Chapter Red Tape to Reekie of R by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Hugh. A political enthusiast and Jacobite conspirator, uncle of Sir Arthur Darsie. He appears as “Laird of the Lochs,” “Mr. Herries, of Birrenswork,” and “Mr. Ingoldsby.” “When he frowned, the puckers of his brow formed a horseshoe, the special mark of his race.” (Sir Walter Scott: Redgauntlet.)

Redlaw (Mr). The haunted man, professor of chemistry in an ancient college. Being haunted, he bargained with his spectre to leave him, and the condition imposed was that Redlaw (go where he would) should give again “the gift of forgetfulness” bestowed by the spectre. From this moment the chemist carried in his touch the infection of sullenness, selfishness, discontent, and ingratitude. On Christmas Day the infection ceased, and all those who had suffered by it were restored to love and gratitude. (Dickens: The Haunted Man.)

Redmain Magnus, Earl of Northumberland, was so called not from his red or bloody hand, but on account of his long red beard or mane. He was slain in the battle of Sark (1449).

“He was remarkable for his long red beard, and was therefore called by the English Magnus Red-beard; but the Scotch in derision called him `Magnus with the Red Mane.”'- Godscroft, fol. 178.

Redmond O'Neale Rokeby's page, who is beloved by Rokeby's daughter Matilda. Redmond turns out to be Mortham's son and heir, and marries Matilda. (Sir Walter Scott: Rokeby.)

Reductio ad Absurdum A proof of inference arising from the demonstration that every other hypothesis involves an absurdity. Thus, suppose I want to prove that the direct road from two given places is the shortest, I should say, “It must either be the shortest or not the shortest. If not the shortest, then some other road is the direct road; but there cannot be two shortest roads, therefore the direct road must be the shortest.”

Reduplicated or Ricochet Words, of intensifying force. Chit-chat, click-clack, clitter-clatter, dilly-dally, ding-dong, drip-drop, fal-lal, flim-flam, fiddle-faddle, flip-flop, fliffy-fluffy, flippity-floppity, handy-pandy, harum- scarum, helter-skelter, heyve-keyve (Halliwell), hibbledy-hobbledy, higgledy-piggledy, hob-nob, hodge- podge, hoity-toity, hurly-burly, mish-mash, mixy-maxy (Brockett), namby-pamby, niddy-noddy, niminy- piminy, nosy-posy, pell-mell, pit-pat, pitter-patter, randem-tandem, randy-dandy, ribble-rabble, riff-raff, roly-poly, rusty-fusty-crusty, see-saw, shilly-shally, slip-slop, slish-slosh, snick-snack, spitter-spatter, splitter- splutter, squish-squash, teeny-tiny, tick-tack, tilly-valley, tiny-totty, tip-top, tittle-tattle, toe-toes, wee-wee, wiggle-waggle, widdy-waddy (Halliwell), widdle-waddle, wibble-wobble, wish-wash, wishy-washy; besides a host of rhyming synonyms, as bawling-squawling, mewling-pewling, whisky-frisky, musty-fusty, gawky- pawky, slippy-sloppy, rosy-posy, right and tight, wear and tear, high and mighty, etc.; and many more with the Anglo-Saxon letter-rhyme, as safe and sound, jog-trot, etc.

Ree Right. Thus teamers say to a leading horse, “Ree!” when they want it to turn to the right, and “Hey!” for the contrary direction. (Saxon, reht; German, recht; Latin, rectus; various English dialects, reet, whence reetle, “to put to rights.”)

“Who with a hey and ree the beasts command.”
Micro-Cynicon (1599).
Riddle me, riddle me ree. Expound my riddle rightly.

Reed A broken reed. Something not to be trusted for support. Egypt is called a broken reed, to which Hezekiah could not trust if the Assyrians made war on Jerusalem, “which broken reed if a man leans on, it will go into his hand and pierce it.” Reed walking sticks are referred to.
   A bruised reed, in Bible language, means a believer weak in grace. A bruised reed [God] will not break.

Reed Shaken by the Wind (A), in Bible language, means a person blown about by every wind of doctrine. John the Baptist (said Christ) was not a “reed shaken by the wind,” but from the very first had a firm belief in the Messiahship of the Son of Mary, and this conviction was not shaken by fear or favour.

Reef He must take in a reef or so. He must reduce his expenses; he must retrench. A reef is that part of a sail which is between two rows of eyelet-holes. The object of these eyelet-holes is to reduce the sail reef by reef as it is required.