race

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. onrush, advance; competition; sprint, dash; stream; channel, millrace, tide, river; career; family, clan, tribe; people, ethnic group. —v. rush, career; hasten; compete; speed. See velocity, ancestry, contention, humanity, opposition.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [A physical division of humankind]

Syn. species, stock, variety, type, kind, strain, breed, family, color; see also man 1 .

The general divisions of the human race are: Caucasoid, CaucAsian, white, Negroid, black, Mongoloid, yellow.

2. [Roughly, people united by blood or custom]

Syn. nationality, culture, cultural group, ethnic group, caste, variety, type, a people, humankind, mankind, tribe, sect, group, ethnic stock, human race, class, population connected by common descent, kind, nation, folk, gene pool, pedigree, lineage, community, inhabitants, population, populace, clan, breeding population; see also culture 2 , heredity , society 2 .

3. [A contest, usually of speed]

Syn. competition, run, dash, sprint, relay, marathon, clash, meet, event, engagement, competitive trial of speed, scurry, spurt, clip, pursuit, rush, footrace, horse race, dog race, automobile race, road race, road rally, drag race, motocross, steeplechase, handicap, round pace, chase, match, heat, lap, concours (French), derby, regatta, sweepstakes, turf, track, speedfest*; see also sport 3 .

Famous races include --- automobile: Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500, World Grand Prix, New Zealand Grand Prix, Australian Grand Prix, Sebring 12-Hour Endurance Race, Pan Formula Two Grand Prix, Targa Florio Road Race, Grand Prix of Monaco, Monte Carlo Rally, Nürburgring Sports Car Race, Grand Prix of Belgium, Le Mans 24-Hour Race, Grand Prix of France, European Grand Prix, Dutch Grand Prix, Grand Prix of Italy, British Grand Prix, German Grand Prix, United States Road Racing Championship; horse: Kentucky Derby, Grand National, Derby, Belmont Stakes, Aqueduct Stakes, Preakness Stakes, Breeders' Cup, Hambletonian (harness), Man O'War Stakes, San Juan Capistrano Handicap, American Derby, Arlington Classic; yacht: America's Cup, Admiral's Cup, Bacardi Cup Sailing Championship, St. Petersburg-Fort Lauderdale Race, Lipton Cup Race, Newport-Bermuda Yacht Race, One Ton Cup; bicycle: Tour de France, World Road Race Championship, Tour d'Italie, New YOrk Six-Day, Tour of Marin, Montreal Six-Day, U.S. National Championships, Tour de St. Laurent, Tour de Mexico; marathons: Boston Marathon, New YOrk City Marathon, London Marathon. Famous racetracks include: horse: Epsom Downs, Churchill Downs, Belmont Park, Pimlico Track, Hialeah Park, Aintree, Saratoga, Leopardstown, Longchamp Racecourse, Gavea, Ascot, Siena; automobile: Sebring, Monza, Le Mans, Indianapolis, Bonneville, Brands Hatch, Silverstone. v.

1. [To move at Great speed]

Syn. speed, hurry, run, pursue, chase, tear, tear around, bustle, spurt, press on, dash, run swiftly, hasten, trip, fly, flit, hustle, hie, scud, scorch, rush, sprint, swoop, scuttle, scurry, dart, scamper, hurtle, plunge ahead, whiz, zoom, bolt, scramble, whisk, shoot, post, skim, bowl along, ride hard, hotfoot it*, high-tail it*, make tracks*, barrel*, run like mad*, crowd sail*, wing one's way*, outstrip the wind*, burn up the road*, gun the motor*, step on it*, get the lead out*, skedaddle*, scoot*.

2. [To compete]

Syn. run a race, compete in a race, contend, follow a course, engage in a contest of speed, enter a competition, run, sprint, race-walk, gallop.

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

1. people ethnic group, nationality, line, tribe, breed, stock, clan, folk, strain.

2. sprint dash, run, marathon, footrace, heat, relay, contest, meet, steeplechase, derby.

WORD FIND

auto racing

• aerodynamic wing or wedge that improves car handling: spoiler

• broadside crash into competitor’s car or wall: T-bone

• bumper-to-bumper pressure tactic: dogging

• coveted front inside position at start: pole position

• curve or tight turn: ess-turn, hairpin turn, chicane

• custom-built, nonstock race car: formula car, Indy car

• drag race, beat competitor in: shut down

• drag racing car: dragster, rail, funny car

• driving directly behind lead car to create fuel-conserving vacuum: drafting, slipstreaming

• flag alerting hazardous car to leave the track: black flag

• flag, end of race: checkered flag

• flag, final lap: white flag

• flag, go: green flag

• flag, hazard: yellow flag

• flag, stop: red flag

• flag warning of competitor on one’s tail: blue flag

• formula car race: Grand Prix

• long-distance competition: rally

• low edge of track: apron

• NASCAR: National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing

• noncompeting pacesetter at start of race: pace car

• parachute, release at end of drag race: *hang out the laundry

• passing method creating vacuum on lead car: slingshot

• pass one track-length ahead of competitor: lap

• pit crew’s head mechanic: crew chief

• production car: stock car

• racing tires: *shoes, *slicks

• running start: flying start

• service area: pit

• service mechanics: pit crew

• steel support network protecting inside of car: roll cage

• steel support tube protecting inside of car: roll bar

• straightaway in front of grandstand: chute

• straightaway race: drag race

thoroughbred horseracing

• barrier: starting gate, post

• betting away from the track: offtrack betting

• betting system: pari-mutuals

• bugle call: Boots and Saddles

• castrated male horse: gelding

• close finish: photo finish, blanket finish

• costumes, riders’: colors, silks

• crouching riding posture: monkey crouch

• drug horse illegally: hop

• escorts horses to post: outrider

• exercise or practice run: airing

• favored to win: chalk horse

• first two finishers, bet on: quinella

• hold back horse to keep it from winning: stiff

• horse that does well on muddy track: mudder

• info sheet: dope sheet

• insider with ‘‘inside’’ information on horse: tout

• length: eight to nine feet

• mile, one-eighth of a: furlong

• money, horse that fails to finish in the: alsoran

• money-losing horse: hayburner

• observation ring: walking ring

• odds board: tote board

• officials: clerk of the scales, stewards

• pasture or saddling enclosure: paddock

• peripheral visions blockers, horse’s: blinkers

• rider: jockey

• saddle and other horse equipment, collective term: tack

• short race: sprint

• stable assistant: groom

• straightaway, farside: backstretch

• straightaway in front of grandstand: homestretch

• surrounded position: pocket

• three-year-old horse: sophomore

• three-year-olds, race for: derby

• track condition, broken into clods and hoofprints: cuppy

• track condition, freshly harrowed: deep

• track condition, hard and fast: pasteboard track

• two-year-old horse: juvenile

• underrated horse: sleeper, dark horse

• weight, adding to equalize competition: handicap

• weight assigned to horse in handicap race: impost

• weighing of jockeys with tack: weigh-in, weigh-out

• whip: gad, leather

• winners of two races, correctly picking: daily double

• winning Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes: Triple Crown

• winning of three races by same jockey on one program: hat trick

• win one’s first race: break maiden, graduate

• win without prodding or whipping the horse: armchair ride

• withdrawal of entrant: scratch

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I noun A vying with others for victory or supremacy: battle, competition, contest, cornvalry, rivalry, strife, striving, struggle, tug of war, war, warfare. See CONFLICT. II verb To move swiftly: bolt, bucket, bustle, dart, dash, festinate, flash, fleet, flit, fly, haste, hasten, hurry, hustle, pelt2, rocket, run, rush, sail, scoot, scour2, shoot, speed, sprint, tear1, trot, whirl, whisk, whiz, wing, zip, zoom. Informal: hotfoot, rip. Slang: barrel, highball. Chiefly British: nip1. Idioms: get a move on, get cracking, go like lightning, go like the wind, hotfoot it, make haste, make time, make tracks, run like the wind, shake a leg, step (or jump) on it. See MOVE.