The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (64 page)

reverie (revaree, revree) FRENCH [from
reverie daydream, from rever to dream]
noun a daydream, an idle fancy or an
abstract, dreamy, meditative state of
mind: "She went into a reverie, trying to
imagine herself on a beach with the sound
of the waves in her ears."

revue (ray)Loo) FRENCH [review,
survey] noun a variety of theatrical entertainment comprising songs,
sketches, and dancing: "Toward the end
of her career she became a star of cabaret
and revue."

rex (reks) LATIN [king] noun king, a
reigning male monarch.

rhadamanthine (radamanthin) GREEK
[after Rhadamanthus, the son of Zeus
and Europa in Greek mythology,
who became a judge in the underworld] adjective inflexibly severe
or strict: "As a judge he dispensed justice with rhadamanthine rigor, becoming
notorious for the length of sentences he
imposed."

rhombus (rombas) GREEK [rhombos
lozenge] noun (plural rhombuses or rhombi, rombi, rombee) a parallelogram with four equal sides and
two acute and two obtuse angles:
"... in this artiste's hands meat assumed
the flavor offish, fish of mushrooms, macaroni of gunpowder; to make up for this, not
a single carrot went into the soup without
taking the shape of a rhombus or a trapezium" (Ivan Turgenev, A Hunter's Notes,
1847-51).

ricksha (Likshah), rickshaw JAPANESE [from jinrikisha person-power
vehicle] noun a traditional Japanese
hooded two-wheeled vehicle drawn
by one or two people: A ricksha conveyed the ambassador to the residency."

ricochet (rikashay) FRENCH [to
rebound] noun a rebound. verb
to rebound, glance off, bounce back:
"The bullet ricocheted off the oil barrel
and hit the light, throwing the whole
room into complete darkness."

ricotta (rikota) ITALIAN [recooked,
from ricuocere to cook again] noun a
variety of Italian soft, white, unripened, unsalted whey cheese; may also
apply to a type of cheese made from
whole or skimmed milk.

rictus (riktas) LATIN [open mouth,
from ringi to open the mouth] noun
the mouth orifice; a gaping grin or
grimace: "A rictus of cruel malignity lit
up greyly their old bony faces" (James
Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young
Man, 1914-15).

rien ne va plus (reean(g) na va
iQ) FRENCH [no more goes] interjection no more bets (announcement made by the croupier in roulette
when the wheel starts to spin).

rigatoni (rigatonee) ITALIAN [from
rigato furrowed] noun (in Italian
cuisine) a type of pasta shaped into
hollow fluted tubes.

rigor mortis (rigar mortis) LATIN
[stiffness of death] noun phrase the
stiffening of the body that takes place
after death: "Rigor mortis had set in, and
it was with dfculty that the corpse was
wrestled into a body bag."

rijsttafel (r stahfal) DuTCH [from rijst
rice and tafel table] noun (in Indonesian cuisine) a meal comprising
various meat, vegetable, and seafood
dishes accompanied by rice.

rinforzando (rinfortsando) ITALIAN [present participle of rinforzare to
strengthen] adverb (in music) a sudden crescendo. -adjective with a sudden
crescendo.

rio (reeo) SPANISH [river] noun river.

R.I.P. See REQUIESCAT IN PACE.

riposte (ri ) FRENCH [counterthrust, from Italian riposta answer]
noun a swift or clever retaliatory
remark, retort, or action: "`Pace gives
life,' was the riposte" (Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1890). verb
to make such a retort or retaliatory
response.

risorgimento (reezorjimento) ITALIAN
[rising again, from risorgere to rise
again] noun (plural risorgimentos or
risorgimenti, reezorjimentee) a
revival or renaissance (often referring specifically to the Risorgimento
movement that resulted in the unification of Italy in the 19th century).

risotto (rizoto) ITALIAN [from riso
rice] noun (in Italian cuisine) a seasoned dish of rice cooked in meat
stock.

risque (rises) FRENCH [risky, past
participle of risquer to risk] adjective
daring, indelicate, improper, indecent: "The old man made a few risque
remarks about the waitress but otherwise
behaved himself reasonably well."

rissole (risol) FRENCH [from Old
French ruissole, ultimately from Latin
russus red] noun a variety of meatball
coated in breadcrumbs and fried.

ritardando (ritahrdando) ITALIAN
[present participle of ritardare to
slow down, ultimately from Latin
retardare to retard] adverb (in music)
slowing in tempo. -'adjective becoming slower.

rite de passage (reet da pasahzh)
FRENCH [rite of passage] noun phrase

(plural rites de passage) a landmark
in life marking the transition from
one state of being to another, or a
ceremony or ritual celebrating this:
"Getting one's first car is one of those rites
de passage that seems commonplace enough
to the person concerned, but it is much
more signfcant to the parents."

ritenuto (reetanuuto) ITALIAN [retained,
restrained] adverb (in music) to he
played with an immediate reduction in
tempo, used in directions.

ritornello (ritornelo) ITALIAN [from
ritorno return] noun (plural ritornellos
or ritornelli, ritornelce) a short
instrumental refrain or interlude in a
musical composition.

riviera (riveeaira, rivyaira)) ITALIAN
[coast, after the Riviera coast of SE
France] noun a coastal resort area:
"In the perpetual purposeless rush of their
days, the feverish making of winter plans,
hurrying off to the Riviera or St. Moritz,
Egypt or New York, there was no time to
hunt up the vanished or to wait for the
laggard"(Edith Wharton, Glimpses of the
Moon, 1922).

riviere (riveeair, rivyair) FRENCH
[river] noun a necklace of diamonds
or other precious stones.

robe de chambre (rob da shombra)
FRENCH [bedroom robe] noun phrase
a dressing gown or negligee: "Undressing is a woe; our robe de chambre / May sit like that of Nessus, and recall /
Thoughts quite as yellow, but less clear
than amber" (Lord Byron, Don Juan,
1819-24).

roche moutonnee (rosh
mootanaa) FRENCH [fleecy rock, from roche rock
and mouton sheep] noun phrase (plural
roches moutonnees) a rocky outcrop
that has been rounded and smoothed
by glacial erosion.

rococo (rokoko, rokako) FRENCH
[from rocaille pebblework] noun an
artistic or musical style featuring
fanciful curved forms and elaborate
decoration. adjective of or relating
to such an artistic or musical style;
ornate, elaborate, extravagant, florid:
"The picture frame was an extraordinary
rococo affair in dark mahogany, complete with trailing vines and fruit."

rodeo (rodeeo, r3 o) SPANISH [corral, from rodear to surround, ultimately from Latin rotare to rotate] noun a
roundup of livestock, or a public demonstration or competition in which
riders display their skills at roping
cattle or breaking horses: "He narrowly
escaped serious injury at his first rodeo when
he was tossed straight over the rails by a
bucking stallion."

rogan josh josh) URDU [from
rogan jos or raugan-jos stewed in ghee]
noun phrase (in Indian cuisine) a dish
of curried meat cooked in a spicy
sauce.

roi faineant (rwafayneeon ) FRENCH
[do-nothing king] noun phrase (plural
rois faineants) a person who exercises power in name only, or who is
too lazy to exercise any power he or
she actually has.

roi soleil (rwa soliy) FRENCH [sun
king] noun phrase (plural rois soleils)
an eminent person (often referring
specifically to Louis XIV of France,
who adopted the Sun as an emblem).

rollmop (rolmop) GERMAN [from
Rollmops, from rollen to roll and Mops
a pug dog] noun a raw fillet of herring,
rolled up around onion slices and
pickled in spiced vinegar.

romaine (roma),n) FRENCH [feminine
form of romainnRRoman] noun a variety a ariety of lettuce with a slender head and
long crisp leaves.

roman a clef (romon(g) a ki)
FRENCH [novel with a key] noun phrase
(plural romans a clef) a novel in
which real events or people are thinly
disguised as fiction.

roman a these (romon(g) a ta)Lz)
FRENCH [novel with a thesis] noun
phrase (plural romans a these) a
novel that presents or argues a particular thesis, a novel with a strong
didactic intent.

roman de geste (romon(g) da zhest)
FRENCH [romance of heroic deeds] noun phrase (plural romans de
geste) an epic poem on chivalric or
heroic themes, chanson de geste: "The
adventures of Charlemagne and his paladins became the subject of many a roman
de geste and are still told today."

Romanesque (romanesk) FRENCH [in
the Roman style] adjective of or relating to a style of architecture, in imitation of Roman architecture, that was
prevalent in Europe c. 900-1200, characterized by round arches, groin vaults,
barrel vaults, rectangular faces, and
square-edged projections.

roman-fleuve (romon(g)
-(r ev) FRENCH [river novel] noun (plural
romans-fleuves) a novel based on
a leisurely exploration of family life
(or of some other close-knit community).

roman policier (romon(g) poleeseeay)
FRENCH [police novel] noun phrase
(plural romans policiers) a detective story, particularly one by a French
author.

rondeau (rondo, rondo) FRENCH
[from rond round] noun (plural rondeaux, rondo, rondoz) a verse
form usually comprising 10 or 13
lines, in three stanzas, with the the
first line used as a repeated refrain;
may also refer to a type of popular
song of medieval French origin: At
that moment Lloyd Mallam, the poet,

owner of the Hafiz Book Shop, was finishing a rondeau to show how diverting was
life amid the feuds of medieval Florence,
but how dull it was in so obvious a place
as Zenith." (Sinclair Lewis, Babbitt,
1922).

rondo (rondo) ITALIAN [from French
rond round] noun a piece of instrumental music with a repeating refrain
or theme, often comprising the last
movement of a concerto or sonata.

ronin (ronin) JAPANESE [drifting person] noun (plural ronin or ronins)
(in Japanese history) a wandering former samurai with no master, following
the fall of his feudal lord.

rose (rOZ) FRENCH [pink] noun a
pale red-colored table wine made from
red grapes from which the skins have
been removed during fermentation.
-adjective pinkish or pale red in color:
"The sky had turned a delicate rose color
and the mountains had taken on a distinct
purple hue."

Rosh Hashanah (rosh hashahna, rosh
hashahna) HEBREW [head of the year]
noun the Jewish NewYear.

rOsti (rashtee, rostee) SWISS GERMAN
[fried grated potatoes] noun a Swiss
dish of grated potatoes, sometimes
mixed with onions, bacon, or cheese,
formed into a patty, and fried.

rostrum (rostram) LATIN [beak, from
rodere to gnaw, also applied to the
prow of a ship and hence to a platform in the Forum of ancient Rome
decorated with the prows of defeated
enemy ships and used by public orators] noun (plural rostrums or rostra,
rostra) a platform or piece of staging
from which a person may deliver a
speech or performance (often referring specifically to the stand from
which a conductor directs an orchestra): "As the speaker mounted the rostrum a
large over-ripe tomato exploded with satisfying gusto against the microphone stand."

YOti (rotee) FRENCH [roast] noun (in
French cuisine) a dish of roasted meat.
-adjective roasted.

rotisserie (rotishree, rotisree) FRENCH
[from ritir to roast] noun a type of
oven in which food may be rotated on
a spit while being roasted; may also
refer to a restaurant or shop serving
barbecued or roast meats.

rotunda (rotunda) LATIN [feminine of
rotundus round, circular] noun a circular building, typically topped by a
dome; may also refer to a large circular
hall or other area in a hotel or other
public building: "The corridor opened out
on the central rotunda of the library, where
the main reading room was situated."

roue (roo4) FRENCH [broken on the
wheel (referring to the punishment thought by some to be suitable for
pleasure-seeking profligates)] noun a
rake, a debauchee, a man with a reputation for dissolute living: Her father had for
years cultivated the air of an old roue, though
in reality he was usually in bed by ten o'clock
with a good book and a cup of cocoa."

rouge (roozh) FRENCH [red] noun a
reddish cosmetic powder or cream
used to color the cheeks or lips:
"The little girl watched intently as her
mother dabbed a little rouge on her cheeks."
verb to color the cheeks or lips with
rouge.

rouge-et-noir (roozhaynwahr) FRENCH
[red and black] noun phrase a card
game in which bets are placed on a
table marked with two red and two
black diamond spots.

roulade (roolahd) FRENCH [act of
rolling, from rouler to roll] noun (in
French cuisine) a cooking technique
in which food is prepared in the form
of a roll and served sliced: "The meal
was finished with generous slices of ice
cream roulade."

rouleau (roolo) FRENCH [from role
roll (referring originally to the roll
of paper from which actors formerly learned their parts)] noun (plural rouleaus or rouleaux, roolo,
rooloz) a small roll or cylinder of
coins or other objects: `Early in the
morning, the rouleau of gold was left at my door in a little box, with my name on
the outside." (Charles Dickens, A Tale of
Two Cities, 1859).

roulette (roolet) FRENCH [small
wheel, from rouelle wheel] noun a
gambling game played with a revolving
wheel divided into numbered compartments, participants betting on the
number where a spinning ball will
finally come to rest; may also refer to
the revolving wheel itself.

routier (rooteeay) FRENCH [ultimately from Latin rumpere to break]
noun a long-distance truck driver in
a French-speaking country.

roux (roo) FRENCH [browned, from
beurre roux brown butter] noun a
mixture of flour and butter used to
thicken soups and sauces.

R.S.V.P. See REPONDEZ S'IL vows
PLAIT.