NTC''''s Pocket Dictionary of Words and Phrases part 51 pptx

putty ["p^t i] n. a soft, oily sub-
stance used to seal pipe connec-
tions, to seal the edges of glass in
window frames, and to fill uneven
surfaces. (No plural form.)
→
be putty in
someone’s
hands
puzzle ["p^z @l] 1. n. something
that confuses people; a problem
that is confusing or difficult to
solve.
2. n. something similar to
Q that people try to understand
or solve for entertainment.
3. tv. to
confuse someone.
puzzle
something
out to figure
something out.
pyramid ["pIr @ mId] 1. n. a four-
sided structure with sides that are
shaped like triangles and meet at
one point on top.
2. n. one of a
group of large Egyptian tombs—
shaped like Q—in which Egypt-
ian kings and queens were once
buried.

python ["paI T@n] n. a large snake
found in tropical areas of Asia,
southeast India, Africa, and
Australia that uses its powerful
muscles to constrict and kill its
prey.
putty
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quack ["kwAk] 1. iv. to make the
characteristic noise of a duck.
2. n.
the noise that a duck makes.
3. n.
someone who claims to be a doc-
tor but who is not trained to be a
doctor.
quaint ["kwent] adj. strange in an
interesting or funny way; charm-
ing in an old-fashioned way. (Adv:
quaintly. Comp: quainter; sup:
quaintest.)
quake ["kwek] 1. n. a shaking of
the earth; an
earthquake. (Short
for
earthquake.) 2. iv. to shake; to
tremble.
quake in

one’s
boots Go to shake
in
one’s
boots.
qualify ["kwal @ faI] 1. tv. to limit
something; to restrict something;
to narrow the meaning of some-
thing.
2. iv. to meet the require-
ments for something.
quality ["kwal I ti] 1. n. a charac-
teristic property of someone or
something.
2. n. a degree or level
of excellence. (No plural.)
3. adj.
of W that is good.
quantity ["kwan t@ ti] n. an
amount; a certain number of
something that can be counted or
measured.
→
known quantity
quarantine ["kwar @n tin] 1. tv. to
isolate a living thing that has a dis-
ease or has been around another
creature with a disease.
2. n. a
period of isolation of living things

that have an illness or have been
exposed to an illness. (Plural only
for types and instances.)
quarrel ["kwar @l] 1. n. an angry
argument; an angry disagreement.
2. iv. to argue with someone
angrily; for two or more people to
argue angrily.
quarrel (with
someone
) (about
someone or something
) to have an
argument with someone about the
subject of someone or something.
quarrel (with
someone
) (over
someone or something
) to have an
argument with someone about
who is going to have someone or
something.
quarry ["kwar i] 1. n. a place where
marble, granite, and other kinds
of stone are removed from the
earth.
2. n. the object of a hunt or
search.
3. tv. to remove stone

from Q.
quart ["kwort] n. a unit of measure
of liquids, equal to one-fourth
gallon, 32 ounces, or about 0.95
liter.
quarter ["kwor t#] 1. n. one-fourth
of something; one of four equal
parts; one of four parts.
2. n. a
coin equal to 25 cents or one-
fourth of a dollar.
3. n. fifteen
minutes; one-fourth of an hour.
(Limited to quarter to, quarter till,
quarter of, quarter after, and quar-
ter past. No plural.)
4. n. three
months; one-fourth of a year.
5. n.
one of the four periods in profes-
sional football, basketball, and
other games.
6. n. a neighbor-
hood; a section of a town; a dis-
trict.
7. n. a period equal to
one-third of the school or aca-
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demic year. 8. tv. to divide some-
thing into four parts; to cut some-
thing into four parts; to split
something into four parts.
9. tv. to
give someone, especially soldiers, a
place to stay or live.
quarters n. the place where some-
one lives. (Treated as plural.)
queasy ["kwiz i] adj. feeling sick,
nauseated, or uneasy. (Adv:
queasily. Comp: queasier; sup:
queasiest.)
queen ["kwin] 1. n. the female
ruler of a country or the wife of a
king.
2. n. the sole egg-laying
female in a colony or hive of cer-
tain species of insects, such as
bees, termites, or ants.
3. n. a play-
ing card that has a picture of Q on
it.
4. n. a chess piece that can move
any number of spaces in a straight
line in any direction.

queer ["kwIr] adj. odd; strange;
unusual; weird. (Adv: queerly.
Comp: queerer; sup: queerest.)
quell ["kwEl] tv. to calm or put an
end to chaos, confusion, or some
other problem.
quench ["kwEntS] 1. tv. to put out a
fire by using water.
2. tv. to ease or
eliminate one’s thirst by drinking
something.
quest ["kwEst] n. a search for
someone or something.
question ["kwEs tS@n] 1. n. an
inquiry; a speech utterance used
to make an inquiry.
2. n. a doubt;
a concern; something that one is
not sure about. (No plural.)
3. n. a
matter to be considered; a problem
for solving.
4. tv. to ask Q of
someone.
5. tv. to doubt some-
thing; to express one’s doubts or
concerns about something.
→
beg the question
→ field questions

→ leading question
→ out of the question
→ pop the question
→ pose a question
question mark ["kwEs tS@n mark]
n. a punctuation mark (?) that is
written at the end of a question.
questionable ["kwEs tS@ n@ b@l]
1. adj. in doubt; inviting questions
or scrutiny. (Adv: questionably.)
2. adj. possibly not honest or true.
(Adv: questionably.)
questionnaire [kwEs tS@ "nEr] n. a
printed set of questions.
quick ["kwIk] 1. adj. fast; rapid;
swift. (Adv: quickly. Comp:
quicker; sup: quickest.)
2. adj. last-
ing only for a short period of time;
beginning and ending in a short
period of time. (Adv: quickly.
Comp: quicker; sup: quickest.)
3. adj. able to understand or learn
things in a short amount of time.
(Adv: quickly. Comp: quicker; sup:
quickest.)
4. n. the flesh under
one’s fingernails or toenails. (No
plural.)
5. adv. very rapidly; with

great speed. (Colloquial. Comp:
quicker; sup: quickest.)
→
(as) quick as a wink
→ cut
someone
to the quick
quick on the draw Go to quick on
the trigger.
quick on the trigger and quick
on the draw 1. quick to draw a
gun and shoot.
2. quick to
respond to anything.
quarters
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quicken ["kwIk @n] 1. iv. to become
faster; to move more quickly; to
do something more quickly; to
increase the speed of something.
2. tv. to cause something to
become faster; to cause something
to occur more quickly.
quickness ["kwIk n@s] n. the qual-
ity of being quick. (No plural.)
quicksand ["kwIk sAnd] n. wet
sand, often under water, into
which living creatures can sink.

(No plural.)
quiet ["kwaI It] 1. adj. not loud;
making only a small amount of
sound. (Adv: quietly. Comp: qui-
eter; sup: quietest.)
2. adj. [of a
person] shy and not talkative.
(Adv: quietly. Comp: quieter; sup:
quietest.)
3. adj. not active; not
moving; calm; still. (Adv: quietly.
Comp: quieter; sup: quietest.)
4. adj. peaceful; restful. (Adv: qui-
etly. Comp: quieter; sup: quietest.)
5. tv. to cause someone or some-
thing to become Q.
6. n. silence.
(No plural.)
→
(as) quiet as a mouse
→ so quiet you could hear a pin
drop
quiet down to become quiet; to
become less noisy.
quiet
someone or something
down
to make someone or some creature
quieter.
quilt ["kwIlt] 1. n. a bed covering

made from a soft pad between two
layers of decorative cloth, stitched
together.
2. iv. to work at making
Q.
quip ["kwIp] n. a clever, witty, or
sarcastic remark.
quirk ["kw#k] n. a strange habit; a
strange characteristic.
quit ["kwIt] 1. tv., irreg. to stop
doing something. (Past tense and
past participle: quit.)
2. tv., irreg.
to leave a job; to resign from a
job.
3. iv., irreg. [for someone or
something] to cease [doing some-
thing].
→
call it quits
quit on
someone
1. [for some-
thing] to quit while someone is
using it.
2. [for one] to leave one’s
job, usually suddenly or unan-
nounced.
quite ["kwaIt] adv. very; rather;
completely.

quiz ["kwIz] 1. n. a small test; an
informal test. (Plural: quizzes.)
2. tv. to test someone on or about
something; to ask someone ques-
tions about someone or some-
thing.
quota ["kwot @] n. a required
amount of something; a required
number of things or people.
quotation [kwo "te S@n] n. a state-
ment that was said or written,
used again by someone else; a
statement that is quoted from
someone or from someone’s
writing.
quotation marks [kwo "te S@n
marks
] n. the marks (“ ”) and (‘ ’),
called double quotation marks and
single quotation marks, respec-
tively, used to enclose actual
speech in writing or printing.
quote ["kwot] 1. tv. to use a quota-
tion; to repeat part of something
that someone else has said or writ-
quote
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ten, at the same time telling who

said or wrote it.
2. tv. to cite some-
one or a written source as the ori-
gin of a quotation.
3. n. a
quotation; a statement that was
said or written by someone else.
4. n. an estimate of the price of
something.
quote a price to name or state
the charge for doing or supplying
something.
quote a price
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rabbi ["rAb aI] n. the leader of a
Jewish synagogue; a Jewish reli-
gious leader. (Also a term of
address. Capitalized when written
as a proper noun.)
rabbit ["rAb @t] n. a small animal
with soft fur, long ears, and a
fluffy tail.
race ["res] 1. n. a contest that has to
do with speed; a contest that has
to do with how fast people, ani-
mals, or machines can move.
2. n.
a political election, and the time

during the campaign leading up to
the election.
3. n. the physical dif-
ferences among humans that have
to do with dividing people into
different groups, especially groups
based on the color of skin. (Plural
only for types and instances.)
4. iv.
to run rapidly, as if in a race; to
move or operate very fast.
5. tv. to
cause someone or something to
take part in Q.
6. tv. to cause an
engine to run very rapidly.
7. tv. to
compete against someone to reach
a specific goal.
→
human race
→ rat race
race with
someone or something
to
enter a speed contest with some-
one or something.
racetrack ["res trAk] n. the place,
usually a large oval, where a race
takes place, and the stadium or

arena that contains it.
racial ["reS @l] adj. of or about race
E. (Adv: racially.)
racism ["res Iz @m] n. prejudice,
hatred, or violence shown against
someone of a particular race. (No
plural.)
racist ["res Ist] 1. n. someone who
believes one race is better than
another.
2. adj. exhibiting racism;
showing prejudice against some-
one’s race.
rack ["rAk] n. a frame with shelves,
rods, hooks, or pegs that is used to
hang things from or put things on.
→
be racked with pain
→ go to rack and ruin
rack
one’s
brain(s) to try very hard
to think of something.
rack
something
up 1. to place
something onto or into its rack.
2. to accumulate a number of
things, particularly a score, a
win, etc.

racket ["rAk @t] 1. and racquet n.
a device used to hit a ball or some-
thing similar back and forth, usu-
ally over a net.
2. n. a dishonest or
illegal activity, such as fraud, done
to make money.
racquet ["rAk @t] Go to racket.
radar ["re dar] n. a device that uses
radio waves to detect an object,
usually a car or an aircraft, and to
determine that object’s location,
distance, and speed. (An acronym
for radio detecting and ranging. No
plural.)
radiate ["re di et] tv. to cause some-
thing to spread out in all direc-
tions from a center point; to give
off rays of something such as heat
or light.
radiate from
something
1. [for
rays] to come from something.
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2. to extend outward from a cen-
tral point.
radiation [re di "e S@n] 1. n. the
release of heat, light, or other
energy. (No plural.)
2. n. radioac-
tive particles and energy used in
medical treatment. (No plural.)
radical ["rAd I k@l] 1. adj. complete
and thorough; extreme. (Adv: rad-
ically [
Ik li].) 2. adj. [of some-
one] favoring extreme change.
(Adv: radically [
Ik li].) 3. n.
someone who favors complete
change; someone who favors
extreme change.
radii ["re di aI] a plural of radius.
radio ["re di o] 1. n. the sending and
receiving of sound through the air
by using electromagnetic waves.
(No plural.)
2. n. a device that is
used to receive electromagnetic
waves and turn them into sound.
(Plural ends in -s.)
3. the adj. use
of Q or W.

4. tv. to send a mes-
sage by Q.
5. tv. to send [a mes-
sage] to someone using W.
6. iv. to
use W to send a message.
radioactive [re di o "Ak tIv] adj. of
or about an element, or its com-
pounds, that releases energy as the
result of naturally occurring
changes in the nuclear structure of
the atoms of the element. (Adv:
radioactively.)
radius ["re di @s] 1. n., irreg. the
distance from the center of a circle
to any point on the circle. (Plural:
radii or radiuses.) 2. n., irreg. a line
that goes from the center of a cir-
cle to any point on the circle.
raffle ["rAf @l] n. a way of raising
money where people buy tickets to
win items or prizes that have been
donated. (The winning ticket is
chosen at random.)
raffle
something
off to make an
item available in a raffle.
raft ["rAft] 1. n. boards or logs that
are tied together so they will float

on water; a rubber boat that is
filled with air and floats on water.
2. iv. to travel across water on Q.
rafter ["rAf t#] n. one of a series of
parallel boards or beams that sup-
port a roof.
rag ["rAg] n. a piece of cloth, espe-
cially one that has no value or is
used for cleaning.
→
from rags to riches
→ in rags
rage ["redZ] 1. n. extreme, violent
anger.
2. iv. to show extreme, vio-
lent anger toward something.
rage through
something
1. [for a
fire] to burn rapidly through an
area or a building.
2. [for some-
one] to move rapidly through
some sequence or process, as if in
a rage.
ragged ["rAg @d] adj. torn; [of
cloth] torn or damaged. (Adv:
raggedly.)
→
run

someone
ragged
raid ["red] 1. n. a surprise attack,
especially by police or soldiers.
2. tv. to enter someone’s property
or space and attack quickly, sud-
denly, and by surprise.
rail ["rel] 1. n. a thick strip of wood
or metal, usually used to support
or guide someone or something.
2. n. one of a pair of metal strips
on which a train travels.
radiation
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rail at
someone
(about
something
)
to complain loudly or violently to
someone about something.
railing ["rel IN] n. a thick strip, rail,
or tube of wood or metal that peo-
ple can hold on to for support,
usually found on a staircase.
railroad ["rel rod] 1. n. two parallel
metal rails on which a train trav-
els.

2. n. a network or system of
train tracks, train stations, and
trains.
3. n. a business that oper-
ates trains.
4. tv. to move some-
thing quickly and forcefully; to
force someone to do something
quickly.
5. the adj. use of Q, W,
or E.
railroad
someone
into
something
to force someone into doing some-
thing in great haste.
railroad
something
through
(
something
) to force something
through some organization or leg-
islative body without due consid-
eration.
railway ["rel we] 1. n. a railroad; a
railroad of a short length.
2. the
adj. use of Q.

rain ["ren] 1. n. water that falls
down from the sky in drops. (No
plural.)
2. n. an instance or period
of Q. (The plural usually indicates
a season of
rain that occurs annu-
ally.)
3. iv. [for drops of water] to
fall from the sky. (The subject
must be
it.) 4. tv. to cause some-
thing to fall from the sky like Q.
→
pouring rain
rain cats and dogs to rain very
hard.
rain down on
someone or some-
thing
to fall or drop down on
someone or something like rain.
rain in on
someone or something
[for rain] to enter a window or
other opening and get someone or
something wet.
rain or shine whether it rains or
the sun shines; no matter what.
rain

something
down (on
someone
or something
) to pour something,
such as criticism or praise, onto
someone or something.
rain
something
out [for rain] to
force the cancellation of an out-
door event.
rainbow ["ren bo] 1. n. an arch of
different colors of light that
appears in the sky, caused by rays
of sunlight passing through rain
or mist.
2. adj. consisting of the
colors of the rainbow; from the
group of colors of the rainbow.
raincoat ["ren kot] n. a waterproof
coat that people wear when it rains
to keep their clothes dry.
raindrop ["ren drap] n. one drop of
rain.
rainfall ["ren fOl] 1. n. the drops of
rain that fall when it rains; a
period of falling rain. (No plural.)
2. n. the amount of rain that falls
in a certain place over a certain

length of time. (No plural.)
rainstorm ["ren storm] n. a storm
that has a large amount of rain.
rainy ["re ni] adj. having a lot of
rain. (Adv: rainily. Comp: rainier;
sup: rainiest.)
→
save
something
for a rainy day
raise ["rez] 1. tv. to lift someone or
something up; to move someone
raise
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or something to a higher level; to
move someone or something
upward; to cause someone or
something to rise. (Compare this
with
rise.) 2. tv. to increase the
amount of something; to increase
the degree of something; to
increase the force of something.
3. tv. to cause plants to grow; to
breed animals.
4. tv. to bring up a
child; to rear a child.
5. tv. to col-

lect or gather a certain amount of
money.
6. tv. to bring up a subject
or issue; to mention something; to
address a subject or an issue; to
begin talking about something.
7. n. an increase in one’s salary; an
increase in the amount of money
one earns at a job.
→
cause (some) eyebrows to raise
raise
one’s
sights to set higher
goals for oneself.
raise some eyebrows to shock or
surprise people mildly (by doing
or saying something).
raise
someone or something
up to
lift someone or something up.
raise up to lift oneself up; to get up
or begin to get up.
raisin ["re zIn] n. a dried grape,
eaten as food.
rake ["rek] 1. n. a tool that has a
long handle that is attached to a
row of curved metal or plastic
“fingers,” used to collect fallen

leaves, loose grass, etc.
2. tv. to
collect something, especially
leaves, hay, grass, or other objects
on the ground, using Q or some-
thing similar.
3. tv. to smooth or
clean something by using Q.
4. iv.
to use Q; to scrape with Q.
rake
someone
over the coals and
haul
someone
over the coals to
give someone a severe scolding.
rake
something
off ((of)
some-
thing
) to remove something from
something by raking.
rake
something
out to clean some-
thing by raking.
rake
something

out (of
something
)
to clean something out of some-
thing by raking.
rake
something
up 1. to gather and
clean up something with a rake.
2. to clean something up by rak-
ing.
3. to uncover something
unpleasant and remind people
about it.
rally ["rAl i] 1. tv. to bring people
together for a certain reason or
cause.
2. n. a large meeting, espe-
cially a large political meeting,
held for a special reason.
rally (a)round
someone or some-
thing
to come together to support
someone or something.
ram ["rAm] 1. n. a male sheep. 2. n.
a heavy pole or beam, the end of
which is thrust against something.
3. tv. to hit someone or something;
to crash into someone or some-

thing.
ram
something
through (
some-
thing
) 1. to force something
through something.
2. to force
something through a process of
study and decision, usually not
allowing due consideration.
ram through
something
to crash or
pound through something.
ramble on to go on and on aim-
lessly; to wander about aimlessly.
raise one’s sights
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(Usually figurative. As with a
road, a speaker, a speech, etc.)
ramble on (about
someone or
something
) [for someone] to talk
endlessly and aimlessly about
someone or something.

rampage ["rAm pedZ] n. a period
of wild, angry, or violent behavior.
→
go on a rampage
rampant ["rAm p@nt] adj. growing,
moving, or spreading out of con-
trol. (Adv: rampantly.)
→
run rampant
ran ["rAn] past tense of run.
ranch ["rAntS] n. a very large farm
where cattle or other animals are
raised.
rancher ["rAntS #] n. someone who
works on a ranch; someone who
owns a ranch.
random ["rAn d@m] adj. selected by
chance. (Adv: randomly.)
→
at random
rang ["rAN] past tense of ring.
range ["rendZ] 1. n. the area
between two extremes; the
choices, possibilities, or selections
available.
2. n. the distance that
something can operate or be used
in, especially the distance that
someone can see or hear, that a
weapon can fire, or that some-

thing can travel without needing
more fuel. (No plural.)
3. n. a field
where cattle or other animals can
walk about and look for food. (No
plural.)
4. n. a stove with one or
more ovens attached.
5. iv. to vary
between two limits or extremes; to
be located between an upper limit
and a lower limit.
→
mountain range
range from
something
to
some-
thing
to vary from one thing to
another.
rank ["rANk] 1. n. one level in a
series of levels; one level on a scale
of authority, value, or importance.
2. iv. to occupy a certain position
on a scale of authority, value, or
importance; to be on a list in a
certain position.
3. tv. to place
someone or something on a list in

its proper order or place.
4. adj.
smelling or tasting very bad or
unpleasant. (Adv: rankly.)
5. adj.
[of vegetation] growing thickly or
coarsely.
→
close ranks
rant (at
someone
) about
someone
or something
to talk in a loud, vio-
lent way, about someone or some-
thing.
rap ["rAp] 1. n. a style of music
where the words of the song are
spoken in a strong rhythm instead
of being sung. (No plural.)
2. n.
the sound made by a quick, strong
knock or hit.
rap at
something
to hit or knock on
something quickly.
rap on
something

[for someone] to
hit something quickly and sharply,
making a knocking sound.
rap
something
out (on
something
)
to tap out the rhythm of some-
thing on something.
rap with
someone
to talk; to chat.
rape ["rep] 1. n. the act and crime
of forcing someone to have sex.
2. tv. to force someone to have sex.
rapid ["rAp Id] adj. quick; swift;
moving fast; done quickly; hap-
pening quickly. (Adv: rapidly.)
rapid
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