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English Idioms :: ruffle one's feathers
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ruffel.html - {v. phr.} Insult or disturb slightly; offend. * /The author ruffled some feathers by his portrait of his hometown./ |
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Traditional English :: ruff(1)
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ruffel.html - n. 1 a projecting starched frill worn round the neck esp. in the 16th c. 2 a projecting or conspicuously coloured ring of feathers or hair round a bird's or animal's neck. 3 a domestic pigeon like a jacobin. 4 (fem. reeve) a wading bird, Philomachus pugnax, of which the male has a ruff and ear-tufts in the breeding season. rufflike adj. [perh. f. ruff = ROUGH] |
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Traditional English :: ruff(2)
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ruffel.html - n. (also ruffe) any of various fish, esp. a perch-like freshwater fish, Gymnocephalus cernua, found in European lakes and rivers. [ME, prob. f. ROUGH] |
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Traditional English :: ruff(3)
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ruffel.html - v. & n. --v.intr. & tr. trump at cards. --n. an act of ruffing. [orig. the name of a card-game: f. OF roffle, rouffle, = It. ronfa (perh. alt. of trionfo TRUMP(1))] |
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Traditional English :: ruffian
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ruffel.html - n. a violent lawless person. ruffianism n. ruffianly adv. [F ruf(f)ian f. It. ruffiano, perh. f. dial. rofia scurf] |
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Traditional English :: ruffle
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ruffel.html - v. & n. --v. 1 tr. disturb the smoothness or tranquillity of.
2 tr. upset the calmness of (a person).
3 tr. gather (lace etc.) into a ruffle.
4 tr. (often foll. by up) (of a bird) erect (its feathers) in anger, display, etc.
5 intr. undergo ruffling.
6 intr. lose smoothness or calmness. --n. 1 an ornamental gathered or goffered frill of lace etc. worn at the opening of a garment esp. round the wrist, breast, or neck.
2 perturbation, bustle.
3 a rippling effect on water.
4 the ruff of a bird etc. (see RUFF(1) ) 2).
5 Mil. a vibrating drum-beat. [ME: orig. unkn.] |
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