ralph

English - English

Definition of ralph in English English dictionary

A patronymic surname

A male given name

Regarding the correct pronunciation, especially of the name Ralph: according to a friend at the BBC, the possibilities of this name - either aristocratic 'Rafe' or vulgar, almost Australasian 'Ralff' - lie in its potential for wilful mispronunciation against type. I saw him cast confusion into an over-confident studio guest by introducing him as 'Sir Rafe Halpern'. This was nothing to the consternation, almost disintegration of the personality, of the artistic, aloof actor brought on as 'Rolf Fiennes' ('Fiennes', naturally, pronounced superbly).

To vomit

read the toilet recycle your lunch regurgitate retch reverse diarrhea reverse drink reverse gears reverse gut reverse peristalsis ride the regurgitron round trip meal ticket

given name, male

{i} male first name; family name; right turn (Slang)

One of the five basic hoof shapes listed in the eagle-eye approach suggested by Scott Simpson, CJF The Ralph pattern is generally asymmetric, with the widest part of the foot located in the rear third and one buttress farther back than the other

A name sometimes given to the raven

Bryant of Terra Traveled to Galgolb and was instrumental in infiltrating the dungeons

To vomit. Abernathy Ralph David Blakelock Ralph Bunche Ralph Johnson Connor Ralph Cudworth Ralph Earnhardt Ralph Dale Ehrlich Paul Ralph Ellison Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Gustafson Ralph Barker Lauren Ralph Ralph Lifshitz Nader Ralph Richardson Sir Ralph David Vaughan Williams Ralph

Related Terms

Ralph Barker Gustafson

born Aug. 16, 1909, Lime Ridge, near Sherbrooke, Que., Can. died May 29, 1995, North Hatley Canadian poet. Gustafson attended the University of Oxford; he settled in New York after World War II but later returned to Canada. His work shows a development from traditional form and manner to an elliptical style reflecting the influence of Anglo-Saxon verse and the metrical experiments of Gerard Manley Hopkins. His later works, usually considered his better writings, include Rivers Among Rocks (1960), Conflicts of Spring (1981), and Shadows in the Grass (1991). He also published collections of short stories

Ralph Blakelock

born Oct. 15, 1847, New York, N.Y., U.S. died Aug. 9, 1919, near Elizabethtown, N.Y. U.S. painter. A self-taught artist, he developed a highly original and subjective style of landscape painting, characterized by luminous impasto images of moonlit scenes with nocturnal lighting and strangely dappled trees and foliage. Neglected by the public and constantly under the strain of poverty, he suffered a breakdown in 1899, ceased to paint, and spent the rest of his life in an asylum. During his confinement he achieved some fame, and forgeries of his work became common as his popularity rose

Ralph Bunche

born Aug. 7, 1904, Detroit, Mich., U.S. died Dec. 9, 1971, New York, N.Y. U.S. diplomat. He earned graduate degrees at Harvard University and taught at Howard University from 1928. After studying colonial policy in Africa, he collaborated with Gunnar Myrdal in An American Dilemma (1944), a study of U.S. race relations. He worked in the U.S. war and state departments during World War II. In 1947 he became director of the trusteeship department of the UN Secretariat. His work in forging a truce between Palestinian Arabs and Jews earned him the 1950 Nobel Prize for Peace. As UN undersecretary for political affairs, he oversaw UN peacekeeping forces around the Suez Canal (1956), in the Congo (1960), and in Cyprus (1964). He also served on the board of the NAACP for 22 years

Ralph Connor

orig. Charles William Gordon born Sept. 13, 1860, Indian Lands, Glengarry county, Ont., Can. died Oct. 31, 1937, Winnipeg, Man. Canadian novelist. Ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1890, Connor became a missionary to mining and lumber camps in the Canadian Rocky Mountains; this experience and memories of his childhood in Glengarry, Ont., provided material for his novels, including The Sky Pilot (1899) and The Prospector (1904), which, combining adventure with religious messages and wholesome sentiment, made him the best-selling Canadian novelist of the early 20th century. His best books are considered to be The Man from Glengarry (1901) and Glengarry School Days (1902)

Ralph Connor

{i} Rev. Dr. Charles William Gordon (1860-1937), Canadian novelist and clergyman

Ralph Cudworth

born 1617, Aler, Somerset, Eng. died June 26, 1688, Cambridge English theologian and philosopher. Reared as a Puritan, he eventually adopted Nonconformist views such as the notion that church government and religious practice should be individual rather than authoritarian. He became a leader of the Cambridge Platonists. In ethics, his outstanding work is A Treatise Concerning Eternal and Immutable Morality (1731), which was directed against Puritan Calvinism, the theology of René Descartes, and the attempt by Thomas Hobbes to reduce morality to obedience to civil authority. He stressed the natural good or evil inherent in an event or act, in contrast to the Calvinist-Cartesian notion of divine law. "Things are what they are," he wrote, "not by Will but by Nature." See also intuitionism; voluntarism

Ralph Dale Earnhardt

born April 29, 1951, Kannapolis, N.C., U.S. died Feb. 18, 2001, Daytona, Fla. U.S. automobile racer. He earned Rookie of the Year honours on the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing's Winston Cup series in 1979. In his career he drove to seven Winston Cup titles (1980, 1986-87, 1990-91, 1993-94), equaling the mark of Richard Petty. Earnhardt gained a reputation as an aggressive driver and became known as "the Intimidator." He died from injuries suffered in a crash during the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500

Ralph David Abernathy

{i} (1926-1990) United States clergyman and civil rights activist who founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Ralph David Abernathy

born March 11, 1926, Linden, Ala., U.S. died April 17, 1990, Atlanta, Ga. U.S. pastor and civil rights leader. He was educated at Alabama State University and Atlanta University. Ordained a Baptist minister in 1948, he became pastor of the First Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala., in 1951. He met Martin Luther King, Jr., a few years later when the latter became pastor of another Baptist church in Montgomery. In 1955-56 the two men organized a nonviolent boycott of the city bus system, marking the beginning of the U.S. civil rights movement. In 1957 they founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Abernathy became its president on King's assassination in 1968; in 1977 he resigned to resume work as a pastor in Atlanta. His autobiography, And the Walls Came Tumbling Down, appeared in 1989

Ralph Ellison

born March 1, 1914, Oklahoma City, Okla., U.S. died April 16, 1994, New York, N.Y. U.S. writer. Ellison studied music at Tuskegee Institute before joining the Federal Writers' Project. He won eminence for his novel Invisible Man (1952); narrated by a nameless young black man, it reflects bitterly on American race relations. It is regarded as among the most distinguished works of American fiction since World War II. He later published two essay collections, Shadow and Act (1964) and Going to the Territory (1986) and lectured and taught widely. In 1999 an edition of his unfinished second novel was published by his literary executor, John Callahan, with the title Juneteenth

Ralph Gustafson

born Aug. 16, 1909, Lime Ridge, near Sherbrooke, Que., Can. died May 29, 1995, North Hatley Canadian poet. Gustafson attended the University of Oxford; he settled in New York after World War II but later returned to Canada. His work shows a development from traditional form and manner to an elliptical style reflecting the influence of Anglo-Saxon verse and the metrical experiments of Gerard Manley Hopkins. His later works, usually considered his better writings, include Rivers Among Rocks (1960), Conflicts of Spring (1981), and Shadows in the Grass (1991). He also published collections of short stories

Ralph Izard

{i} (1742-1804) United States diplomat and legislator

Ralph Johnson Bunche

born Aug. 7, 1904, Detroit, Mich., U.S. died Dec. 9, 1971, New York, N.Y. U.S. diplomat. He earned graduate degrees at Harvard University and taught at Howard University from 1928. After studying colonial policy in Africa, he collaborated with Gunnar Myrdal in An American Dilemma (1944), a study of U.S. race relations. He worked in the U.S. war and state departments during World War II. In 1947 he became director of the trusteeship department of the UN Secretariat. His work in forging a truce between Palestinian Arabs and Jews earned him the 1950 Nobel Prize for Peace. As UN undersecretary for political affairs, he oversaw UN peacekeeping forces around the Suez Canal (1956), in the Congo (1960), and in Cyprus (1964). He also served on the board of the NAACP for 22 years

Ralph Klein

Israeli basketball player and coach who led the Maccabi Tel Aviv to victory in the European Championships

Ralph Lauren

orig. Ralph Lifshitz born Oct. 14, 1939, New York, N.Y., U.S. U.S. fashion designer. Lauren grew up in the Bronx, in New York City. While working for a tie company, he was inspired to begin designing his own neckwear, and in 1967 he went into business for himself. From the inception of his brand, Lauren's creations were characterized by a moneyed style that evoked the look of English aristocracy, as adapted by the sporty, East-Coast American elite. His first menswear line in 1968 featured classic tweed suits, and his first womenswear line in 1971 continued his explorations of classic tailoring and good taste, but with a feminine twist. In 1972 Lauren debuted what would become his signature piece: the mesh sport shirt, available in a variety of colours and featuring his trademark emblem, the polo player. Throughout the following decades he explored new ideas including Southwestern themes and safari looks but maintained his central focus on classic American clothing. At the turn of the 21st century, the presence of both his shops and his brand name had become global

Ralph Nader

He has also tried to run for president of the United States (1934- ) a US lawyer who is famous for criticizing the government and big companies, and for fighting for the rights and protection of consumers (=people who buy goods and services). born Feb. 27, 1934, Winsted, Conn., U.S. U.S. lawyer and consumer advocate. The son of Lebanese immigrants, he attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School. In 1963 he left his private law practice in Hartford, Conn., to hitchhike to Washington, D.C., where he began public interest work. His concern about unsafe car designs resulted in the best-selling book Unsafe at Any Speed (1965), which led directly to the passage of national auto-safety standards. Since then he and his associates, known as "Nader's Raiders," have performed numerous studies on consumer health, safety, and financial issues and have lobbied for greater government regulation of business and industry in a variety of areas. He was instrumental in the passage of the Freedom of Information Act (1966) and in establishing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the Environmental Protection Agency. He also founded the consumer organization Public Citizen and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, an umbrella organization for other public interest research groups. As the Green Party candidate in the 2000 U.S. presidential election, he won 3% of the national vote. His work has had major and lasting effects on many aspects of American life

Ralph Vaughan Williams

a British composer who collected English folk music and used it in his work. He is best known for his Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, his violin music The Lark Ascending, and his symphonies (1872-1958). Vaughan Williams, Ralph. v. born Oct. 12, 1872, Down Ampney, Gloucestershire, Eng. died Aug. 26, 1958, London British composer. He attended the Royal College of Music and Cambridge University, and he also studied in Berlin with the composer Max Bruch. Having collected English folk songs for his academic work, he combined folk melody with modern approaches to harmony and rhythm, forging a musical style at once highly personal and deeply English. His nine symphonies, including Sea Symphony (1909), London Symphony (1913), and Sinfonia Antarctica (1952), were his most exploratory works. Other popular pieces include The Lark Ascending (1914) and Serenade to Music (1938); he also wrote five operas, including Riders to the Sea (1936). He conducted extensively throughout his life, and he edited The English Hymnal (1904-06)

Ralph Waldo Ellison

born March 1, 1914, Oklahoma City, Okla., U.S. died April 16, 1994, New York, N.Y. U.S. writer. Ellison studied music at Tuskegee Institute before joining the Federal Writers' Project. He won eminence for his novel Invisible Man (1952); narrated by a nameless young black man, it reflects bitterly on American race relations. It is regarded as among the most distinguished works of American fiction since World War II. He later published two essay collections, Shadow and Act (1964) and Going to the Territory (1986) and lectured and taught widely. In 1999 an edition of his unfinished second novel was published by his literary executor, John Callahan, with the title Juneteenth

Ralph Waldo Emerson

{i} (1803-1882) American writer philosopher and minister, author of the transcendentalist works "Nature" and "Representative Men

Ralph Waldo Emerson

a US poet and writer who had great influence on the religious and philosophical thought of his time (1803-82). born May 25, 1803, Boston, Mass., U.S. died April 27, 1882, Concord U.S. poet, essayist, and lecturer. Emerson graduated from Harvard University and was ordained a Unitarian minister in 1829. His questioning of traditional doctrine led him to resign the ministry three years later. He formulated his philosophy in Nature (1836); the book helped initiate New England Transcendentalism, a movement of which he soon became the leading exponent. In 1834 he moved to Concord, Mass., the home of his friend Henry David Thoreau. His lectures on the proper role of the scholar and the waning of the Christian tradition caused considerable controversy. In 1840, with Margaret Fuller, he helped launch The Dial, a journal that provided an outlet for Transcendentalist ideas. He became internationally famous with his Essays (1841, 1844), including "Self-Reliance." Representative Men (1850) consists of biographies of historical figures. The Conduct of Life (1860), his most mature work, reveals a developed humanism and a full awareness of human limitations. His Poems (1847) and May-Day (1867) established his reputation as a major poet

hang a Ralph

Make a right turn while driving a vehicle

Hang a Ralph up at the next stoplight.

Paul Ralph Ehrlich

born May 29, 1932, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S. U.S. biologist. He studied at the University of Kansas and taught at Stanford University from 1959. Though much of his research was done in entomology, his overriding concern became unchecked population growth. His most influential work was The Population Bomb (1968). In 1990 he shared with Edward O. Wilson Sweden's prestigious Crafoord Prize

Sir Ralph David Richardson

born Dec. 19, 1902, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Eng. died Oct. 10, 1983, London British actor. He began his acting career at age 18 and gained prominence in the 1930s and '40s at the Old Vic in roles such as Peer Gynt, Petruchio, Falstaff, and Volpone, gaining a reputation as one of the greatest actors of his time. He made his screen debut in 1933 and became known for playing urbane, witty characters and later for eccentric old men. His many films included The Fallen Idol (1948), Doctor Zhivago (1965), and Greystoke (1984)

Sir Ralph Richardson

born Dec. 19, 1902, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Eng. died Oct. 10, 1983, London British actor. He began his acting career at age 18 and gained prominence in the 1930s and '40s at the Old Vic in roles such as Peer Gynt, Petruchio, Falstaff, and Volpone, gaining a reputation as one of the greatest actors of his time. He made his screen debut in 1933 and became known for playing urbane, witty characters and later for eccentric old men. His many films included The Fallen Idol (1948), Doctor Zhivago (1965), and Greystoke (1984)

Hyphenation

Ralph

Turkish pronunciation

rälf

Pronunciation

/ˈralf/ /ˈrælf/

Etymology

() From Germanic Radulf, rād "counsel" + wulf "wolf", brought to England first in the Old Norse, then in the Norman form.

Tenses

ralphing, ralphed