# General Information (Q-R)

Q&A
Q&A is an easy to-use straight-forward file manager. It includes a good word processor rivalling stand-alone packages and is more powerful than the pfs products, it is especially appropriate for the user who is familiar with that series but wants a more sophisticated product.

Q-band
The Q-band is the frequency band from 36,000 to 46,000 mhz employed in radar.

Qabbala
The Qabbala (Cabala, Caballa, Kabbala) is an ancient esoteric tradition of the Jews. It was supposedly given to Moses on mount Sinai in a revelation.

Qabbalistic
see "Qabbala"

Quaalude
see "Methaqualone"

Quadrature
In astronomy, quadrature is the position of the moon or a planet when its longitude differs from that of the sun by 90 degrees.

Quadriga
A quadriga was an ancient two-wheeled cart or chariot drawn by four horses abreast. They were used in the Greek Olympian games and in the games of the Roman circus.

Quadrille
The quadrille is a square dance for 4 couples. It was first danced in England in 1815 and superseded in 1850 by the lancers.

Quadrinal
see "Phenobarbital"

Quaestor
A Quaestor was ancient Roman magistrate who was concerned with receiving taxes and tribunes, paying the troops and generally looking-after the money.

Quandang
Quandang is the edible fruit of a species of the sandalwood tree.

Quark XPress
Quark XPress is a sophisticated, high-end desktop publishing program for the Mac for users who need to produce professional-quality typeset work (it is extensively used by professional printers). The product offers many of the features found in most popular desktop publishing programs such as user-defined style sheets, master page support, and text wrap-around graphics. Leading and kerning are precise enough to meet the needs of typesetters and publishers. Quark XPress includes integrated word processing capabilities and features such as an 80,000-word dictionary, spell checker, and search-and-replace. Hyphenation can be automatic or manual and you can define exceptions. Quark XPress is able to handle long, text-intensive documents because of its ability to automatically insert pages, number individual sections, automatically insert pages, and globally format text. The product can print back to front, negative or mirror images, thumbnails, or collate output.

Quart
The quart is a unit of capacity measurement equivalent to 2 pints or 1.136 litres.

Quarter
The quarter is a unit of measurement of the avoirdupois scale equivalent to 28 pounds or 12.7 kilograms. The quarter is a unit of capacity measurement equivalent to 8 bushels or 2.909 hectolitres.

Quaver
In music, a quaver is a note and measure of time equal to half a crotchet or the eighth of a semibreve.

Quay
A quay is a landing-place substantially built along a line of coast or river bank, or round a harbour, and having posts and rings to which vessels may be moored, frequently also cranes and storehouses for the convenience of merchant ships.

Queen's College
Queen's College, Cambridge, is a college of Cambridge university founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou, queen of Henry VI and again in 1465 by Elizabeth, queen of Edward IV.

Queen's prize
The queen's prize is an English shooting competition.

Queen's Tobacco-pipe
The Queen's Tobacco-pipe was a popular name for the furnace situated in the north-east corner of the tobacco warehouses of the London Docks. It was so called because it was used for burning all sorts of contraband but especially tobacco and cigars.

Quern
A quern is a hand-mill for grinding corn. The simplest kind consists of a large stone with a cavity in the upper surface to contain the corn which is then pounded, rather than ground, by a smaller stone. The more usual form consists of two circular flat stones, the upper one pierced in the centre, and revolving on a wooden pin inserted in the lower. A handle is attached to the outer edge and used to turn the stone while corn is dropped into the central opening.

Quetzal
Quetzal is a call logging system that has been specifically designed to meet the needs of busy British Information Centres. A unique work-group package, in that it combines call and inventory management in a simple, closely integrated way. As a work group product, Quetzal helps each member of the Information Centre by providing Instant access to all the information required to trace support calls, inventory details, and financial information. By supporting the information centre as a complete work group, Quetzal offers significant gains in the areas of co-ordinating group activity improving group communications and strengthening group identity. The heart of Quetzal is the hot-line support system, which is integrated closely with the inventory management features. This integration means that support staff have immediate access to the hardware and software installed at the user's PC.

Quill
Quills are the large wing-feathers of birds. They were long used for making pens, the quills of swans being the best but the quills of geese most commonly used while Crow-quills were used to make fine writing instruments.

Quintal
Quintal was a weight of 100 lbs or similar used in several countries. The old French quintal was 100 livres and later 100 kilograms.

Quipo
A quipo was a cord about 60 cm in length, tightly spun from variously coloured threads, and to which a number of smaller threads were attached in the form of a fringe. They were used among the ancient Peruvians and Mexicans for recording events. The fringe-like threads were of different colours signifying different objects or events.

Quire
A quire is a measurement of writing paper equal to 24 sheets. 20 quires make 1 ream.

QWERTY
QWERTY refers to a standard English-language typewriter keyboard layout (sometimes called the Sholes keyboard after its inventor), as opposed to Dvorak or foreign-language layouts or APL keyboard. It is sometimes said that it was designed to slow down the typist, but this is wrong; it was designed to allow faster typing - under a constraint now long obsolete. In early typewriters, fast typing using nearby type-bars jammed the mechanism. So Sholes fiddled the layout to separate the letters of many common digraphs (he did a far from perfect job, though; `th', `tr', `ed', and `er', for example, each use two nearby keys). Also, putting the letters of `typewriter' on one line allowed it to be typed with particular speed and accuracy for demonstrations. The jamming problem was essentially solved soon afterward by a suitable use of springs, but the keyboard layout lives on.

Rabbet
In carpentry, a rabbet is a sloping cut made on the edge of a board so that it may join by lapping with another board similarly cut.

Raccahout
Raccahout is a flour prepared from the acorn of the Barbary Oak. It is mixed with sugar and aromatics as a substitute for chocolate by the Arabs of North Africa.

Racine Cardinals
see "Chicago Cardinals"

Radapon
see "Dalapon"

Radar
Radar is a system of locating an object or direction finding using high frequency radio waves.

Radcliffe Library
The Radcliffe Library is a library founded in connection with Oxford University, out of funds provided by John Radcliffe and opened in 1749.

Radian
The radian is the SI unit (symbol rad) of plane angles, an alternative unit to the degree. It is the angle at the centre of a circle when the centre is joined to the two ends of an arc equal in length to the radius of the circle. There are 2 pi (approximately 6.284) radians in a full circle (360 degrees). One radian is approximately 57 degrees, and 1 degree is pi/180 or approximately 0.0175 radians. Radians are commonly used to specify angles in polar co-ordinates.

Radiation
Radiation is the emission of energy rays from an object. In particular the term is applied to the emission of X-rays.

Radical
In chemistry, a radical is a group of atoms that behave as a unit in a chemical reaction.

Radioactive
Radioactive elements are those of high atomic weight (radium, thorium, uranium etc.) which spontaneously emit alpha, beta or gamma rays.

Radioactivity
Radioactivity is the spontaneous disintegration of an atomic nucleus to produce more stable nucleus and accompanied by the emission of charged particles and possibly also gamma rays.

Radiography
Radiography is the production of images on a fluorescent screen or photographic plate by means of X-rays.

Radioisotope
In chemistry, a radioisotope is a radioactive isotope, often used as a tracer in scientific research.

Radiolocation
Radiolocation is the original and now old term for Radar.

Radiometer
A radiometer is an instrument for measuring the mechanical effect of radiant energy. It consists of four crossed arms of very fine glass supported in the centre by a needle-point, and having at the ends thin pith discs blackened on one side. The instrument is placed in a glass vessel exhausted of air and when exposed to light the arms revolve. It was invented by Crookes in 1874 and forms a popular amusement today.

Radium
Radium is a radioactive gaseous element with the symbol Ra.

Ragman Roll
The Ragman Roll is the name of the collection of those instruments by which the nobility and gentry of Scotland were constrained to subscribe allegiance to Edward I of England in 1296, and which were more particularly recorded in four large rolls of parchment consisting of thirty-five pieces sewed together. It is kept in the Tower of London.

Railway
A railway is a road made by placing on the ground on a specially prepared track, continuous parallel lines of iron or steel rails, on which carriages with flanged wheels are run with little friction and consequently at high velocity. The necessity for railways originated in the requirements of the coal-traffic of Northumberlandshire, where the first railways were constructed. In 1676 near Newcastle the coals were conveyed from the mines to the banks of the river by laying rails of timber straight and parallel; and bulky carts were made, with four rollers fitting those rails, whereby the carriage was made so easy that one horse could draw four or five chaldrons of coal.

Rain
Rain is condensed moisture from the atmosphere which falls to the ground in visible separate drops.

Ralph Roister Doister
Ralph Roister Doister by Nicholas Udall and printed in 1566, was the earliest known English comedy.

Ramtil Oil
Ramtil oil is a bland oil similar to sesamum oil, expressed from the seeds of Guizotia oleifera, cultivated in India.

Ranch
A ranch is an establishment maintained for raising livestock under range conditions, that is with wide open pasture.

RapidFile
RapidFile is ideal for the user who wants a fast file manager with sophisticated capabilities, including a form-letter generator and a good report writer. Since the product tries to load the entire database into RAM, databases of a few thousand records or less run very quickly. Although it has more sophisticated string and math functions it lacks some of the advanced features of Q&A. RapidFile allows users to design multiple formats for viewing the same data. The format that is active on the screen is the one that will be used to produce reports.

Rayon
Rayon is an artificial silk made from cellulose.

Ready, Set, Go!
Ready, Set, Go! is a powerful desktop publishing program for the Mac with a full-featured built-in word processor. The program uses a flexible grid approach. To create a document, users choose from one of eight standard grids or customize their own. Style sheets to use with any document, automatic chaining of text blocks, and interactive facing pages gives precise control over page composition and enables fast work. Ready, Set, Go! has very strong text-handling capabilities. Its full-featured word processor, similar to MacWrite includes a 100,000 word spelling dictionary a glossary, automatic hyphenation and kerning, and search-and-replace functions. Search-and-replace and make global changes are possible based on font attributes, type styles, and point sizes of up to 255 characters. Ready, Set, Go! can import formatted text files directly from MacWrite, Microsoft Word and other word processing programs. Graphics can be imported in a variety of formats or through the Clipboard. Scaling and sizing is done through a dialog box in which positions are defined and images sized through measured units. Defining the distance at which text should wrap around an object frame is also possible through the dialog box. The built-in graphic toolbox allows boxes, lines, rules, circles, and ovals to be drawn on a document.

Ream
The ream is a unit of writing paper measurement equal to 20 quires or 480 sheets of writing paper, 516 sheets of printing paper.

Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument.

Red
Red is one of the primary colours. It is the colour of the spectrum which is farthest away from violet. Red pigments are derived from cinnabar, realgar, cochineal and coal-tar.

Red Cow
see "Will's Coffee House"

Red Dog
Red Dog was originally a banking game in which punters bet on whether any card in their hand would be the same suit as and higher than a card to be dealt from the pack.

Red dwarf
A red dwarf is a cool, faint star.

Red giant
A red giant is a cool, bright star.

Red Hand
In heraldry, the red hand was originally the arms of the province of Ulster, but it was granted to baronets as their distinguishing badge on the institution of the order in 1611. It consists of a sinister (left) hand, open, erect, showing the palm.

Red-lead
Red-lead is an oxide of lead used as a red pigment.

Redondillas
Redondillas is the name given to a species of versification formerly used in the south of Europe, consisting of a union of verses of four, six or eight syllables, of which generally the first rhymed with the fourth, and the second with the third. At a later period verses of six and eight syllables in general, in Spanish and Portuguese poetry, were called redondillas, whether they made perfect rhymes or assonances only.

Reduction
In chemistry, reduction is the removal of oxygen from a compound; the gain of electrons by a substance or a decrease in it's valence.

Reefer
A reefer is a refrigerated cargo ship.

Reflection 1
Reflection 1 and Reflection 1 Plus were designed by Hewlett-Packard 3000 experts to turn the IBM PC, XT, AT, or PS/2 into a fully functional HP 3000 workstation by emulating the HP 2392, 2622A, or 2624B (which activates advanced forms processing). They also emulate the DEC VT102 terminal. Both Reflection packages support speeds to 38.4K bps via direct connect. Screen features similar to those of the HP 262x as well as complete block-mode capability for V-3000 are supported. 132-column display is available through horizontal scrolling. Both Reflection packages include a proprietary built-in application programming interface (API), allowing programmers to extend the terminal emulation capabilities of the package by writing DOS applications to existing host programs. Manual terminal emulation commands, such as typing on a PC keyboard, or issuing host commands, can be simulated through API commands. In addition, both packages support Codepage 863, and print to disk capabilities. Reflection supports a type-ahead key buffer so you do not have to wait for your HP 3000 print spoolings. It includes a complete system for transferring files between the PC and the HP 3000, VAX under VMS, and most UNIX and HPUX systems. Host resident error checking programs are included as is support for XMODEM, with cyclic redundancy check (CRC), and KERMIT protocols. Reflection 1 Plus included all functions of Reflection 1, and added a function which lets you back up and restore PC files to a file on a VAX running VMS or UNIX. The host file transfer program maintained an internal structure in the backup file to keep track of all the PC files it contains. If something disastrous occurs and you needed to restore one or more files, you could tell Reflection 1 Plus to restore files in all subdirectories as well as the files in the specified directory. By using the command language program to invoke the backup procedure ensures timely, accurate, and automated file backups. Reflection 1 Plus
ts LANS such as DEC's LAT, Novell, 3Com, Ungermann-Bass, and LANs that use interrupt 14. Both programs support multitasking or background mode operation, so you can run DOS applications in the foreground, and hotkey back to your host session.

Reflection 2
Reflection 2 is a software program designed to turn an IBM PC, XT, AT, or PS/2 into the functional equivalent of DEC's VT52, 102, 220, and 320 terminals. The program shares some benefits offered by other Reflection products, such as background multitasking, and on-screen 132-column display (with supported adapters). Reflection 2 Plus includes all functions of Reflection 2, and adds a function which lets you back up and restore PC files to a file on a VAX running VMS or UNIX. The host file transfer program maintains an internal structure in the backup file to keep track of all the PC files it contains. If something disastrous occurs and you need to restore one or more files you can tell Reflection 2 Plus to restore files in all subdirectories as well as the files in the specified directory. By using the command language program to invoke the backup procedure; timely, accurate, and automated backups of files can be ensured. Reflection 2 Plus supports LANs, such as DEC's LAT, Novell, 3Com, IBM's PC Network, Ungermann-Bass, and LANs that use interrupt 14. Both Reflection packages include a proprietary built-in application programming interface (API), allowing programmers to extend the terminal emulation capabilities of the package by writing DOS applications to existing host programs. Manual terminal emulation commands, such as typing on a PC keyboard, or issuing host commands, can be simulated through API commands. In addition, both packages support Codepage 863, DEC SIXEL graphics, and print to disk capabilities.

Reflection 4
Reflection 4 emulates DEC's VT330/340 ReGIS (Remote Graphics Instruction Set) colour graphics terminals and DEC's VT241 terminal including the Tektronix 4014, and VT52, 100, 220, and 320. Digital's ALL-IN-1, DECgraph, Datatrieve, and Access Technology's 20/20 can make special use of the VT340's capabilities. Features such as 16 colours from a palette of 64, polygon fill, shading with selected patterns, rubberband cursors, rotated and italicised character sets, pixel vector positioning, and mouse support are all included. Reflection 4 includes all emulation and communication features in Reflection 2. It adds emulation of all ReGIS commands on an IBM PC, XT, AT, or PS/2 with an EGA or VGA card and provides a scaled image showing the complete ReGIS screen (800 x 480 pixels) on the physical display (640 x 350 with an EGA monitor). ReGIS graphs can be captured and saved to PC disk and changed and redisplayed without a host connectionurs and character set storage can be configured. Reflection 4 Plus includes all of the functions of Reflection 4 and adds a function which lets you back up and restore PC files to a file on a VAX running VMS or UNIX.

Reflection 7
Reflection 7 is a terminal emulation program for the IBM PC, XT, AT, or PS/2 that enables them to become the functional equivalents of the Hewlett-Packard 2623A monochrome graphics terminal or the HP 2627A colour graphics terminal, as well as providing Tektronix 4010 and DEC VT102 emulations. HP 2627A colour graphics emulation can display graphs in up to eight colours and requires an EGA or VGA display adapter with 256K of video RAM and an EGA or VGA colour display. The HP 2623A monochrome graphics emulation runs with most standard graphics adapters. Colour graphics emulation features include the ability to create graphics text in eight sizes, either upright or slanted. Text can be displayed in any of four directions, and can be left, right, or center justified. Plotters can be attached through a serial port to support either eavesdrop or pass-through mode. Reflection 7 supports all the features of Reflection 1. Reflection 7 Plus supports LANs such as DEC's LAT, Novell, 3Com, Ungermann-Bass, and LANs that support interrupt 14. Reflection 7 Plus adds a function which lets you back up and restore PC files to a file on a VAX running VMS or UNIX. Both Reflection packages include a proprietary built-in application programming interface (API), allowing programmers to extend the terminal emulation capabilities of the package by writing DOS applications to existing host programs. Manual terminal emulation commands, such as typing on a PC keyboard, or issuing host commands, can be simulated through API commands. In addition, both packages support Codepage 863, and print to disk capabilities.

Reflex
Where as most database products are designed to facilitate the storage and retrieval of data, Reflex was designed for analysing data. It helps to see relationships and trends and is particularly appropriate for analysing survey results. Because Reflex allows the user to create graphs and crosstabs, it was recommended for the executive who must make decisions based on the information stored in the database.

Reflex
A reflex is an automatic response to a stimuli.

Reichstag
The Reichstag was the German parliament building.

Relativity
Relativity is a theory concerning the nature of space and time propounded by Einstein. The theory consists of two parts. The special theory states that the speed of light is the same for all observers, whatever their speed. That is that light from an object travels at the same velocity whether the object is moving or stationary. The general theory of relativity relates to gravity. Matter in space is said to cause space to curve so as to set up a gravitational field and gravitation becomes a property of space.

Relay Gold
Relay Gold by Microcom is a versatile terminal emulation software package which allows PCs connection to mainframes, information services, or other PCs. It offers a single, universal solution to a variety of connectivity needs through support for asynchronous dial-up, networks such as TYMNET and TELENET, satellite connections, 3270 emulation boards, or through protocol converters via a single user interface. It offers advanced technology for automatic communications and multitasking. Its implementation of the ACT data compression algorithm, licensed from Adaptive Computer Technologies, makes file transfer throughput up to four times faster than the effective speed of your modem, offering up to 9600 bps with a 2400 bps modem. You can connect to a mainframe for 3270 emulation over normal phone lines without additional boards or cables. Relay Gold supports up to 15 simultaneous communications sessions on a PC and lets users send and receive files in background without leaving their foreground application. For example, you can be simultaneously connected to two different computers through a modem and a 3270 emulation board. The script language lets you automate applications such as login, complex data collection, and file transfer between Relay Gold and other applications products. Using IE.THEN..ELSE logic, nesting, and looping, Relay Gold can handle any contingency and can perform transfer operations unattended. A learn mode captures your keystrokes and creates scripts automatically Pop-up windows make the script language easy to use. Relay Communications also has host component software available which will allow your PC to do 3270 terminal emulation asynchronously, without an emulation adapter. The two programs, Relay Gold on the PC and Relay (VM, TSO, or 3270) on the host, work together to create a shell on the PC which handles the EBCDIC to ASCII data translation and converts file attributes. This can be a real savings for large users who want neither the
of emulation adapters or cluster controllers. With the host component installed, users are also guaranteed error-free file transfer between PC and the host. In this environment Relay Gold provides 3278 models 2, 3, 4, and 5 as well as 3279 models 2 and 3 terminal emulations. In addition, Relay Gold supports graphics terminals such as the IBM 3279 models S2G and S3G (fully supporting the IBM 3279 Program Symbol Set), and DEC VT240 (fully supporting ReGIS and SIXEL graphics). Relay Gold provides DFT support for both SNA and non-SNA single- and multisession applications.

Remote 2
Remote 2 is a remote-control communications program that lets you control one PC from either a PC or a dumb terminal as if you were at its keyboard. Useful for remote support or diagnostics, Remote 2 supports both remote and local printing and a variety of terminal emulations, including 3270 through an IRMA card. A chat window lets users send messages back and forth while performing support or file transfer functions. Because it does not use a serialization scheme, Remote 2 needs only a single copy of the package to operate. The package includes both the host and support modules necessary to remotely control one PC from another or a dumb terminal. Even though the program was designed around, and works best with, its own host and support modules, it can be used with nearly any communication program, including Crosstalk XVI and Crosstalk Mk 4, to call and operate the host module. Remote 2 has password security protection and callback security and supports modem speeds up to 38,400 bps. The program gives a choice of three operational modes: manual, where the host accepts a call at the user's request, keeping the keyboards live for troubleshooting and co-computing; restart, where Remote 2 responds to a call, then reboots and waits for the next call; and always read. where Remote 2 lets you call in and monitor the program of an ongoing application, make changes, and contine after hanging up.

Renaissance
The renaissance was an intellectual period between the 14th and 17th centuries.

Repetetive Strain Injury
see "Writer's Cramp"

Replevin
In English law, replevin is an action brought to recover possession of goods illegally seized, the validity of which seizure it is the regular mode of contesting.

Resin
Resin is an adhesive and inflammable substance which is insoluble in water secreted by plants and animals.

Respiration
Respiration is the process of breathing. It is the liberation of energy from materials within the body of the organism.

Retiarius
In Roman times, a retiarius was a gladiator who wore a short tunic and was armed with a trident and net. He would face an opponent protected by a helmet and shield, and armed with a sword.

Reuters
Reuters is a news agency. It was founded in 1849 at Aix-la-Chapelle by Paul Reuter. Today Reuters is famous as perhaps the premier news agency supplying news stories to the worlds newspapers and broadcasters.

Rexatal
see "Phenobarbital"

Rhenium
Rhenium is a metal element with the symbol Re.

Rhizome
In botany, a rhizome is a sort of stem running along the surface of the ground, or partially subterranean, sending forth shoots at its upper end and decaying at the other.

Rhodium
Rhodium is a metal element with the symbol Rh.

Rhythm
Rhythm is the beat behind a piece of music.

Ribble-Row
Ribble-Row is rambling, meaningless chatter.

Ribbon
A ribbon is a woven narrow band of silk or other material used for adornment.

Riboflavin
see "Vitamin B2"

Ricin
Ricin is a poison extracted from the leaves of the castor oil plant.

Ricochet
A ricochet is the rebounding of a projectile.

Riddle
A riddle is a question designed to test ingenuity or give amusement.

Ride the Bus
see "Scat"

Riding the Marches
Riding the marches was the Scottish name for the ceremony of Beating the Bounds.

Risolid
Risolid is a tradename for Chlordiazepoxide hydrochloride.

RM/COBOL
RM/COBOL is an implementation of a CSA-certified COBOL that is based on the ANSI 74 standards. It executes on more than 35 operating systems, including PC DOS, MS DOS, TRS-DOS, RM/COS, OASIS, and Unix. The program is used often for accounting applications. RM/COBOL is available on the MC68000, Z80, 6809, Z8000, 8086, 9900, PDPll, LSI-11, and the IBM 30xx, 43xx, and 370 mainframes. A major advantage of RM/COBOL is its ability to develop an application on the mainframe for use on the PC or vice versa. Software developed in RM/COBOL on one system can execute on any RM/COBOL system. RM/COBOL supports all standard COBOL file-access methods at the highest ANSI 74 level.

RMS
RMS is a tradename for morphine sulphate.

Road Bowling
Road Bowling is a game in which two players bowl a metal ball along an ordinary road, the winner being the one who reaches a set distance in the least throws. The ball is made of iron and weighs 790 grams.

Robe
A robe is a long loose outer garment.

Robitussin Pediatric
Robitussin Pediatric is a tradename for dextromethorphan hydrochloride

Rochester Royals
see "Cincinnati Royals"

Rockaway
see "Crazy Eights"

Rocker
A rocker is a curved bar fixed to an item so that it may rock.

Rocket
A rocket is a cylindrical case which can be projected as a result of the reaction of gases discharged from its rear when its combustible contents are ignited.

Rococo
Rococo is a style of decoration which originated in France and Italy in the 17th century.

Rogue
Rogue is a Dungeons-and-Dragons-like game using character graphics, written under BSD UNIX and subsequently ported to other UNIX systems and MS-DOS. The original BSD `curses(3)' screen-handling package was hacked together by Ken Arnold to support `rogue(6)' and has since become one of UNIX's most important and heavily used application libraries. Nethack, Omega, Larn, and an entire subgenre of computer dungeon games all took off from the inspiration provided by `rogue(6)'.

Roll
The roll was a British measurement of parchment equal to 60 skins.

Romaika
Romaika is a book detailing Roman history from its earliest times to the first century. It was written by Dion Cassius, the Roman historian.

Rontgen
The rontgen is the unit of X-ray or gamma ray radiation.

Rontgen Rays
see "X-Rays"

Rood
The rood is a unit of measurement of area equivalent to 1210 square yards.

Rook
Rook is the name of a group of games and of the special deck of cards for the game which was introduced by Parker Brothers in 1906. The games are popular in Eastern Kentucky, in the Mennonite communities of Southern Ontario (near Elmira / Waterloo), Manitoba, Pennsylvania and Ohio, and probably also in other parts of North America. The Rook deck contains 57 cards. There are four suits coloured black, red, green and yellow. In each suit the cards are numbered from 1 to 14. The 57th card is the rook card, which carries a picture of the bird. It is likely that Rook cards were introduced for the benefit of members of fundamentalist protestant religions, such as the Mennonites, who considered (and in some cases still consider) playing cards to be the "devil's tool". They were forbidden to play cards; but Parker Brothers filled the void with a game that was played like cards but did not use the standard playing card deck. There are people who refuse to play any cards with a standard deck but who will happily play Rook all night every weekend. There is a close parallel here with Kvitlech cards, which were playing cards bearing numbers, made for use by Central European Jews who were also forbidden by their religion to use standard cards. The deck normally comes with a booklet describing a number games which can be played with the cards. The main group of games are point trick games with trumps and bidding. The cards in each suit rank from 14 (high) to 1 (low) and the counting cards are generally the 14 and 10 of each suit (worth 10 points each) and the 5 (worth 5 points). The Rook card, when used, is worth 20, and is generally an extra trump. In some games the 1 is promoted to rank above the 14 and is worth 15 points.

Root
The root is that part of a plant which is below or in the soil and serves to attach the plant to the soil, and conveys nourishment from the soil to the plant.

Rope
Rope is a stout cord in excess of one inch in circumference.

Roquelaure
A roquelaure was a man's cloak popular in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Rorschach test
The Rorschach test is a psychological projective test developed by Hermann Rorschach consisting of ten standard bilaterally symmetrical inkblots. Five of the blots are achromatic, two have some colour and the other three are in various colours. Each blot is presented to the subject who is asked to state freely what he or she sees in either the blot as a whole or in any part of it. Complex scoring systems have been developed which supposedly measure the subjects emotional responsiveness to the environment and other factors of an equally dubious nature.

Rosaniline
Rosaniline is a base compound of many aniline dyes. It is a basic compound prepared by oxidising a mixture of aniline and toluidine by nitro-benzene in the presence of ferrous chloride. Rosaniline itself is a colourless solid, but if converted into a salt by the addition of an acid, it loses water and becomes coloured.

Rosary
A rosary is a string of beads used in religion to count prayers.

Rose's Act
The Rose's Act of 1793 brought benefit societies under the control of the government.

Rose's Metal
Rose's metal is a fusible alloy consisting of 50 per cent bismuth, 25 percent lead and 25 per cent tin.

Rosein
see "Magenta"

Rosetta stone
The rosetta stone is a tablet bearing an inscription in Greek, and hieroglyphics. It's discovery by Napoleon's soldiers in 1799 made the deciphering of hieroglyphics possible.

Rota Club
The Rota Club was a society who met at Miles' Coffee-house in New Palace yard, Westminster during the administration of Oliver Cromwell. Their plan was that all the great officers of state should be chosen by ballot, and that a certain number of members of parliament should be changed annually by rotation from whence they took their title.

Rouqualone-300
see "Methaqualone"

Rovescino
see "Ciapano"

Roxanol 100
Roxanol 100 is a tradename for morphine sulphate.

Roxanol SR
Roxanol SR is a tradename for morphine sulphate.

Royal Society
The Royal Society is a discussion and philosophical organisation organised in 1660 and constituted by Charles II as The Royal Society of London, with the aim of 'improving natural knowledge'.

Royal Standard
The Royal Standard is a flag bearing the royal national arms, flown only by the Sovereign.

Rubber
Rubber is a gummy substance exuded by a wide variety of trees and plants, especially the trees Hevea brasiliensis, and several other species of Hevea which grow in the East Indies, particularly the Malay peninsula, and other parts of the world. Rubber is also obtained from the large tree Castilla elastica, found in Mexico. So-called dandelion rubber is derived from the roots of various species of dandelion plant Taraxacuin, chiefly Kok sagyz, etc., grown in Turkestan. Rubber trees are tapped and the latex, a milk-like juice, containing about 30-40% rubber, is coagulated by exposing it to heat and wood smoke, or by mechanical means, so as to separate the rubber from the water, mineral salts, sugars, resins, and protein matters. The rubber obtained in this way is known as 'crude'. Latex is also extensively used in industry for making foam rubber products, footwear, dolls, etc. Untreated crude rubber is naturally soft and lacks the requisite strength for making into manufactured articles. To improve its strength and usefulness it is vulcanised or heated with sulphur, the proportion of sulphur used determining the hardness and elasticity of the rubber. Fillers such as carbon black or channel black are also vital constituents of rubber, particularly tyre rubber. About 75% of the rubber produced goes into the manufacture of tyres, the remainder being utilised for cable sheathing, wire covering, footwear, flooring, proofing of clothing, togs, upholstery material, hose, etc. Latest developments include bullet-proof tyres, non-tear rubber for fuel tanks, flame-proof hose, suits for frogmen.

Rubefacient
A rubefacient is a counter-irritant which causes heat and redness - such as hot water for example.

Ruff and Honours
Ruff and Honours was an ancestor of Whist, played in England in the 17th century.

Rufmariasch
Rufmariasch is a card game related to the Czech and Slovak Marias and the Hungarian Ulti, played by the Donauschwaben - the German settlers on the banks of the Danube - in 18th and 19th century Hungary.

Rugby School
Rugby School is a famous British public school in Warwickshire. It was founded in 1567 by Lawrence Sheriff, a London tradesman. The school prospered under the headmastership of Dr Thomas Arnold who entered it in 1828.

Russian Preference
Preference is one of the most widespread card games among serious card players in Russia. There are four main varieties: Sochi Preference, Leningrad Preference, Classic Preference and Rostov (or Moscow) Preference, and many smaller variations within these.

Russophobe
A russophobe is a person who hates or fears Russians.

Russophobia
Russophobia is the fear or hatred of Russians.

Rust
Rust is an iron oxide.

Ruthenium
Ruthenium is a metal element with the symbol Ru.

Rutherfordium
Rutherfordium is an artificial radioactive element with the symbol Rf and with a very short lifespan.

Rye-House Plot
The Rye-House Plot was a plan to secure the succession of the duke of Monmouth to the throne in preference to the duke of York (afterwards James II), a Roman Catholic. Some of the conspirators planned to assassinate the king, Charles II and his brother. However, the plan was frustrated by the king's house at Newmarket accidentally catching fire which caused the royal party to leave eight days before the plot was to take effect, on March 22nd 1683. The plot was discovered on June 12th and Lord William Russell and Algernon Sidney were arrested and illegally convicted and executed. The plot was so named after the conspirators meeting place, the Rye-House at Broxbourne, Hertfordshire.

Copyright 1997,1998 Servile Software Enquiries to Matthew Probert

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