in a radiation counter which indicates the rate at which ions are absorbed. </DL>
<A NAME="rateofclimbindicator">
<B>rate-of-climb indicator,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a flight instrument on a control panel that shows the rate of climb or descent of an airplane. </DL>
<A NAME="rateofexchange">
<B>rate of exchange,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the rate or price per unit at which the currency of one country may be exchanged for the currency of another. </DL>
<A NAME="ratepayer">
<B>ratepayer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (British.) a taxpayer. </DL>
<A NAME="ratepaying">
<B>ratepaying, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (British.) paying a tax or taxes. </DL>
<A NAME="rater">
<B>rater</B> (1), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person or thing that rates, estimates, measures, or otherwise evaluates. <BR> <I>Ex. His surveys had also uncovered a rather disquieting fact for TV raters who assumed everyone tuned in is watching (Newsweek).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="rater">
<B>rater</B> (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who scolds. </DL>
<A NAME="ratfink">
<B>ratfink, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) a mean or obnoxious person; fink. </DL>
<A NAME="ratfish">
<B>ratfish, </B>noun, pl. <B>-fishes</B> or (collectively) <B>-fish.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a cartilaginous fish with a long, thin tail and large crushing plates instead of teeth; chimaera. <BR> <I>Ex. Liver oil from ratfish is the richest source of butyl alcohol (Science News Letter).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="ratflea">
<B>rat flea,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of several species of fleas that infest rats and are carriers of diseases such as bubonic plague and typhus. </DL>
<A NAME="ratguard">
<B>ratguard, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a sheet-metal disk attached to the moorings of a vessel to keep rats from boarding it. </DL>
<B>rath</B> (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a fortified dwelling of an ancient Irish chief. </DL>
<A NAME="rathaus">
<B>rathaus, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a German town hall. </DL>
<A NAME="rathe">
<B>rathe, </B>adjective, adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Archaic.) early; growing or blooming early. <BR> <I>Ex. the rathe primrose (Milton).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="rather">
<B>rather, </B>adverb, interjection.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adv. </I> <B>1. </B>more willingly; more readily; by preference. <BR> <I>Ex. I would rather go today than tomorrow. She would rather play than rest.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>more properly; with better reason. <BR> <I>Ex. This is rather for your parents to decide than for you.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>more truly or correctly. <BR> <I>Ex. We sat up till one o'clock Monday night or, rather, Tuesday morning.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>to some extent; more than a little; somewhat. <BR> <I>Ex. After working so long he was rather tired.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>(with verbs) in some degree. <BR> <I>Ex. We rather felt that this was unwise.</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>on the contrary. <BR> <I>Ex. The sick man is no better today; rather, he is worse. The lesson wasn't difficult to do; rather, it was easy.</I> <DD><B> 7. </B>(Dialect.) earlier; sooner. <DD><I>interj. </I> (British Informal.) yes, indeed! certainly! very much so! <BR><I>expr. <B>had rather,</B> </I>would prefer to; would more willingly. <BR> <I>Ex. She had rather play than rest. I had rather err with Plato than be right with Horace (Shelley).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="rathole">
<B>rathole, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a hole gnawed, as in woodwork, by a rat or rats. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) a disreputable place or condition. <BR> <I>Ex. Who routed you from a rathole ... to perch you in a palace? (H. and J. Smith).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>down the rathole,</B> </I>to nothing; down the drain. <BR> <I>Ex. His last pile of money--thirty-five thousand dollars--went down the rathole when he tried to save an old friend from bankruptcy (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="rathskeller">
<B>rathskeller, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a restaurant selling alcoholic drinks. It is usually below street level. </DL>
<A NAME="raticide">
<B>raticide, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a poisonous substance for killing rats; rodenticide. </DL>
<A NAME="ratification">
<B>ratification, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> confirmation; approval. <BR> <I>Ex. the ratification of a treaty by the Senate.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="ratifier">
<B>ratifier, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person or thing that ratifies or sanctions. </DL>
<A NAME="ratify">
<B>ratify, </B>transitive verb, <B>-fied,</B> <B>-fying.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to confirm; approve. <BR> <I>Ex. The two countries will ratify the agreement made by their representatives. The Senate ratified the treaty.</I> (SYN) sanction, authorize. </DL>
<A NAME="ratine">
<B>ratine, </B>noun. <B>=ratine.</B></DL>
<A NAME="ratine">
<B>ratine, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of various fabrics, of wool or cotton, with a curled or tufted nap or a looped or rough surface. <BR> <I>Ex. Boucle, ratine, and eponge are all similar in character, made from a special three-ply yarn producing a curly surface and spongy cloth (Bernice G. Chambers).</I> </DL>
