rack 
anil manger, secure and careless of any thing else hut of 
carrying on tin' (treat work which he had begun . . . 
The Pagan Prince (1690). (Nam.) 
A Mustering, dissipated human figure . . . tearing out 
the Iwwels of St. Edmundsbury Convent (its larders name- 
ly ami cclhirs) in the most ruinous way, by living at rack 
and manger there. Carlyle, fast and I'resent, ii. 1. 
To put to the rack, to subject to the torture of the rack ; 
cause to be racked ; hence, to torment with or about any- 
thing ; subject to a state of keen suffering. 
rack- (rak), H. [< ME. "rakke, < AS. lireacca, 
lirccra, Jireca, the back of the head (L. occiput; 
Sweet, Old Eng. Texts, p. 549).] The neck and 
spino of a fore quarter of veal or mutton, or 
the neck of mutton or pork. Halliirell. 
A rack of mutton, sir. 
And half a lamb. Middletnn, Chaste Maid, II. 2. 
racket (rak), i: i. [Altered, to conform to 
rooft 8 , ., from ME. reken (pret. rac), drive, 
move, tend, < Icel. reka, drive, drift, toss, = 
Sw. vraka = Dan. vrage, reject, drift, = AS. 
wrecaii, drive, wreak, E. wreak: see wreak. 
Of. rack&, re.] 1. To drive; move ; go forward 
rapidly; stir. 
His spere to his heorte rac. Layamon, 1. 9320. 
To her sone sche gan to reke. Octoman, 1. 182. 
Ichwule forthur reke. Out and Nightingale, 1. 1606. 
2. To drive, as flying clouds. 
Three glorious suns, each one a perfect sun; 
Not separated with the racking clouds, 
Rut sever'd in a pale clear-shining sky. 
Shale., 3 Hen. VI., ii. i. 27. 
The clouds rack clear before the sun. B. Jonson. 
rack 3 (rak), ti. [< ME. rac, rak, rakke, < Icel. 
rek, drift, a thing drifted ashore, jetsam; cf. 
reki, drift, jetsam; < reka, drive, drift: see 
rack 3 , v. Cf. rack* = irrack 1 , wreck.] Thin fly- 
ing broken clouds ; also, any mass of floating 
vapor in the sky. 
There a tempest horn toke on the torres hegh : 
A rak and a royde wynde rose in hor saile. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 19S4. 
The great globe itself, 
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve 
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded. 
Leave not a rack behind. 
Shak., Tempest, iv. 1. 166. 
Up-piled 
The cloudy rack slow journeying in the west. 
Keatx, Endymion, ii. 
As when across the sky the driving rack of the rain-cloud 
Grows for a moment thin, and betrays the sun by its 
brightness. Longfellow, Miles Standish, ix. 
rack 4 (rak), H. [Another spelling of wrack : see 
wrack 1 , n., and cf. rack 3 , from the same ult. 
source.] Same as wrack 1 : now used in the 
phrases to go to rack, to go to rack and ruin. 
We fell to talk largely of the want of some persons un- 
derstanding to look after the business, but all goes to rack. 
Pepi/*. 
rack 5 (rak), n. [A var. of rake 2 , a path, track: 
Bee rake 2 .] 1. A rude narrow path, like the 
track of a small animal. HaUiwett. [Prov. 
Eng.] 2. A rut in a road, HnlUweU. [Prov. 
Eng.] 
rack 6 (rak), v. A dialectal form of reck. 
rack 7 t (rak), v. t. [A dial, form for what would 
be reg. "retell, < ME. reeehen, racchen, recheit 
(pret. rahte, rehte, raugte), rule, < AS. reecan, 
direct, extend, reach forth, explain, say: see 
rack 1 , and cf. retell 1 and reckon.'] To relate; 
tell. HalKwttt. 
rack 8 (rak), v. i. [Perhaps a particular use of 
rack 3 ,v. By some supposed to be a var. of rock*.] 
To move with the gait called a rack. 
His Rain-deer, racking with proud and stately pace, 
Giveth to his flock a right beautiful grace. 
Peele, An Eclogue. 
Berratto [It.], a bonlting cloth, asieue; tracking of a 
horse. Borattare, to sift or boult meale. Also a racking 
between an amble and a trot. Florio. 
rack 8 (rak), H. [< rack*, /.] A gait of the horse 
between a trot and a gallop (or canter), in which 
the fore feet move as in a slow gallop, while the 
hind feet move as in a trot (or pace), it is usu- 
ally an artificial gait, but is sometimes hereditary or natu- 
ral. There is much confusion of terms in respect to this 
ftait. due to the fact that the gait itself is somewhat varied, 
according as the racker carries the one or the other fore 
foot foremost in the galloping motion of the fore feet ; that 
many confound the rack with the pace, the two words 
often being used as synonymous; and that many have 
mistaken the use of the words pace and atnble. There is 
abundant evidence that the American "pace" of to-day is 
the "amble" of Europeans of the last century and earlier. 
The motion of the hind feet is the same in the trot, the 
pace, and the rack. In the trot the diagonal hind and 
fore feet move nearly simultaneously. In the pace or 
amble the hind and fore feet of the same side move nearly 
simultaneously. See cut in next column. 
rack (rak), . [A var. of rock 3 , by confusion 
with rack 1 . Cf. n/rkS, a supposed var. of rock 2 .] 
A distaff; a rock. 
310 
4929 
Successive Positions of a Horse in one Stride of the Rack. (After 
instnntancnus photographs by Eadweard Muybridge.) 
The sisters turn the wheel, 
Empty the woolly rack, and fill the reel. 
Dryden, tr. of Virgil's Georgics, iv. 423. 
rack 10 (rak), '. t. [Appar. first in pp. racked, 
rackt ; < OF. raquer, pp. raque, in rin raque, 
"small or corse wine, squeezed from the dregs 
of the grapes, already drained of all their best 
moisture " (Cotgrave) ; origin uncertain ; ac- 
cording to Wedgwood, < Languedoc araca, rack, 
< men, husks or dregs of grapes; according to 
Skeat, for orig. *rasqxer Sp. Pg. Pr. rascar, 
scratch; cf. Sp. Pg. rasgar, tear apart: see 
/VM/|5.] To draw off from the lees ; draw off, 
as pure liquor from its sediment: as, to rack 
cider or wine ; to rack off liquor. 
Rackt wines that is, wines cleansed and so purged that 
it may be and is drawne from the leese. Mintheu, 1617. 
rack 11 (rak), n. [Partly by apheresis from ar- 
rack; cf. Sp. raque, arrack, Turk, raqi, a spir- 
ituous drink, from the same ult. source : see ar- 
rack.'] 1. Same as arrack. 
Their ordinary drink is Tea : but they make themselves 
merry with hot Rack, which sometimes also they mix with 
their Tea. Dampier, Voyages, II. 1. 63. 
2. A liquor made chiefly of brandy, sugar, 
lemons (or other fruit), and spices. Bfilliwell. 
Rack punch, a punch made with arrack. 
I don't love rack punch. Sictft, To Stella, xxxv. 
If slices of ripe pineapple be put into good arrack, and 
the spirit kept for a considerable time, it mellows down and 
acquires a very delicious flavour. This quality is much 
valued for making rack-punch. 
Spom' Encyc. Manuf., I. 220. 
rack la (rak), H. [Origin obscure.] A young 
rabbit. See the quotation. 
Rack*, or young rabbits about two months old, which 
have not lost their first coat. Ure, Diet., IV. 380. 
rackabones (rak'a-bonz), . [< rack 1 , v., + a 
(insignificant) +"boncs.] A very lean person 
or animal. [Colloq., U. S.] 
He is a little afraid that this mettlesome charger can- 
not be trusted going down hill ; otherwise he would let 
go of the old rackabones that hobbles behind [the vehicle). 
New York Tribune. June 13, 1862. 
rackapelt (rak'a-pelt), H. [Cf. rackabonen.~\ 
An idle rascal. Halliwell. [Prov. Eng.] 
rackarock (rak'a-rok), n. [< rack 1 , v., + a 2 + 
rock 1 . Cf. rendrock.] An explosive consisting 
of about three parts of potassium chlorate to 
one part of nitrobenzol. 
rack-bar (rak'bar), n. Naut., a billet of wood 
used to twist the bight of a rope called a swifter, 
in order to bind a raft firmly together. 
rack-block (rak'blok), n. Naut., a range of 
sheaves cut in one piece of wood for running- 
ropes to lead through. 
rack-calipers (rak'kal"i-perz), n. pi. Calipers 
of which the legs are actuated by a rack-and- 
pinion motion. E. H. Knight. 
rack-car (rak'kar), n. A freight-car roofed 
over and with sides formed of slats with open 
spaces between. 
rack-compass (rak'kum"pas), . A joiners' 
compass with a rack adjustment. E. H. Knight. 
racker 1 (rak'r), n. [= D. rakker = MLG. rack- 
er, raclier, LG. rakker = G. racker = Sw. rack- 
tin- = D:iu. rakker; as rack 1 , r., + -er 1 .] 1. 
One who puts to the rack; a torturer or tor- 
racket 
mentor. 2. One who wrests, twists, or dis- 
torts. 
Such rackerx of orthography. Shak., L. L. L., v. 1. 21. 
3. One who harasses by exactions : ;is. ;i jw/.vr 
of tenants. .s'ic//V, 
racker 2 (nik'i-r), . [< rack& + -er 1 .] Ahorse 
tlnit inoves with a racking triiit. 
racker 3 (rak'er), n. [< rack + -er 1 .] A de- 
vice for racking liquor, or drawing it off from 
the lees; also, a person who racks liquors. 
The filling of casks Is effected by Smith's rackers. 
Engineer, LXVI. 151. 
racket 1 (rak'et), n. [< Gael, racnid, a noise, 
disturbance, < rac, make a noise like geese or 
ducks; Ir. racan, noise, riot. Cf. ruckle.'] 1. 
A disorderly, confusing noise, as of commin- 
gled play or strife and loud talk ; any prolonged 
clatter; din; clamor; hurly-burly. 
Pray. what 's all that racket over our heads? . . . My 
brother and I can scarce hear ourselves speak. 
Sterne, Tristram Shandy, it 6. 
2. A disturbance ; a row ; also, a noisy gath- 
ering; a scene of clamorous or eager merri- 
ment. [Colloq.] 
Chav. Adzfiesh, forsooth, yonder haz been a most heavy 
racket; by the zide of the wood there is a curious hansom 
gentlewoman lies as dead as a herring, and bleeds like 
any stuck pig. Unnatural Mother (1698). (Nares.) 
3. A clamorous outburst, as of indignation or 
other emotion; a noisy manifestation of feel- 
ing: as, to make a racket about a trifle; to 
raise a racket about one's ears. [Colloq.] 4. 
Something going on, whether noisily and open- 
ly or quietly; a special proceeding, scheme, 
project, or the like : a slang use of very wide 
application: as, what's the racket? (what is 
going on J) ; to go on a racket (to engage in a 
lark or go on a spree) ; to be on to a person's 
racket (to detect his secret aim or purpose) ; to 
work the racket (to carry on a particular scheme 
or undertaking, especially one of a "shady" 
character) ; to stand the racket (to take the 
consequences, or abide the result). 
He is ready as myself to stand the racket of subsequent 
proceedings. 
Daily Telegraph (London), Sept. 8, 1882. (Encyc. Diet.) 
He had been off on the racket, perhaps for a week at a 
time. 
Daily Telegraph (LondonX Nov. 16, 188fl. (Encyc. Diet.) 
"Lucky I learned that signal rfflcJte(,"said Jack, as, still 
at a furious pace, he made cuts in different directions 
with his extemporized flag. The Century, XXXIX. 527. 
To give the name of legislation to the proceedings at 
Albany over the Fair Bill yesterday would be an abuse of 
language. The proper name for them was "tumbling to 
the racket." The Assembly passed the bill without de- 
bate and almost unanimously, much as they might pass a 
bill authorizing a man to change his name. 
New York Evening Pout, Jan. 29, 1890. 
5. A smart stroke; a rap. [Prov. Eng. and 
Scotch.] 
racket 1 (rak'et), r. [< racket!, n.] I. intrutis. 1. 
To make a rattling or clattering noise; raise a 
tumult; move noisily. 
The wind blazed and racketed through the narrow space 
between the house and the hill. S. Judd, Margaret, 17. 
2. To engage or take part in a racket of any 
kind; frequent noisy or tumultuous scenes; 
carry on eager or energetic action of some spe- 
cial kind. [Colloq.] 
Old Gineral Pierpont, his gret-gret-grandfather, was a 
glneral in the British army in Injy, an' he racketed round 
'mong them nabobs out there, an 1 got no end o' gold an' 
precious stones. H. B. Stowe, Oldtown, p. 571. 
3. To be dissipated ; indulge to excess in social 
pleasures. [Colloq.] 
I have been racketing lately, having dined twice with 
Rogers and once with Grant. 
Macaulay, in Trevelyan, I. 302. 
II. trans. To utter noisily or tumultuously ; 
clamor out. [Rare.] 
Then think, then speak, then drink their sound again. 
And racket round about this body's court 
These two sweet words, "Tis safe. 
B. Jonson, Case is Altered, iv. 4. 
racket 2 (rak'et), n. [Also racquet, raquet; < 
ME. raket = D. rakct= MLG. ragget=G. racket, 
raket, rakett = Dan. Sw. raket, < OP. assibi- 
lated rnehete, raclictte, rasquete, raxquette, a 
racket, battledore, also the palm of the hand, 
F. rnquette, a racket, battledore, < Sp. raqueta 
= It. racclietta, also Jncclictta. a racket, battle- 
dore (cf. ML. racha), < Ar. raliat, palm of the 
hand, pi. rah, the palms ; i'f. palmi, 1, the game 
so called, tennis.] 1. The instrument with 
which players at tennis and like games strike 
the ball ; a bat consisting usually of a thin strip 
of wood bent into a somewhat elliptical hoop, 
