frequently_asked_questions_files/Oxford Thesaurus.pdf

persecute, anguish, beleaguer, plague, harass, harrow, hurt:
Gruber was racked by the feeling that he had been responsible
for the road accident. Quentin has been racked by the pain of
arthritis for ten years. 4 beat, strain, wrench, tear at, lash
(at), batter, shake, damage: Winds of hurricane force racked
villages along the coast last night.
racket n. 1 noise, din, uproar, disturbance, clamour, hubbub, row,
rumpus, hullabaloo, fuss, ado, commotion, to-do, hue and cry,
outcry, brouhaha, tumult, babel, pandemonium, Elizabethan
theatre alarums and excursions, Colloq ballyhoo: How can you
sleep through the racket from your neighbour's all-night
parties? 2 (organized) crime, criminal or illegal activity or
enterprise, trickery, trick, dodge, scheme, swindle, stratagem,
artifice, game, ruse, Slang caper, scam, gyp: Their racket is
selling 'protection' to shop-owners. 3 business, line,
profession, occupation, trade, vocation, calling, job,
employment, livelihood: I'm in commodities; what's your racket?
racketeer n. mobster, gangster, Mafioso: The Chicago racketeers of the
1930s seem tame compared with today's terrorists.
raconteur n. storyteller, anecdotalist or anecdotist, narrator, relater
or relator, Colloq spinner of yarns: The after-dinner speaker
was a marvellous raconteur with a wealth of stories about the
theatre.
racy adj. 1 fresh, lively, animated, spirited, sprightly, buoyant,
vivacious, energetic, vigorous, dynamic, zestful, stimulating,
mettlesome or mettled, Colloq full of vim and vigour, peppy,
full of pep, full of beans: Tabloid journalists are told that
their writing must be racy - straightforward reporting is out of
fashion. 2 risqu‚, ribald, bawdy, naughty, lusty, earthy, gross,
off colour, salty, suggestive, sexual, immodest, indelicate,
indecent, blue, smutty, lewd, salacious, vulgar, dirty, filthy,
pornographic, obscene, sex-oriented, adult, rude, crude, coarse,
Colloq raunchy, sexy, spicy, hot: By mistake my name got on the
mailing list of some company selling racy videos. 3 spicy,
piquant, tasty, flavourful, pungent, strong, savoury, sharp,
zesty, tangy, tart, hot: That curry you served last night had
quite a racy flavour.
radiance n. 1 radiancy, splendour, brightness, brilliance, resplendence,