AMERICAN IDIOMS STARTING WITH R | NEXT PAGE (S)
Welcome to our list of idiomatic expressions - Let us help you study English! These types of phrases are used by native speakers daily. Learn these idioms and you will be on your way to speaking English in a more natural way :)
(To) rack one's brain:
To try very hard to think of something. ex. "I racked my brain but I couldn't remember his name."
(To) rain cats and dogs:
To rain very hard. ex. "It was raining cats and dogs last night." NB: *Although this is a fun idiom, in our opinion it is ARCHAIC = it's best to say "It was raining very heavily" instead*
Rain or shine:
No matter what the weather is like.
(To) raise (some) eyebrows:
To shock. ex."The art show raised some eyebrows due to its explicit content."
(A) redneck:
Generally refers to someone who has either bigoted or narrow-minded opinions. Often used in the context of people who live in small towns or in the country.
(To) read between the lines:
To try to understand what is meant by something that is not written/said clearly. "Linda tried to be cheerful and said she was okay, but reading between the lines, I could see she was really upset."
(A) regular guy:
A normal, average man (said in a fairly positive way). "John? I don't know, I guess he's just a regular guy."
(To) rest one's case:
When someone says "I rest my case", it means that you both have just witnessed proof that their point of view/argument is correct.
Right off the bat:
Right away. Immediately. First thing.
(To) ring in the new year:
To celebrate the beginning of the New Year at midnight on December 31st.
(To) ring a bell:
To remind, vaguely recognize something. "Have you every listened to Alex Chilton? I'm not sure - the name rings a bell, though. ( = I think I've heard the name before)" or "I'm sorry, that doesn't ring a bell = I'm sorry I don't recognize/know that"
(A) rip-off or (To) rip-off:
"A" rip-off is something that costs more than it should. "The popcorn prices at the movie theater are a rip-off". "To" rip someone off means to steal from someone, or to cheat someone. "The mechanic ripped me off. He was supposed to give me back a 20 and he only gave me back 10."
(To) risk one's neck (to do something):
To risk (sometimes physical) harm to accomplish something. ex. "He's always been very mean to me. I don't plan to risk my neck to save his job."
(To) rob the cradle:
To go out with (or marry) someone who is much younger than you are. ex. "Victor's new wife is 25 years younger than him. Talk about robbing the cradle!"
(To) rock the boat:
To disturb an otherwise stable situation.
Rotten:
Bad, nasty. "I've done a lot of rotten things in the past."
(To) rub someone the wrong way:
To irritate someone. ex. "I'm not going out if your cousin is going. She really rubs me the wrong way."
(To) rub elbows with someone:
To associate with someone. ex. "When her singing career took off, Kathleen was able to rub elbows with the rich and famous."
(To) run a fever:
To have a fever.
(To) run in the family:
To happen/ occur often in the family (through generations). ex. "Frank is always so angry. Yeah, his bad temper runs in the family."
