browse words by letter
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z
raking |
3 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Muckrake \Muck"rake`\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {-raked}; p. pr & vb n. {-raking}.] To seek for expose, or charge, esp. habitually, corruption, real or alleged, on the part of public men and corporations. On April 14, 1906, President Roosevelt delivered a speech on ``The Man with the Muck Rake,'' in which he deprecated sweeping and unjust charges of corruption against public men and corporations. The phrase was taken up by the press, and the verb to From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Rake \Rake\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Raked}; p. pr & vb n. {Raking}.] [AS. racian. See 1st {Rake}.] 1. To collect with a rake; as to rake hay; -- often with up as he raked up the fallen leaves. 2. Hence: To collect or draw together with laborious industry; to gather from a wide space; to scrape together; as to rake together wealth; to rake together slanderous tales; to rake together the rabble of a town. 3. To pass a rake over to scrape or scratch with a rake for the purpose of collecting and clearing off something or for stirring up the soil; as to rake a lawn; to rake a flower bed. 4. To search through to scour; to ransack. The statesman rakes the town to find a plot. --Swift. 5. To scrape or scratch across to pass over quickly and lightly, as a rake does Like clouds that rake the mountain summits. --Wordsworth. 6. (Mil.) To enfilade; to fire in a direction with the length of in naval engagements, to cannonade, as a ship, on the stern or head so that the balls range the whole length of the deck. {To rake up}. a To collect together, as the fire (live coals), and cover with ashes. b To bring up to search out an bring to notice again as to rake up old scandals. From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Raking \Rak"ing\, n. 1. The act or process of using a rake; the going over a space with a rake. 2. A space gone over with a rake; also the work done or the quantity of hay, grain, etc., collected, by going once over a space with a rake.
more about raking