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 466 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 466 TLFeBOOK 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- 467 Q 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 467 Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc . Click Here for Terms of Use. TLFeBOOK 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 468 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 468 TLFeBOOK 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 469 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 469 TLFeBOOK 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 470 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 470 TLFeBOOK 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. 471 R 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 471 Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc . Click Here for Terms of Use. TLFeBOOK 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 472 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 472 TLFeBOOK 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 473 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 473 TLFeBOOK 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 474 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 474 TLFeBOOK (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 475 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 475 TLFeBOOK . 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. 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 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