Rifle, rī′fl, v.t. to carry off by force: to strip, to rob: to whet, as a scythe.—n. Rī′fler. [O. Fr. rifler—Scand., Ice. hrífa, to seize.]
Rifle, rī′fl, v.t. to groove spirally, as a gun-barrel.—n. a musket with a barrel spirally grooved—many varieties, the Enfield, Minié, Martini-Henry, Chassepot, Mannlicher-repeating, Remington, Lee-Metford, &c.—ns. Rī′fle-bird, an Australian bird-of-Paradise; Rī′fle-corps, a body of soldiers armed with rifles; Rī′fleman, a man armed with a rifle; Rī′fle-pit, a pit dug to shelter riflemen; Rī′fle-range, a place for practice with the rifle; Rī′fling, the act of cutting spiral grooves in the bore of a gun; Rī′fling-machine′. [Scand.; Dan. rifle, to groove, freq. of rive, to tear.]
Rift, rift, n. an opening split in anything: a fissure: a veil: a fording-place.—v.t. to rive: to cleave.—v.i. to split: to burst open. [Rive.]
Rig, rig, v.t. to clothe, to dress: to put on: to equip: (naut.) to fit with sails and tackling:—pr.p. rig′ging; pa.t. and pa.p. rigged.—n. sails and tackling: an equipage, or turn-out, for driving, &c.: fishing-tackle: (coll.) costume, dress.—ns. Rig′ger, one who rigs or dresses: in machinery, a large cylindrical pulley, or narrow drum; Rig′ging, tackle: the system of cordage which supports a ship's masts and extends the sails: the roof; Rig′ging-loft, the place in a theatre from which the scenery is raised; Rig′ging-screw, a machine formed of a clamp worked by a screw; Rig′ging-tree, a roof-tree; Rig′-out, an outfit.—Rig out, to furnish with complete dress, &c.; Rig the market, to raise or lower prices artificially. [Scand.; Norw. rigga, to bandage, to put on sails, rigg, rigging.]
Rig, rig, n. (Scot.) a ridge: a path. [Ridge.]
Rig, rig, n. a frolic, trick: (obs.) a wanton.—v.i. to romp, act the wanton.—adj. Rig′gish (Shak.), wanton, lewd.—n. Rig′gite, one who plays rigs, a jester.—Run a rig, to play a trick; Run the rig upon, to play a trick upon. [Prob. wriggle.]
Rigadoon, rig-a-dōōn′, n. a lively dance for one couple, or its music: formerly in the French army, a beat of drum while culprits were being marched to punishment. [Fr. rigaudon.]
Rigation, rī-gā′shun, n. irrigation. [Irrigation.]
Rigescent, rī-jes′ent, n. growing stiff.
Riggle, rig′l, n. a species of sand-eel.