[right field]{n.} The part of a baseball outfield to the batter’sright. •/Left-handed batters usually hit to right field./ Compare: CENTERFIELD, LEFT FIELD. — [right fielder] {n.} The outfielder in baseballwho plays in right field. •/The batter hit a high fly ball and the rightfielder caught it easily./

[right-hand man]{v. phr.} A valued and indispensable assistant.•/The chancellor of the university never goes anywhere without the vicechancellor, his right-hand man, whose judgment he greatly trusts./

[right on]{adj.}, {interj.}, {slang}, {informal} 1.Exclamation of animated approval "Yes," "That’s correct," "You’re telling thetruth," "we believe you," etc. •/Orator: And we shall see the promised land!Crowd: Right on!/ 2. Correct; to the point; accurate. •/The reverend’sremark was right on!/

[right out] or [straight out] {adv.} Plainly; in a way that hidesnothing; without waiting or keeping back anything. •/When Mother asked whobroke the window, Jimmie told her right out that he did it./ •/When Annentered the beauty contest her little brother told her straight out that shewas crazy./

[right side of the tracks] See: THE TRACKS.

[right-wing]{adj.} Being or belonging to a political group whichopposes any important change in the way the country is run. •/Some countrieswith right-wing governments have dictators./ Contrast: LEFT-WING.

[rig out]{v. phr.} To overdecorate; doll up; dress up. •/Ann arrivedall rigged out in her newest Parisian summer outfit./

[Riley] See: LIFE OF RILEY.

[ring] See: GIVE A RING, RUN CIRCLES AROUND or RUN RINGS AROUND, THREE-RINGCIRCUS, THROW ONE’S HAT IN THE RING.

[ring a bell]{v. phr.} To make you remember something; sound familiar.•/Not even the cat’s meowing seemed to ring a bell with Judy. She stillforgot to feed him./ •/When Ann told Jim the name of the new teacher itrang a bell, and Jim said, "I went to school with a James Carson."/

[ring in]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To bring in (someone orsomething) from the outside dishonestly or without telling; often: hire andintroduce under a false name. •/Bob offered to ring him in on the party bypretending he was a cousin from out of town./ •/No wonder their team beatus; they rang in a professional to pitch for them under the name of DanSmith./ 2. To ring a special clock that records the time you work. •/Wehave to ring in at the shop before eight o’clock in the morning./

[ringleader]{n. phr.} The chief of an unsavory group; a higher-up.•/The FBI finally caught up with the ringleader of the dope smugglers fromSouth America./

[ring out]{v.} To ring a special clock that records the time you leavework. •/Charles can’t leave early in his new job; he has to ring out./

[ring the changes]{v. phr.} To say or do the same thing in differentways; repeat the same idea in many ways. •/David wanted a new bicycle and hekept ringing the changes on it all day until his parents got angry at him./•/A smart girl saves money on clothes by learning to ring the changes on afew dresses and clothes./

[ring true]{v. phr.} To have a tone of genuineness; sound convincing.•/I believed his sob story about how he lost his fortune, because somehow itall rang true./

[ring up]{v.} 1. To add and record on a cash register. •/Thesupermarket clerk rang up Mrs. Smith’s purchases and told her she owed $33./•/Business was bad Tuesday; we didn’t ring up a sale all morning./ 2.{informal} To telephone. •/Sally rang up Sue and told her the news./

[riot] See: READ THE RIOT ACT, RUN RIOT.

[ripe] See: TIME IS RIPE.

[rip into] or [tear into] {v.}, {informal} 1. To start a fightwith; attack. •/The puppy is tearing into the big dog./ Syn.: PITCH INTO.2. To quarrel with; scold. •/Mrs. Brown ripped into her daughter for cominghome late./ Syn.: BAWL OUT, LACE INTO, LAY OUT, LET HAVE IT.

[rip off]{v.}, {slang} (Stress on "off") Steal. •/The hippiesripped off the grocery store./

[rip-off]{n.}, {slang} (Stress on "rip") An act of stealing orburglary. •/Those food prices are so high, it’s almost a rip-off./

[rise] See: GET A RISE OUT OF, GIVE RISE TO.

[rise from the ashes]{v. phr.} To rise from ruin; start anew. •/Ayear after flunking out of medical school, Don rose from the ashes and passedhis qualifying exams for the M.D. with honors./

[rise in the world] See: COME UP IN THE WORLD.

[rise to]{v.} To succeed in doing what is expected by tryingespecially hard in or on; show that you are able to do or say what is needed orproper in or on. •/Jane was surprised when the principal handed her theprize, but she rose to the occasion with a speech of thanks./ •/WhenMichael became sick on the day before the program, Paul rose to the need andlearned Michael’s part./

[rise up]{v. phr.} To stage a rebellion; revolt. •/The peoplefinally rose up and communism came to an end in Eastern Europe./

[risk] See: CALCULATED RISK, RUN A RISK.

[road] See: ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME, BURN UP THE ROAD, END OF THE ROAD, GETTHE SHOW ON THE ROAD, HIT THE ROAD, HUG THE ROAD, MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, ON THEROAD.

[road gang]{n.} A group of men who work at road construction.•/Football players often work with road gangs during summer vacations./

[road hog]{n.}, {informal} A car driver who takes more than hisshare of the road. •/A road hog forced John’s car into the ditch./

[road show]{n.} A theatrical play that is performed for a few days inone town and then moves to other towns. •/Many actors get their start in roadshows./ •/The road show is often not as good as the original play onBroadway./

[road sign]{n.} A sign on which there is information about a road orplaces; a sign with directions to drivers. •/The road sign read, "25 MPHLIMIT" but Jack drove along at fifty miles an hour./ •/The road sign saidWestwood was four miles away./

[road test]{n.} 1. A test to see if you can drive a car. •/Jim tookthe road test and got his driver’s license last week./ 2. A test to see if acar works all right on the road. •/Most new cars are given road tests beforethey are put on the market./ •/After he repaired the car, the mechanic gaveit a road test./

[roast] See: WEINER ROAST or HOT DOG ROAST.

[roasting ear]{n.} An ear of corn young and tender enough to be cookedand eaten; also corn cooked on the cob. •/The scouts buried the roasting earsin the coals of their campfire./ •/At the Fourth of July picnic we hadfried chicken and roasting ears./

[robbery] See: HIGHWAY ROBBERY.

[robin] See: ROUND ROBIN.

[rob Peter to pay Paul]{v. phr.} To change one duty or need foranother; take from one person or thing to pay another. •/Bill owed Sam adollar, so he borrowed another from Joe to pay Sam back. He robbed Peter to payPaul./ •/Trying to study a lesson for one class during another class islike robbing Peter to pay Paul./

[rob the cradle]{v. phr.}, {informal} To have dates with or marrya person much younger than yourself. •/When the old woman married a youngman, everyone said she was robbing the cradle./ — [cradle-robber]{n.} •/The judge died when he was seventy. He was a real cradle-robberbecause he left a thirty-year-old widow./ — [cradle-robbing] {adj.}or {n.} •/Bob is seventeen and I just saw him with a girl about twelveyears old. Has he started cradle-robbing? No, that girl was his sister, not hisdate!/