Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 731 rough-and-tumble - to be rough, a hard fighting or arguing style that does not follow any rules or laws It was a rough-and-tumble meeting at the city planning office last night. a rough guess - an approximate estimate/guess I made a rough guess about how many people would come to the party. rough it - to live in uncomfortable conditions without the usual comforts (such as on a camping trip) We were forced to rough it for a few days when the storm knocked out the electricity supply. rough up (someone) - to attack or hurt someone physically The three men roughed up the waiter at the hotel and were arrested by the police. round Idioms round off (something) - to change a number to the next higher or lower whole number We rounded off the figure as it was much too big. round out (something) - to finish something by doing something special We rounded out the celebration with a meal in a restaurant. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 732 round-robin letter - a letter written by a group of people with each person writing part of the letter We sent a round-robin letter to the other members of the staff to try and get help for the annual flea market. round-robin meeting/discussion/debate - a meeting or discussion in which each person in a group takes part We had a round-robin panel discussion on what we could do to help protect the environment. round-robin tournament/contest - a game or contest in which each player or team plays every other player or team in turn A round-robin tournament was held in order to choose the best team in the city. round-trip ticket - a train/bus/plane ticket that allows one to go to the destination and return home We purchased a round-trip ticket because it was cheaper than a one-way ticket. round up (someone or something) - to bring together or collect someone or something We were able to round up enough people to play a game of soccer last night. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 733 . royal treatment - very good treatment My parents received the royal treatment when they went to visit their relatives. rub Idioms rub elbows/shoulders with (someone) - to be in the same place as other people, to meet and mix with other people At the party we were able to rub shoulders with many important people. rub off on (someone) - to transmit a characteristic of one person to someone else The woman's habit of talking all the time has rubbed off on her friend as well. rub out (someone or something) - to destroy something completely, to kill/eliminate someone The government troops rubbed out the entire village. rub salt in (someone's) wound - to deliberately make someone's unhappiness/shame/misfortune worse My supervisor rubbed salt in my wound when he continued to criticize me for my mistake. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 734 rub (someone's) nose in it - to remind someone of something that he or she has done wrong Our supervisor always likes to rub our nose in it if we make a mistake. rub (someone) the wrong way - to irritate others with something that one says or does The woman's rude behavior always rubs me the wrong way. rub (something) in - to talk or joke about something that someone said or did "I know that I made a mistake but you should not rub it in." rub (something) off - to remove or to be removed by rubbing, to erase something The teacher rubbed off the writing on the whiteboard. . ruffle feathers - to point feathers outward (used for a bird) The bird ruffled its feathers as the cat approached the cage. ruffle (someone's) feathers - to upset or annoy someone I do not want to ruffle my friend's feathers as he is in a bad mood today. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 735 ruin of (someone or something) - the cause of someone's destruction/failure I think that the poor business skills of my uncle will be the ruin of him. a rule of thumb - a basic or accepted pattern or rule It is a rule of thumb in the fire department that nobody goes into a burning building by themselves. rule out (someone or something) - to decide against or eliminate someone or something They still have not ruled out using the new player during the tournament. rule the roost - to be the dominant figure in a family The woman seems rather quiet but she rules the roost in her family. rump session - a meeting held after a larger meeting After the convention I attended a rump session which was very interesting. run Idioms run a fever/temperature - to have a body temperature higher than normal The little boy was running a fever so his parents decided to call the doctor. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 736 run a risk of (something) - to be open to danger or loss You run a risk of going to jail if you drive after drinking. run a tight ship - to run an organization/one's life/a ship in an orderly and disciplined manner My friend runs a tight ship and makes few mistakes in his life. run afoul of (someone or something) - to get into trouble with someone or something The young man ran afoul of the law and got into much trouble. run after (someone) or (something) - to chase someone The young boys were running after the small dog. run an errand - to take a short trip to do a specific thing I was late for work because I had to run an errand in the morning. run around - to go to various places to do things We ran around all day and now we are very tired. run around in circles - to act confused, to do a lot but accomplish little I have been running around in circles all day but I can`t seem to get anything done. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 737 run around like a chicken with its head cut off - to be in a state of chaos, to run around with what seems to be no purpose I spent the morning running around like a chicken with its head cut off when I heard that my mother was in the hospital. run around with (someone) - to be friends and do things with someone or with a group My cousin's son is running around with a bad group of people. run away with (someone) - to go away with someone, to elope with someone The girl ran away with her boyfriend and got married. run away with (someone) - to take hold of someone Their imagination ran away with the boys when they went to the circus and then decided that they wanted to join the circus. run away with (something) - to take something quickly and secretly without permission or by stealing Someone ran away with the new computer so now we do not have one. run away with (something) - to be much better than others, to win easily Our hometown team ran away with the football championship. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 738 run circles/rings around (someone) - to outrun/outdo someone The young boy is able to run circles around the others in his school. run counter to (something) - to be in opposition to something The actions of the manager run counter to what he has always said that he believes. run down (someone or something) - to crash against and knock down someone or something A car ran down my dog last week. run down (someone) - to say bad things about someone, to criticize someone The girl is always running down her friends. That is why nobody likes her. to be run down - to get into poor health or condition, to look bad My friend has become run down since she started working at night. run for it - to dash for safety, to make a speedy escape When it started raining we ran for it and tried to get to the bus shelter. run for one's life - to run away to save one's life I ran for my life when I met the bear on the camping trip. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 739 run hot and cold - to be sometimes good/useful/effective/positive and sometimes the opposite The reviews of the new movie are running hot and cold and I do not know if I will go to see it. run in (somewhere) - to make a brief visit or stop somewhere I ran in to see my sister at her office before I left for the weekend. run in the family - to be a common family characteristic Being a left-handed golfer runs in our family. run into a brick wall - to come to a barrier against further progress I run into a brick wall whenever I try to talk to my boss about a problem at work. run into (someone) - to meet someone by chance I ran into my cousin when I was at the supermarket. run into (someone or something) - to hit someone or something, to crash into someone or something The car ran into the truck on the highway. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 740 run into (something) - to add up to something, to total something If you decide to stay in expensive hotels during your holiday it will run into a lot of money. run into (something) - to mix with something, to join with something During the hot weather the red paint ran into the white paint. run into (something - a fact/difficulty/problems/trouble) - to experience something, to encounter something I ran into trouble when I tried to cross the border with no visa. I ran into several facts about dinosaurs last night. run like clockwork - to run or progress very well The new production system runs like clockwork. run low on (something) - to near the end of a supply of something We are running low on rice so I must buy some soon. run-of-the-mill - ordinary, usual The restaurant was in a run-of-the-mill building but the food was superb. . - an approximate estimate/guess I made a rough guess about how many people would come to the party. rough it - to live in uncomfortable conditions without the usual comforts (such as on. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 732 round-robin letter - a letter written by a group of people with each person writing part of the letter We sent a round-robin letter to the other members of the staff to try and get. round-robin meeting/discussion/debate - a meeting or discussion in which each person in a group takes part We had a round-robin panel discussion on what we could do to help protect the environment.