Commonly used english part 73 pot

721

result in (something)

- to cause something to happen
The bad road conditions resulted in many small accidents this morning.

return the compliment

- to pay a compliment to someone who has paid you a compliment
I returned the compliment to my colleague who began to praise my work.

return the favor

- to do a good deed for someone who has done a good deed for you
I returned the favor to my friend who had recently helped me to move from my
apartment.

rev (something) up

- to make an engine run very fast
The young man began to rev the motor of his car up while he was waiting for his
friend.

rhyme or reason

- a good plan or reason, a reasonable purpose or explanation (usually used in
negative/interrogative/conditional sentences)
There was no rhyme or reason as to why my friend suddenly decided to quit his job.

rich in (something)

- to have valuable resources/characteristics/traditions/history
Many vegetables are rich in important vitamins.






722

ride herd on (someone)

- to watch closely and control someone
The new supervisor likes to ride herd on the people who work for him.

ride off in all directions

- to try to do everything at once, to behave in a totally confused manner
After the meeting everyone seemed to ride off in all directions and we did not know
where anyone was going.

ride on (someone's) coattails

- to have one's fortune or success depend on another person
The sales manager was riding on the coattails of his boss and hoped to achieve
success in the company.

ride roughshod over (someone or something)

- to treat someone or something with disdain or scorn
The new teacher is riding roughshod over the wants and needs of the students.

ride (something) out

- to endure something unpleasant, to survive something safely
We were able to ride out the bad storm by staying in a small restaurant.

ride the gravy train

- to exploit something for easy profit or advantage, to experience excessive success or
profit without deserving it
We have been able to ride the gravy train and make a lot of money at our job recently.






723

riding for a fall

- to be risking failure or an accident due to overconfidence
My friend is riding for a fall if he continues his present attitude at his job.

riding high

- to be attracting attention, to be enjoying great popularity

The new government has been riding high in the opinion polls for several months
now.


right Idioms
right and left

- on both sides, on all sides, everywhere
The child looked right and left before he crossed the road.

right as rain

- to be correct, to be genuine
The figures that I gave to my supervisor are as right as rain.

right at (a specific time/place)

- to be exactly at a specific time/place
The concert started right at 9:00 PM.

right away

- immediately
"I forgot to bring my book but I will go home and get it right away."




724

right down/up (someone's) alley

- to be ideally suited to someone's interests or abilities
The homepage development project was right down my alley and I was very happy to
do it.

right off the bat

- immediately, from the beginning
I told my boss right off the bat that we did not need a new computer for the office.

right on

- that`s right, yes (indicates approval for something)
The man yelled "right on" every time the politician promised a new program to lower
taxes.

right on time

- to be exactly at the correct time
The train arrived at the station right on time.

right out

- to say or tell something plainly or in a way that hides nothing
I told the new supervisor right out that I did not like him.

right side up

- with the correct side upwards

The bus drove off the highway and rolled over but it landed right side up when it
stopped.






725

right under one`s nose

- to be in an obvious or nearby place
I found the calculator right under my nose after searching for it for an hour.


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ring a bell

- to remind someone of something
The name does not ring a bell and I am sure that I have never heard of the man.

ring down the curtain on (something)

- to bring something to an end
The famous singer rang down the curtain on an evening of wonderful music.

ring in the New Year

- to celebrate the beginning of the new year
We decided to ring in the New Year at a party at my parent's house.

ring true

- to sound or seem true or likely
The predictions by the scientists are beginning to ring true.

ring up (someone)

- to telephone someone
You should ring up the police if you see a strange person around your house.



726

ring up (something)

- to add and record a sale on a cash register
I went to the cash register so the clerk could ring up the items that I had bought.

rip into (someone or something)

- to attack someone or something physically or verbally
My mother ripped into me when I came home late from the party.

rip off (someone or something)

- to cheat/rob someone or something
I was ripped off by the mechanic at the gas station.

ripe old age

- a very old age
My uncle was able to live to a ripe old age.

a ripple of excitement

- a series of quiet but excited whispers
There was a ripple of excitement in the concert hall when the singer walked onto the
stage.

a ripple of protest

- a small amount of quiet protest
There was only a ripple of protest when the government raised the gasoline tax.

Rise and shine!

- Get out of bed and begin the day!
"Rise and shine!" my father called to me in the morning.


727

rise to the bait

- to be lured by some kind of bait/enticement
My friend rose to the bait when I offered to help him if he would help me to do
something much more difficult.

rise to the occasion

- to meet the challenge of something
Our teacher rose to the occasion and was able to give a very good speech at the
banquet.

a risk of rain/showers/thunderstorms

- a chance of rain/showers/thunderstorms
There was a risk of showers so we decided not to go on a picnic today.

risk one's neck to (do something)

- to risk physical harm in order to do something
I risked my neck in order to rescue the cat that was on the roof.

rivet (someone's) attention

- to keep someone's attention fixed on something
The man on the side of the tall building riveted our attention as he continued to climb
up.

a road-hog

- a car driver who uses more than his share of the road
My father became angry at the road-hog who was in front of our car.

728

rob Peter to pay Paul

- to take from one person or thing to pay another
When the government began to take money from the education system to pay for the
medical system it was like robbing Peter to pay Paul.

rob the cradle

- to marry a person much younger than oneself
People said that my boss was robbing the cradle when he married the young woman at
our company.

rock the boat

- to upset the way things are
The woman is a very quiet worker and never likes to rock the boat at work.

roll around

- to return at a regular or usual time, to come back
Every time that his birthday rolls around he has a big party.

roll back (a price)

- to reduce a price to a previous amount
The prices at the computer store were rolled back during the big sale.

roll in

- to arrive in great numbers or quantity
The money has been rolling in since we started the new franchise.







729

roll out the red carpet

- to welcome an important guest by putting a red carpet down for him or her to walk
on
They rolled out the red carpet when the Queen came for a visit.

roll out the red carpet

- to make a big effort to greet and entertain someone
Whenever I visit my aunt she rolls out the red carpet for me.

roll up one`s sleeves

- to prepare to work hard or seriously at something
Everybody in our club rolled up their sleeves to help prepare for the party.

to be rolling in (something)

- to have large amounts of something (usually money)
My friend is rolling in money and never has to work.

a rolling stone

- a person who does not live or work in one place
The man is a rolling stone and I never know where to find him.

room and board

- food to eat and a place to live
The young man received room and board as part of his salary at the restaurant.

root for (someone or something)

- to cheer and encourage someone or something
I have been rooting for our hometown team since I was a child.


730

root (something) out

- to get rid of something completely

The new city government is trying to root out the wasteful practices of the previous
government.

rooted in (something)

- to be based on something
The popularity of the politician is rooted in his strong moral values and honesty.

rooted to the spot

- to be unable to move because of fear or surprise
The boy was rooted to the spot as he watched the dog attack the rabbit.

rope (someone) into (doing something)

- to persuade or pressure someone to do something
I did not want to help with the dinner but I was roped into helping by my best friend.

rotten to the core

- to be completely no good and worthless
The local government was rotten to the core and everyone was happy when they were
voted out of office.

rough-and-ready

- to be rough or crude but to be ready for something
The boat was rough-and-ready so we decided to take it for a ride.