Rictus, rik′tus, n. the gape of the bill: the throat of the calyx.—adj. Ric′tal. [L., a gaping.]
Rid, rid, v.t. to free: to deliver: to remove by violence: to clear: to disencumber: to expel: to separate: to despatch: (obs.) to banish, to kill:—pr.p. rid′ding; pa.t. and pa.p. rid.—ns. Rid′dance, act of ridding or freeing: destruction: the earth thrown up by a burrowing animal; Rid′der, one who rids or relieves.—A good riddance, a welcome relief; Get rid of, to get deliverance from. [A.S. hreddan, to snatch away; Ger. retten.]
Riddle, rid′l, n. an obscure description of something which the hearer is asked to name: a puzzling question: an enigma: anything puzzling, even a person.—v.i. to make riddles: to speak obscurely: to plait.—adj. Ridd′le-like (Shak.), like a riddle or enigma.—ns. Ridd′ler; Ridd′ling (Spens.), skill in explaining riddles.—adv. Ridd′lingly. [A.S. rǽdelse—rǽdan, to guess, to read—rǽd, counsel; cog. with Dut. raad, Ger. rath.]
Riddle, rid′l, n. a large sieve for separating coarser materials from finer.—v.t. to separate with a riddle, as grain from chaff: to make full of holes like a riddle, as with shot.—n.pl. Ridd′lings, siftings. [A.S. hridder; Gael. criathar.]
Riddlemeree, rid′l-me-rē′, n. rigmarole.
Ride, rīd, v.i. to be borne, as on horseback or in a carriage: to practise riding: to manage a horse: to float, as a ship at anchor: to move easily: to domineer: to overlap.—v.t. to do or perform by riding, as a race: to be carried through: to gallop through: to rest on so as to be carried: to control, esp. harshly:—pa.t. rōde; pa.p. rid′den.—n. act of riding: an excursion on horseback or in a vehicle: the course passed over in riding, a place for riding: a district inspected by an excise-officer: (print.) a fault caused by the overlapping of leads, &c.—adjs. Rī′dable, Rī′deable, capable of being ridden: passable on horseback.—n. Rī′der, one who rides on a horse: one who manages a horse: one who breaks a horse: a commercial traveller: an addition to a document after its completion, on a separate piece of paper: an additional clause: a mounted robber: a knight: a small forked weight which straddles the beam of a balance to measure the weight: a Dutch gold coin.—adjs. Rī′dered, having stakes laid across the bars; Rī′derless, without a rider; Rī′ding, used to ride or travel: suitable for riding on, as a horse.—n. a road for riding on: a district visited by an excise-officer.—n.pl. Rī′ding-bitts, the bitts to which a ship's cable is secured when riding at anchor.—ns. Rī′ding-boot, a high boot worn in riding; Rī′ding-clerk, a mercantile traveller; Rī′ding-commit′tee, a committee of ministers sent by the General Assembly to carry out an ordination or induction, where the local presbytery refused to act, under the Moderate domination in Scotland in the 18th century; Rī′ding-glove, a gauntlet; Rī′ding-hab′it, the long upper habit, garment, or skirt worn by ladies when riding; Rī′ding-hood, a hood formerly worn by women when riding.—n.pl. Rī′ding-in′terests (Scots law), interests depending on other interests.—ns. Rī′ding-light, a light hung out in the rigging at night when a vessel is riding at anchor; Rī′ding-mas′ter, one who teaches riding; Rī′ding-rhyme, the iambic pentameter, heroic verse—from its use in Chaucer's Tales of the Canterbury pilgrims; Rī′ding-robe, a riding-habit; Rī′ding-rod, a light cane for equestrians; Rī′ding-sail, a triangular sail; Rī′ding-school, a place where riding is taught, esp. a military school; Rī′ding-skirt, a skirt fastened round a woman's waist in riding; Ri′ding-spear, a javelin; Rī′ding-suit, a suit adapted for riding; Rī′ding-whip, a switch with short lash, used by riders; Bush′-rī′der, in Australia, a cross-country rider.—Ride a hobby, to pursue to excess a favourite theory; Ride and tie, to ride and go on foot alternately; Ride down, to overthrow, treat with severity; Ride easy, when a ship does not pitch—opp. to Ride hard, when she pitches violently; Ride in the marrow-bone coach(slang), to go on foot; Ride out, to keep afloat throughout a storm; Ride over, to domineer; Ride rough-shod, to pursue a course regardless of the consequences to others; Ride shank's mare (slang), to walk; Ride the high horse, to have grand airs; Ride the marches (see March); Ride the Spanish mare, to be put astride a boom as a punishment; Ride the wild mare (Shak.), to play at see-saw; Ride to hounds, to take part in a fox-hunt, esp. to ride close behind the hounds; Riding the fair, the ceremony of proclaiming a fair. [A.S. ridan; Dut. rijden, Ger. reiten.]
Rideau, rē-dō′, n. an eminence commanding a plain, covering the entrance to a camp, &c. [Fr.]
Ridge, rij, n. the back, or top of the back: anything like a back, as a long range of hills: an extended protuberance: a crest: the earth thrown up by the plough between the furrows, a breadth of ground running the whole length of the field, divided from those on either side by broad open furrows, helping to guide the sowers and reapers and effecting drainage in wet soils: the upper horizontal timber of a roof: the highest portion of a glacis.—v.t. to form into ridges: to wrinkle.—ns. Ridge′-band, that part of the harness of a cart which goes over the saddle; Ridge′-bone, the spine.—adj. Ridged, having ridges on a surface: ridgy.—ns. Ridge′-fill′et, a fillet between two flutes of a column; Ridge′-harr′ow, a harrow made to lap upon the sides of a ridge over which it passes; Ridge′-plough, a plough with a double mould-board; Ridge′-pole, the timber forming the ridge of a roof; Ridge′-rope, the central rope of an awning.—adj. Ridg′y, having ridges. [A.S. hrycg; Ice. hryggr, Ger. rücken, back.]
Ridgel, rij′el, n. a male animal with but one testicle.—Also Ridg′il, Ridg′ling—(Scot.) Rig′lan, Rig′got.
Ridicule, rid′i-kūl, n. wit exposing one to laughter: derision: mockery.—v.t. to laugh at: to expose to merriment: to deride: to mock.—n. Rid′i cūler.—v.t. Ridic′ūlise.—n. Ridicūlos′ity.—adj. Ridic′ūlous, deserving or exciting ridicule: absurd: (obs.) outrageous.—adv. Ridic′ūlously.—n. Ridic′ūlousness. [L. ridiculus—ridēre, to laugh.]