<B>ratracer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S. Informal.) <DD><B> 1. </B>an aggressive, ruthless competitor. <BR> <I>Ex. The students of the twenties ... saw their fathers as Babbitts and stick-in-the-muds, not as capitalists and ratracers (Atlantic).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a person caught up in some confusion, rush, or tiring routine. </DL>
<A NAME="rats">
<B>rats.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> See under <B>rat.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="ratsbane">
<B>ratsbane, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any poison for rats. </DL>
<A NAME="ratsnake">
<B>rat snake,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of various snakes, such as the corn snake and the chicken snake of North America, that kill rats and other rodents and are sometimes domesticated for this purpose. </DL>
<A NAME="rattail">
<B>rattail, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> having a tail or taillike part like that of a rat; long and slender. <BR> <I>Ex. Everything in the house, down to the last rattail hinge and hickory floor-peg, is historically accurate (Atlantic).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>something resembling a rat's tail. <DD><B> 2. </B>a horse's tail with little or no hair. <DD><B> 3. </B>a deep-sea fish with a long, tapering tail; grenadier. </DL>
<A NAME="rattailcactus">
<B>rattail cactus,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a cultivated cactus of Central America, with creeping, cylindrical stems and crimson flowers. </DL>
<B>rat-tail file,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a fine, round file used especially to enlarge holes in metal. </DL>
<A NAME="rattan">
<B>rattan, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>Also, <B>rattan palm.</B> <DD> a kind of palm with very long, thin, jointed stems. It is a climbing plant of East India and Africa. <DD><B> 1. </B>the stems of such palm trees, forming a tough, stringy material which are used especially for wickerwork and canes. <DD><B> 2. </B>a cane, switch, or stick, especially a walking stick, made from a piece of such a stem. Also, <B>ratan.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="rattat">
<B>rat-tat, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a sound as of rapping. <BR> <I>Ex. Then came a sharp rat-tat at the door (George Gissing).</I> <DL COMPACT><DD> Also, <B>rat-a-tat,</B> <B>rat-a-tat-tat.</B> </DL>
</DL>
<A NAME="ratteen">
<B>ratteen, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of various fabrics with tufted, looped, or rough surfaces. </DL>
<A NAME="ratten">
<B>ratten, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to damage or destroy (work, tools, machinery). <DD><B> 2. </B>to frighten or coerce an employer or workman. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to practice rattening. noun <B>rattener.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="ratter">
<B>ratter, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person or animal that catches rats; ratcatcher. <BR> <I>Ex. Our terrier is a good ratter.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Slang.) a person who deserts, informs on, or betrays his associates. </DL>
<A NAME="rattish">
<B>rattish, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of, having to do with, or resembling a rat. <DD><B> 2. </B>infested with rats. </DL>
<A NAME="rattle">
<B>rattle</B> (1), verb, <B>-tled,</B> <B>-tling,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to make a number of short, sharp sounds. <BR> <I>Ex. The window rattled in the wind.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to move with short, sharp sounds. <BR> <I>Ex. The old car rattled down the street.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to talk quickly, on and on, in a lively but rather pointless manner. <BR> <I>Ex. They ... rattled on in a free, wild, racy talk (William Dean Howells).</I> <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to cause to rattle. <BR> <I>Ex. She rattled the dishes. The door did not yield ... he rattled the handle violently (Edith Wharton).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to say or do quickly. <BR> <I>Ex. He rattled off the dates without a moment's hesitation. He sat down to the piano, and rattled a lively piece of music (Harriet Beecher Stowe).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Informal.) to disturb; confuse; upset. <BR> <I>Ex. She was so rattled that she forgot her speech.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Informal.) to stir up; rouse. <DD><B> 5. </B>to chase (game) vigorously. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a number of short, sharp sounds. <BR> <I>Ex. We used to hear the rattle of the milk bottles in the early morning.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a toy or instrument that makes a noise when it is shaken. <BR> <I>Ex. The baby shakes his rattle.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>the series of horny pieces at the end of a rattlesnake's tail. <DD><B> 4. </B>a sound in the throat caused by partial obstruction, occurring in some diseases of the lungs and also often just before death. <DD><B> 5. </B>a racket; uproar. <DD><B> 6. </B>any one of certain plants whose ripe seeds rattle in their cases. <DD><B> 7. </B>trivial talk; chatter. <BR> <I>Ex. People took her rattle for wit (George Meredith).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="rattle">
<B>rattle</B> (2), transitive verb, <B>-tled,</B> <B>-tling.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to furnish with ratlines on. <BR> <I>Ex. to rattle the rigging down.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="rattlebox">
<B>rattlebox, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a boxlike toy for making a rattling sound; rattle. <DD><B> 2. </B>any one of various plants of the pea family whose ripened seeds rattle in the inflated pod. </DL>
<A NAME="rattlebrain">
<B>rattlebrain, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a giddy, thoughtless person. </DL>
<A NAME="rattlebrained">
<B>rattlebrained, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> like a rattlebrain; giddy; whimsical; foolish. </DL>
<B>rattlepated, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> like a rattlepate. </DL>
<A NAME="rattler">
<B>rattler, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) <DD><B> 1. </B><B>=rattlesnake.</B> <DD><B> 2. </B>a machine or vehicle that rattles when used, especially because of age or hard use. </DL>
<A NAME="rattleroot">
<B>rattleroot, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>any one of various plants whose roots have been considered a remedy for snake bite. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=senega.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="rattlesnake">
<B>rattlesnake, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a poisonous American snake with a thick body and a broad, triangular head, that makes a rattling noise with the rattle at the end of its tail. Rattlesnakes are pit vipers and include the timber rattlesnake and the diamondback rattlesnake. <BR> <I>Ex. The rattlesnake is by far the most abundant and important of the poisonous snakes in the United States (A. M. Winchester).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="rattlesnakefern">
<B>rattlesnake fern,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a fern characterized by clusters of sporangia that resemble the rattles of a rattlesnake. </DL>
<A NAME="rattlesnakepilot">
<B>rattlesnake pilot,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) a copperhead. </DL>
<A NAME="rattlesnakeplantain">
<B>rattlesnake plantain,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of various low terrestrial orchids with spotted leaves and whitish flowers, found in north temperate regions. </DL>
<A NAME="rattlesnakeroot">
<B>rattlesnake root,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>any one of various composite plants whose roots have been considered a remedy for snakebites. <DD><B> b. </B>the root of any of these plants. <DD><B> 2a. </B><B>=senega.</B> <DD><B> b. </B>its root. </DL>
<A NAME="rattlesnakeweed">
<B>rattlesnake weed,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a North American hawkweed, having leaves marked with purple veins. Its leaves and root are thought to be medicinal. <DD><B> 2. </B>a weed of the parsley family, found in southern and western North America. <DD><B> 3. </B>a marsh plant of the same family, found in the southeast United States. <DD><B> 4. </B><B>=rattlesnake plantain.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="rattletrap">
<B>rattletrap, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a rattling, rickety wagon or other vehicle. <BR> <I>Ex. Rattletraps have been a big cause of accidents on other turnpikes (Wall Street Journal).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>any shaky, rattling object. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Slang.) a very talkative person; chatterbox. <DD><I>adj. </I> rickety; rattling. <BR><I>expr. <B>rattletraps,</B> </I>odds and ends. <BR> <I>Ex. Rattletraps for the mantelpiece, gimcracks for the table ... (Mary C. Jackson).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="rattling">
<B>rattling, </B>adjective, adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>that rattles. <BR> <I>Ex. a rattling teakettle.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>fast and lively; brisk. <BR> <I>Ex. a rattling speech, a rattling pace.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Informal.) very fine; great; important. <BR> <I>Ex. He preached ... a sermon ... that gave him a rattling reputation (Mark Twain).</I> <DD><I>adv. </I> (Informal.) remarkably; extremely; especially. <BR> <I>Ex. a rattling good time.</I> adv. <B>rattlingly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="rattly">
<B>rattly, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that rattles; rattling. </DL>
<A NAME="ratton">
<B>ratton, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Dialect.) a rat. </DL>
<B>rattrap, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a trap for rats. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) a dilapidated building, as where rats are thought to abound. <BR> <I>Ex. These tenements were rattraps and a disgrace (Louise Meriwether).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) a hopeless situation. <BR> <I>Ex. A Peer ... finds himself in a rattrap from which politically there is no escape (Contemporary Review).</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> of, having to do with, or like a rattrap. </DL>
<A NAME="ratty">
<B>ratty, </B>adjective, <B>-tier,</B> <B>-tiest.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of rats; like rats. <BR> <I>Ex. ratty odors.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>full of rats. <BR> <I>Ex. Your German dungeons are mortal shivering ratty places (George Meredith).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Slang, Figurative.) <DD><B> a. </B>poor; shabby. <BR> <I>Ex. an old ratty deck of cards (Mark Twain).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>angry; irritable. </DL>
<B>raucous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> hoarse; harsh-sounding. <BR> <I>Ex. We heard the raucous caw of a crow in the field of corn.</I> (SYN) husky. adv. <B>raucously.</B> noun <B>raucousness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="raunch">
<B>raunch, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S. Slang.) coarseness; vulgarity. <BR> <I>Ex. There are bars that are all elegance, and bars that are all raunch, and bars that breathe both elegance and raunch (John Corry).</I> </DL>
