Ridicule noun [ French ridicule , Latin ridiculum a jest, from ridiculus . See Ridiculous .]
1. An object of sport or laughter; a laughingstock; a laughing matter.

[ Marlborough] was so miserably ignorant, that his deficiencies made him the ridicule of his contemporaries.

Buckle.

To the people . . . but a trifle, to the king but a ridicule .

Foxe.

2. Remarks concerning a subject or a person designed to excite laughter with a degree of contempt; wit of that species which provokes contemptuous laughter; disparagement by making a person an object of laughter; banter; -- a term lighter than derision .

We have in great measure restricted the meaning of ridicule , which would properly extend over whole region of the ridiculous, -- the laughable, -- and we have narrowed it so that in common usage it mostly corresponds to "derision", which does indeed involve personal and offensive feelings.

Hare.

Safe from the bar, the pulpit, and the throne,
Yet touched and shamed by ridicule alone.

Pope.

3. Quality of being ridiculous; ridiculousness. [ Obsolete]

To see the ridicule of this practice.

Addison.

Syn. -- Derision; banter; raillery; burlesque; mockery; irony; satire; sarcasm; gibe; jeer; sneer. -- Ridicule , Derision , Both words imply disapprobation; but ridicule usually signifies good-natured, fun-loving opposition without manifest malice, while derision is commonly bitter and scornful, and sometimes malignant.

Ridicule transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Ridiculed ; present participle & verbal noun Ridiculing .] To laugh at mockingly or disparagingly; to awaken ridicule toward or respecting.

I 've known the young, who ridiculed his rage.

Goldsmith.

Syn. -- To deride; banter; rally; burlesque; mock; satirize; lampoon. See Deride .

Ridicule adjective [ French] Ridiculous. [ Obsolete]

This action . . . became so ridicule .

Aubrey.

Ridiculer noun One who ridicules.

Ridiculize transitive verb To make ridiculous; to ridicule. [ Obsolete] Chapman.

Ridiculosity noun The quality or state of being ridiculous; ridiculousness; also, something ridiculous. [ Archaic] Bailey.

Ridiculous adjective [ Latin ridiculosus , ridiculus , from ridere to laigh. Confer Risible .]
1. Fitted to excite ridicule; absurd and laughable; unworthy of serious consideration; as, a ridiculous dress or behavior.

Agricola, discerning that those little targets and unwieldy glaives ill pointed would soon become ridiculous against the thrust and close, commanded three Batavian cohorts . . . to draw up and come to handy strokes.

Milton.

2. Involving or expressing ridicule. [ r.]

[ It] provokes me to ridiculous smiling.

Shak.

Syn. -- Ludicrous; laughable; risible; droll; comical; absurd; preposterous. See Ludicrous .

--- Ri*dic"u*lous*ly , adverb -- Ri*dic"u*lous*ness , noun

Riding (rīd"ĭng) noun [ For thriding , Icelandic þriðjungr the third part, from þriði third, akin to English third . See Third .] One of the three jurisdictions into which the county of York, in England, is divided; -- formerly under the government of a reeve. They are called the North , the East , and the West , Riding . Blackstone.

Riding adjective
1. Employed to travel; traveling; as, a riding clerk. "One riding apparitor." Ayliffe.

2. Used for riding on; as, a riding horse.

3. Used for riding, or when riding; devoted to riding; as, a riding whip; a riding habit; a riding day.

Riding clerk . (a) A clerk who traveled for a commercial house . [ Obsolete Eng.] (b) One of the "six clerks" formerly attached to the English Court of Chancery. -- Riding hood . (a) A hood formerly worn by women when riding . (b) A kind of cloak with a hood. -- Riding master , an instructor in horsemanship. -- Riding rhyme (Pros.) , the meter of five accents, with couplet rhyme; -- probably so called from the mounted pilgrims described in the Canterbury Tales. Dr. Guest. -- Riding school , a school or place where the art of riding is taught.

Riding noun
1. The act or state of one who rides.

2. A festival procession. [ Obsolete]

When there any riding was in Cheap.

Chaucer.

3. Same as Ride , noun , 3. Sir P. Sidney.

4. A district in charge of an excise officer. [ Eng.]

Ridotto noun [ Italian , from Late Latin reductus a retreat. See Redoubt .] A favorite Italian public entertainment, consisting of music and dancing, -- held generally on fast eves. Brande & C.

There are to be ridottos at guinea tickets.

Walpole.

Ridotto intransitive verb To hold ridottos. [ R.] J. G. Cooper.

Ridotto noun [ See Redoubt .] (Music) An arrangement or abridgment of a piece from the full score.

Rie noun See Rye . [ Obsolete] Holland.

Rie grass . (Botany) (a) A kind of wild barley ( Hordeum pratense ) . Dr. Prior. (b) Ray grass. Dr. Prior.

Rief noun [ See Reave .] Robbery. [ Obsolete or Scot.]

Rietboc noun [ Dutch riet reed + bok buck.] (Zoology) The reedbuck, a South African antelope ( Cervicapra arundinacea ); -- so called from its frequenting dry places covered with high grass or reeds. Its color is yellowish brown. Called also inghalla , and rietbok .

Rifacimento noun ; plural Rifacimenti . [ Italian ] A remaking or recasting; an adaptation, esp. of a literary work or musical composition.

Rife adjective [ Anglo-Saxon rīf abundant, or Icelandic rīfr munificent; akin to OD. riff , rijve , abundant.]
1. Prevailing; prevalent; abounding.

Before the plague of London, inflammations of the lungs were rife and mortal.

Arbuthnot.

Even now the tumult of loud mirth
Was rife , and perfect in may listening ear.

Milton.

2. Having power; active; nimble. [ Obsolete]

What! I am rife a little yet.

J. Webster.

-- Rife"ly , adverb -- Rife"ness , noun

Riffle noun [ CF. German riffeln , riefeln , to groove. Confer Rifle a gun.] (Mining) A trough or sluice having cleats, grooves, or steps across the bottom for holding quicksilver and catching particles of gold when auriferous earth is washed; also, one of the cleats, grooves, or steps in such a trough. Also called ripple .

Riffle noun [ Confer Riffle a trough.] A ripple in a stream or current of water; also, a place where the water ripples, as on a shallow rapid. [ Local, U. S.]

The bass have left the cool depth beside the rock and are on the riffle or just below it.

James A. Henshall.

Riffler noun [ See Riffle .] A curved file used in carving wool and marble.

Riffraff noun [ Middle English rif and raf every particle, Old French rif et raf . CF. Raff , and 1st Rifle .] Sweepings; refuse; the lowest order of society. Beau. & Fl.

Rifle transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Rifled ; present participle & verbal noun Rifling .] [ French rifler to rifle, sweep away; of uncertain origin. CF. Raff .]
1. To seize and bear away by force; to snatch away; to carry off.

Till time shall rifle every youthful grace.

Pope.

2. To strip; to rob; to pillage. Piers Plowman.

Stand, sir, and throw us that you have about ye:
If not, we'll make you sit and rifle you.

Shak.

3. To raffle. [ Obsolete] J. Webster.

Rifle intransitive verb
1. To raffle. [ Obsolete] Chapman.

2. To commit robbery. [ R.] Bp. Hall.

Rifle noun [ Akin to Danish rifle , or riffel , the rifle of a gun, a chamfer (cf. riffel , riffel bösse, a rifle gun, rifle to rifle a gun, German riefeln , riefen , to chamfer, groove), and English rive . See Rive , and confer Riffle , Rivel .]
1. A gun, the inside of whose barrel is grooved with spiral channels, thus giving the ball a rotary motion and insuring greater accuracy of fire. As a military firearm it has superseded the musket.

2. plural (Mil.) A body of soldiers armed with rifles.

3. A strip of wood covered with emery or a similar material, used for sharpening scythes.

Rifle pit (Mil.) , a trench for sheltering sharpshooters.

Rifle transitive verb
1. To grove; to channel; especially, to groove internally with spiral channels; as, to rifle a gun barrel or a cannon.

2. To whet with a rifle. See Rifle , noun , 3.

Riflebird noun (Zoology) Any one of several species of beautiful birds of Australia and New Guinea, of the genera Ptiloris and Craspidophora , allied to the paradise birds.

» The largest and best known species is Ptiloris paradisea of Australia. Its general color is rich velvety brown, glossed with lilac; the under parts are varied with rich olive green, and the head, throat, and two middle tail feathers are brilliant metallic green.

Rifleman noun ; plural Rifleman (Mil.) A soldier armed with a rifle.

Rifler noun One who rifles; a robber.

Rifling noun (a) The act or process of making the grooves in a rifled cannon or gun barrel. (b) The system of grooves in a rifled gun barrel or cannon.

Shunt rifling , rifling for cannon, in which one side of the groove is made deeper than the other, to facilitate loading with shot having projections which enter by the deeper part of the grooves.

Rift obsolete past participle of Rive . Spenser.

Rift noun [ Written also reft .] [ Danish rift , from rieve to rend. See Rive .]
1. An opening made by riving or splitting; a cleft; a fissure. Spenser.

2. A shallow place in a stream; a ford.

Rift transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Rifted ; present participle & verbal noun Rifting .] To cleave; to rive; to split; as, to rift an oak or a rock; to rift the clouds. Longfellow.

To dwell these rifted rocks between.

Wordsworth.

Rift intransitive verb
1. To burst open; to split. Shak.

Timber . . . not apt to rif with ordnance.

Bacon.

2. To belch. [ Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

Rifter noun A rafter. [ Obsolete] Holland.

Rig noun [ See Ridge .] A ridge. [ Prov. or Scott.]

Rig transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Rigged ; present participle & verbal noun Rigging .] [ Norweg. rigga to bind, particularly, to wrap round, rig; confer Anglo-Saxon wrīhan to cover.]
1. To furnish with apparatus or gear; to fit with tackling.

2. To dress; to equip; to clothe, especially in an odd or fanciful manner; -- commonly followed by out .

Jack was rigged out in his gold and silver lace.

L'Estrange.

To rig a purchase , to adapt apparatus so as to get a purchase for moving a weight, as with a lever, tackle, capstan, etc. -- To rig a ship (Nautical) , to fit the shrouds, stays, braces, etc., to their respective masts and yards.

Rig noun
1. (Nautical) The peculiar fitting in shape, number, and arrangement of sails and masts, by which different types of vessels are distinguished; as, schooner rig , ship rig , etc. See Illustration in Appendix.

2. Dress; esp., odd or fanciful clothing. [ Colloq.]

Rig noun [ Confer Wriggle .]
1. A romp; a wanton; one given to unbecoming conduct. [ Obsolete] Fuller.

2. A sportive or unbecoming trick; a frolic.

3. A blast of wind. [ Prov. Eng.] Wright.

That uncertain season before the rigs of Michaelmas were yet well composed.

Burke.

To run a rig , to play a trick; to engage in a frolic; to do something strange and unbecoming.

He little dreamt when he set out
Of running such a rig .

Cowper.

Rig intransitive verb To play the wanton; to act in an unbecoming manner; to play tricks. " Rigging and rifling all ways." Chapman.

Rig transitive verb To make free with; hence, to steal; to pilfer. [ Obsolete or Prov.] Tusser.

To rig the market (Stock Exchange) , to raise or lower market prices, as by some fraud or trick. [ Cant]

Riga fir [ So called from Riga , a city in Russia.] (Botany) A species of pine ( Pinus sylvestris ), and its wood, which affords a valuable timber; -- called also Scotch pine , and red or yellow deal . It grows in all parts of Europe, in the Caucasus, and in Siberia.

Rigadoon noun [ French rigadon , rigaudon .] A gay, lively dance for one couple, -- said to have been borrowed from Provence in France. W. Irving.

Whose dancing dogs in rigadoons excel.

Wolcott.

Rigarion noun [ Latin rigatio , from rigare to water.] See Irrigation . [ Obsolete]

Rigel noun [ Arabic rijl , properly, foot.] (Astron.) A fixed star of the first magnitude in the left foot of the constellation Orion. [ Written also Regel .]

Rigescent adjective [ Latin rigescens , present participle from rigescere to grow stiff.] Growing stiff or numb.

Rigger noun
1. One who rigs or dresses; one whose occupation is to fit the rigging of a ship.

2. A cylindrical pulley or drum in machinery. [ R.]

Rigger noun (Painting) A long slender, and pointed sable brush for making fine lines, etc.; -- said to be so called from its use by marine painters for drawing the lines of the rigging.

Rigging noun DRess; tackle; especially (Nautical) , the ropes, chains, etc., that support the masts and spars of a vessel, and serve as purchases for adjusting the sails, etc. See Illustr . of Ship and Sails .

Running rigging (Nautical) , all those ropes used in bracing the yards, making and shortening sail, etc., such as braces, sheets, halyards, clew lines, and the like. -- Standing rigging (Nautical) , the shrouds and stays.

Riggish adjective Like a rig or wanton. [ Obsolete] " Riggish and unmaidenly." Bp. Hall.

Riggle intransitive verb See Wriggle .

Riggle noun The European lance fish. [ Prov. Eng.]