ralph

UK /ɹælf/ US /ɹælf/

name 5verb 1noun 1

Definitions

verb

To vomit.

noun

A raven.

name

A male given name from the Germanic languages.

There were none fine but Adam, Ralph, and Gregory: / The rest were ragged, old, and beggarly

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).

A surname originating as a patronymic.

Fictional person used in references to vomiting.

He's outside calling Ralph [i.e. vomiting].

An unincorporated community in Harding County, South Dakota, United States.

An unincorporated community in Webster County, West Virginia, United States.

Collocations

ADJ.

fine, outside

I felt sick after eating too much candy and had to ralph outside behind the garage.

VERB + RALPH

calling, name

He spent the whole night calling ralph after eating bad seafood at the restaurant.

RALPH + NOUN

e, emerson, gregory, waldo

Ralph Emerson was one of the most influential American philosophers of the nineteenth century.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

hang a Ralph

To make a right turn while driving a vehicle (→).

Hang a Ralph up at the next stoplight.

Example Bank

There were none fine but Adam, Ralph, and Gregory: / The rest were ragged, old, and beggarly

Wiktionary

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'

Wiktionary

He's outside calling Ralph [i.e. vomiting].

Wiktionary

As Ralph Waldo Emerson puts it, "language is fossil poetry".

Tatoeba · #1711290

Ralph now learned who Bud Wilson was—a cow-puncher who had worked for Jack's father for many years, and had practically brought Jack up on the range.

Tatoeba · #11843041

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, ralph is marked as slang, obsolete, UK. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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