ratchetn.²

Brit.

/ˈratʃᵻt/, U.S.

/ˈrætʃət/

Forms:

α. 1600s–1700s rochet, 1600s–1700s rochett, 1700s rotchet; Scottish pre-1700 rotchet.

β. 1600s– ratchet, 1700s–1800s rachet.

Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French rochet.

Etymology: < French rochet tooth on the edge of a wheel (1534 in Middle French in Paré as rocquet ; earlier in sense ‘lance-head used for jousting’ (1285 in Old French)), bobbin or spool (1669), balance wheel (of a clock) (1752) < an unattested French word cognate with the Romance forms cited at rock n.² + -et -et suffix¹. Compare Italian rocchetto spool, bobbin (1310). With sense 1 compare earlier ratch n.³ and discussion at that entry. Compare also earlier rocket n.²The sense development in French is not entirely clear; the earliest sense ‘lance-head’ may have referred originally to the heads of blunted jousting lances (perhaps originally resembling a distaff), which by the 14th cent. were tipped with a pronged head or coronal, the latest shape of which (surviving into the 17th cent.) was a tube with a serrated end, in turn giving its name to the similarly shaped mechanical wheel.

†1. Scottish. The barrel of a gun. Cf. ratch n.³ 1. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > parts and fittings of firearms > [noun] > barrel

firing barrel1370

ratch1575

barrel1644

ratcheta1650

gun-barrel1747

spout1879

a1650 D. Calderwood Hist. Kirk Scotl. (1843) III. 74 Some..rotchets of small ordinance.

a. A series of angular teeth on the edge of a bar, the rim of a wheel, etc., into which a cog, tooth, pawl or similar part may engage, typically in order to prevent reversed motion in a mechanism. Also: a bar, wheel, etc., provided with such teeth (see also ratchet bar n., ratchet wheel n. at Compounds 1).

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > wheel > [noun] > parts of wheels > tooth > series or set of

ratchet1659

cog1712

ratch1721

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > wheel > [noun] > cog or gear > ratchet

ratch1696

ratchet wheel1736

ratchet1744

ratch-wheel1744

racket wheel1758

catch wheel1786

mousing1875

α.

1659 J. Leak tr. I. de Caus New Inventions Water-works 25 They make the peeces of Timber to come to the Saws by means of certain Toothed Wheels with a rochet [Fr. avec un roquet].

1744 Philos. Trans. 1742–3 (Royal Soc.) 42 558 A Wheel..notched round, which works as a Rotchet on a Spring Ketch.

1759 Philos. Trans. 1758 (Royal Soc.) 50 728 The outside rochet and outside wheel are fixed on the arbor.

1765 Ann. Reg. 1764 i. 78/2 Barrel and main spring... Great wheel and rotchet.

β. 1696 W. Derham Artific. Clock-maker 2 The small Teeth at the bottom of the Fusy, or Barrel, that stop it in winding up, is the Ratchet.1730 Philos. Trans. 1729–30 (Royal Soc.) 36 204 To throw the Catch in again upon the Teeth of the Ratchet, and stop the whole Motion without Accidents.1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 501 The click attached to the great wheel is laid hold of by the teeth of the ratchet.1843 Penny Cycl. XXVII. 107/2 The arbor is also attached immoveably to another wheel called the ratchet.1881 W. W. Greener Gun & its Devel. 9 The ratchet is wound up by means of the lever and cogs.1930 F. D. Jones Ingenious Mechanisms I. ii. 63 The spring-actuated pawl..prevents the ratchet..from turning backward.1993 Collins Compl. DIY Man. (new ed.) xi. 487/1 A good-quality brace has a ratchet so you can turn the bit in one direction only when working in a confined space where a full turn of the handle isn't possible.2000 P. Vincent Mountain Bike Maintenance 109/1 (Gloss.) When freewheeling (rolling without pedalling), the pawls slide over the ratchets, giving a distinctive clicking sound.

†b. Each of the teeth of such a device (see also ratchet tooth n. at Compounds 1). Only in plural. Obsolete. rare.

ΚΠ

1721 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. Ratchets [in a watch], are the small Teeth at the Bottom of the Barrel, which stop it, in winding up.

1813 Weekly Reg. 4 111/2 The wheels of both boats and carriages are provided with double ratchets reversed, or friction cups and balls.

1860 M. F. Maury Physical Geogr. Sea (ed. 8) iii. §165 The cogs on this wheel are cut and regulated to the rachets on that.

c. A pivoted bar or lever that catches on a toothed bar or wheel and prevents its reverse motion; = pawl n.¹ 1b. Also in extended use. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > wheel > [noun] > parts of wheels > tooth > catch

click1714

click iron1831

ratchet1846

1846 in W. Johnston tr. J. Beckmann Hist. Invent. (ed. 4) I. 11 These two wheels are connected by a ratchet or pall,..the larger ratchet-wheel is held stationary by a ratchet.

1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1881/2 Ratchet, the detent which falls into the interdental spaces of a ratchet-wheel, rising, as the wheel revolves, in one direction and preventing the backward motion of the wheel.

1990 Sci. Amer. June 94A/2 The microbarb at the tip of the quill acts as a ratchet, so that the implanted quill migrates forward under random bodily motions.

†3. A kind of bobbin or spool (see quot. 1763). Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture of thread or yarn > [noun] > winding > winding on spool or bobbin > spool or bobbin

spoolc1325

pirn1440

rocket1440

quillc1450

bobbin1530

reed1530

spill1594

twill1664

ratchet1728

pirnie1776

runner1784

reel1785

spindle1837

1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Cloth That for the Warp is wound on a kind of Rochets, or large wooden Bobbins, to dispose it for warping.

1763 W. Lewis Commercium Philosophico-technicum 56 From this the wire is wound off upon a smaller cylinder, called a Rochett, placed on the spindle of a spinning wheel.

4. Music. A (usually wooden) percussion instrument incorporating a ratchet wheel which is struck by a stiff tongue fixed in a frame to produce a coarse grating sound, played either by turning the ratchet wheel with a handle or moving it in such a way that the frame rotates around it. Cf. rattle n.¹ 2c.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > percussion instrument > [noun] > other

tongs1600

riqq1836

morache1896

ratchet1933

reco-reco1942

dhantal1947

spoons1972

ferrinho1988

1933 Musical Q. 19 290 Experiments were performed..with five different powerful sound-producers: (1) very powerful three-tined ratchets; [etc.].

1946 M. Mezzrow & B. Wolfe Really Blues App. 3 The cowbell and the woodblock and the ratchet.

1974 Galpin Soc. Jrnl. 27 6 In this chorus Kauer utilized..the full complement of sound effects of the Leopoldstadt theater—ratchet, wind machine,..and thunderclaps.

1995 Music Educators Jrnl. 81 25/1 Children pick their favorite instrument... A child might pick a ratchet to make a sound for a snowflake.

5. figurative.

a. Frequently with upward or downward. An incremental or irreversible change; a process of increasing or decreasing (as specified by the modifying word) the scale or intensity of something, usually in a series of irreversible steps; such a step. Cf. ratchet v. 1b.

ΚΠ

1944 Amer. Econ. Rev. 34 114 The effects of a one-way ratchet on prices or wages can be offset to a considerable extent by inflationary monetary action.

1968 R. E. Slesinger National Econ. Policy x. 193 An upward ratchet of interest rates is not an inherent or necessary result of a flexible monetary policy.

1981 H. R. Penniman Canada at Polls, 1979 & 1980 379 Support for Trudeau, as though determined by some downward ratchet, never seems to come back from a loss to quite the level of his earlier popularity.

1998 Washington Times (Nexis) 11 Mar. a19 Every downward ratchet of the standards of permissible disclosure.

b. Finance. An incentive scheme used in venture capital investment and management buyouts to allow managers a larger share of the equity based on the performance of the firm.

ΚΠ

1987 Financial Times 14 Oct. (Survey section) p. v/1 It has also prompted the growth of the bought deal.., and the use of ratchets to ensure that managers have an additional incentive to perform.

1999 K. Robbie & M. Wright Managem. Buy-outs & Venture Capital 23 There is a greater degree of control exercised by institutions over management buy-ins than for buy-outs especially in the form of..greater use of equity ratchets.

2003 European Venture Capital Jrnl. (Nexis) 1 Oct. Ratchets are common practice among private equity firms although a brief poll..of private equity and venture capital investors..found their use varies greatly from firm to firm.

6. = ratchet knife n. at Compounds 2.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > cutting tool > knife > [noun] > other knives

bollock knifec1400

paring knife1415

spudc1440

pricking-knifec1500

shaving-knife1530–1

by-knifec1570

heading knife1574

stock knife1582

drawing knife1583

bung-knife1592

weeding knife1598

drawing knife1610

heading knife1615

draw knife1679

dressing knife1683

redishing knife1688

mocotaugan1716

skinning knife1767

paper knife1789

draw shave1824

leaf-cutter1828

piece-knife1833

nut-pick1851

relic knife1854

butch1859

straw-knife1862

sportsman's companion1863

ulu1864

skinner1872

hacker1875

over-shave1875

stripping-knife1875

Stanley knife1878

flat-back1888

gauge-knife1888

tine-knife1888

plough1899

band-knife1926

X-Acto1943

shank1953

box cutter1955

ratchet knife1966

ratchet1975

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > sharp weapon > side arms > knife or dagger > [noun] > types of

anlacec1300

misericord1324

bodkin1386

baselardc1390

popperc1390

wood-knife1426

spudc1440

pavade1477

bistoury1490

skene1527

dudgeon1548

sword dagger1567

machete1575

kris1589

bum dagger1596

stillado1607

stiletto1611

steelet1616

hanjar1621

pisaa1640

jockteleg1642

khanjar1684

bayonet1692

kuttar1696

parazonium1751

skene-ochles1754

scalping-knife1759

snick-a-snee1760

manchette1762

snickersnee1775

guard-dagger1786

boarding knife1807

scalp-knife1807

kukri1811

skene-dhu1811

parang1820

stylet1820

belt knife1831

bowie-knife1836

scalper1837

sheath-knife1837

toothpick1837

tumbok lada1839

snick-and-snee knife1843

tickler1844

bowie1846

toad-sticker1858

simi1860

scramasax1862

kinjal1863

left-hander1869

main gauche1869

aikuchi1875

tanto1885

toad-stabber1885

cinquedea1897

trench knife1898

puukko1925

panga1929

quillon dagger1950

flick-knife1957

ratchet knife1966

sai1973

ratchet1975

1975 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 11 June 3/1 Walking with the road with a ratchet (knife) in your waist, Johnny you're too bad.

1976 Daily Mirror 2 Apr. 20/2 Ratchet, knife.

2000 L. Bradley Bass Culture (2001) ix. 183 The cane-cutting machete (or cutlass..) and the ratchet (a mass-imported inexpensive knife that could be locked open with a flick of the wrist) were regulation rude-boy accessories.

Compounds

C1. Chiefly designating tools or other devices which work by means of a ratchet, or parts of a mechanism which contains a ratchet.

ratchet arbor n.

ΚΠ

1832 T. Reid Treat. Clock & Watch Making iii. 45 This..takes away from the good effect, which the rack would otherwise have did it operate solely with the pinion on the ratchet arbor.

1849 H. M. Noad Lect. Electr. (ed. 3) viii. 383 A pinion on the ratchet-arbor gives motion to other simple wheel-work which carries the minute and hour hands.

1977 N.Y. Times 25 Sept. 32/3 Misc. Mach & Equip... 12 ton ratchet arbor press.

ratchet bar n.

ΚΠ

a1824 A. Scott in Trans. Highl. Soc. (1824) 6 34 So hinged that its lower end shall fall into the teeth of the same ratchet-bar.

1889 Science 31 May 411/2 The armatures of the brake-magnets are provided with a ratchet bar and pawl.

1970 Biol. Bull. 139 119 The fish was slowly lowered into the liquid by cranking down the ratchet bar supporting the platform.

ratchet brace n.

ΚΠ

1847 Sci. Amer. 18 Sept. 412/2 (heading) Double Ratchet Brace.

1968 J. Arnold Shell Bk. Country Crafts 112 Wooden stocks and their spoon-bits lie cheek-by-jowl with the modern ratchet-brace and ‘twisty’-bit.

ratchet catch n.

ΚΠ

a1824 A. Scott in Trans. Highl. Soc. (1824) 6 32 A ratchet-wheel of about 13 inches diameter, with ratchet-catches.

1917 J. H. Stephenson Traction Farming & Traction Engin. i. xvii. 236 By pressing down on back end of ratchet catch lock TS-8, ratchet catch TS-11 will be released and allowed to engage with notch on ratchet TS-5.

1987 Advertiser (Adelaide) (Nexis) (Machinery & Chemicals Special Suppl.) 17 Mar. The bale is closed against a ratchet catch, with a trigger-operated spring release.

ratchet drill n.

ΚΠ

1844 Mechanics' Mag. 27 Jan. 62 (table) Ratchet drill (improved).

1902 J. Conrad Heart of Darkness in Youth iii. 168 I lived in an infernal mess of rust, filings, nuts, bolts, spanners, hammers, ratchet-drills—things I abominate, because I don't get on with them.

1960 H. S. Arnow Seedtime on Cumberland x. 266 The boring of holes for the thousands of such pegs was not the easy job it is today with a ratchet drill.

ratchet handle n.

ΚΠ

1894 Fort Wayne (Indiana) Sentinel 16 Mar. Edward..was struck..with a ratchet handle this morning.

1971 Tools & their Uses (U.S. Navy Bureau of Naval Personnel) (1973) i.9 A ratchet handle eliminates the necessity of lifting the socket and refitting it on the nut again and again.

2004 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) (Nexis) 18 Apr. 46 The ratchet handle I was using slipped off a bolt-head.

ratchet jack n.

ΚΠ

1866 Railroad Prop. (U.S. Congress) 504 (table) 2 large ratchet jacks.

1984 Mod. Law Rev. 47 52 The plaintiff was injured when he was lowering the body of a tipper vehicle by means of a ratchet jack manufactured abroad.

ratchet lever n.

ΚΠ

1826 in London Jrnl. Arts & Sci. (1828) 14 93 On releasing the catch from the ratchet lever, the power of the convolute spring..exerts itself, and draws the rope.

1983 Buck & Hickman Catal. 1983–5 436 Heavy duty ratchet levers... Hardened steel racks and reversible pawls.

ratchet maker n.

ΚΠ

1876 G. P. Bevan Industr. Classes & Industr. Statist. I. 182 In Kelly's Trade Directory I find the following list of various callings connected with watches..watch barrel ratchet makers.

1905 Daily Chron. 13 Mar. 5/6 A man named Joseph Scott..a ratchet maker by trade.

ratchet pinion n.

ΚΠ

1779 Philos. Trans. 1778 (Royal Soc.) 68 979 We must..except the rochet pinions.

1849 Sci. Amer. 29 Sept. 9/3 On this circular frame is a small ratchet pinion, G, fixed on a short axis.

1920 T. W. Chalmers Paper Making & its Machinery xi. 103 Any arrangement for vibrating the strainer drum which employs a ratchet pinion and hammer..is apt to prove unpleasantly noisy when in use.

1982 Kirk-Othmer Encycl. Chem. Technol. XIX. 31 Several design configurations can be combined into one component [using powder metallurgy], such as a combination ratchet pinion or a gear with a cam surface that might otherwise be an assembly of components.

ratchet punch n.

ΚΠ

1909 N.E.D. at Punch sb.¹ Ratchet punch.

1954 Dixon (Illinois) Evening Tel. 25 Mar. 2/4 (advt.) Public sale of contractor's equipment... Wire rope cutter; ¼ ratchet punch; [etc.].

ratchet ring n.

ΚΠ

1779 J. Ramsden Descr. Engine for dividing Straight Lines 11 The spiral spring turns back the cylinder, till the piece (j) is brought under the stop on the ratchet ring (b).

1861 J. F. W. Herschel Telescope 146 Over the attachments of these cocks is screwed a ratchet-ring, by the action of an arm on whose notches the interior ring and the speculum with it can be carried round on its centre.

1992 Mech. Products & Tools July 1413/2 Double ended ratchet rings, nickel chrome plated with heat treated driving parts.

ratchet screwdriver n.

ΚΠ

1892 Fresno (Calif.) Morning Republican 24 Dec. 5/2 He stole a ratchet screw-driver.

1938 Amer. Home Oct. 82/3 What a help the modern ratchet screwdriver is!

1979 S. Brett in Winter's Crimes 11 12 A ratchet screwdriver... Just the job for putting up shelves.

† ratchet side n. Obsolete rare

ΚΠ

1838 Civil Engineer & Architect's Jrnl. 1 192/1 The palls..are thrown into the ratchet sides of the press.

ratchet stop n.

ΚΠ

1834 J. Holland Treat. Manuf. Metal III. xv. 289 This clock is wound up by a line going over a pulley, with a ratchet stop on the axis of the great wheel.

1992 Mech. Products & Tools July 1472/3 The micrometer head also includes a constant force ratchet-stop and positive locking clamp.

ratchet tooth n.

ΚΠ

1736 Philos. Trans. 1735–6 (Royal Soc.) 39 89 Their Distance depends on the Ratchet-Teeth..in the Brass-Bottom.

1835 A. Ure Philos. Manuf. 94 The imbrications of the fibre lay hold on each other, as clicks do on ratchet teeth.

1998 Transport News July 65/1 The handbrake held well, even if it does look a bit unfinished, with no gaiter and the ratchet teeth clearly in view.

ratchet wheel n.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > wheel > [noun] > cog or gear > ratchet

ratch1696

ratchet wheel1736

ratchet1744

ratch-wheel1744

racket wheel1758

catch wheel1786

mousing1875

1736 Philos. Trans. 1735–6 (Royal Soc.) 39 85 The rachet-wheel..rests on one side upon the determinator, and upon a piece of brass of the same thickness.

?1790 J. Imison School of Arts (ed. 2) 17 It is requisite to have a ratchet-wheel on the end of the axle..with a catch to fall into its teeth.

1881 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (ed. 4) 76 Pivotted to the same centre as the weighted lever is a ratchet wheel with very fine teeth.

1988 D. Rees GCSE CDT—Design & Realisation xiii. 115 The gradual slope allows the pawl to slide over the surface but the steep slope prevents it from moving and so stops the ratchet wheel from rotating backwards.

C2.

ratchet effect n. originally Economics an effect whereby a trend or tendency in cost, demand, etc., is maintained incrementally so that it becomes, or appears to become, irreversible; also in extended use.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > rule or government > politics > party politics > [noun] > departure from party principles > acquiescence in changes

ratchet effect1950

1950 Jrnl. Business Univ. Chicago 23 88/1 Where demand is maintained at going prices, as by government orders, the ratchet effect may be found on the demand as well as on the cost side.

1977 New Society 31 Mar. 643/2 One of the curiosities of political life is what you might call the ‘ratchet effect’. This is the process by which one party makes the running over an issue, and gradually winds the other (or others) along after it.

1985 Rev. Econ. & Statistics 67 497/1 The influence of the ‘ratchet effect’—prices being revised upwards following devaluations, but not adjusted downwards following revaluations—on domestic prices should also be considered.

2007 Evening Standard (Nexis) 26 Feb. 37 Cosmetic surgery has a ratchet effect—if one person does it, others follow in order to keep up.

ratchet knife n. a type of small flick knife popular in Jamaica.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > equipment > cutting tool > knife > [noun] > other knives

bollock knifec1400

paring knife1415

spudc1440

pricking-knifec1500

shaving-knife1530–1

by-knifec1570

heading knife1574

stock knife1582

drawing knife1583

bung-knife1592

weeding knife1598

drawing knife1610

heading knife1615

draw knife1679

dressing knife1683

redishing knife1688

mocotaugan1716

skinning knife1767

paper knife1789

draw shave1824

leaf-cutter1828

piece-knife1833

nut-pick1851

relic knife1854

butch1859

straw-knife1862

sportsman's companion1863

ulu1864

skinner1872

hacker1875

over-shave1875

stripping-knife1875

Stanley knife1878

flat-back1888

gauge-knife1888

tine-knife1888

plough1899

band-knife1926

X-Acto1943

shank1953

box cutter1955

ratchet knife1966

ratchet1975

society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > sharp weapon > side arms > knife or dagger > [noun] > types of

anlacec1300

misericord1324

bodkin1386

baselardc1390

popperc1390

wood-knife1426

spudc1440

pavade1477

bistoury1490

skene1527

dudgeon1548

sword dagger1567

machete1575

kris1589

bum dagger1596

stillado1607

stiletto1611

steelet1616

hanjar1621

pisaa1640

jockteleg1642

khanjar1684

bayonet1692

kuttar1696

parazonium1751

skene-ochles1754

scalping-knife1759

snick-a-snee1760

manchette1762

snickersnee1775

guard-dagger1786

boarding knife1807

scalp-knife1807

kukri1811

skene-dhu1811

parang1820

stylet1820

belt knife1831

bowie-knife1836

scalper1837

sheath-knife1837

toothpick1837

tumbok lada1839

snick-and-snee knife1843

tickler1844

bowie1846

toad-sticker1858

simi1860

scramasax1862

kinjal1863

left-hander1869

main gauche1869

aikuchi1875

tanto1885

toad-stabber1885

cinquedea1897

trench knife1898

puukko1925

panga1929

quillon dagger1950

flick-knife1957

ratchet knife1966

sai1973

ratchet1975

1966 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 18 June 10/3 It is just not good enough to call upon the Government to..place stricter controls upon the importation and sale of dynamite, firearms and ratchet-knives.

1976 A. Boot & M. Thomas Jamaica 40/1 Just the sort of deft digital flourish you need to whip out the blade of a ratchet knife—which is a particular kind of nicely curved blade in a tapered handle, made in Germany for gutting fish.

1999 M. Cezair-Thompson True Hist. Paradise xlv. 243 One of the men..raised a ratchet knife to Jean's neck.

ratchet rifling n. rare a form of rifling of a gun barrel in which the grooves have their edges machined more sharply on the side imparting rotation to the bullet.

ΚΠ

1861 J. M. Brooke Jrnl. 8 Nov. in G. M. Brooke Ironclads & Big Guns of Confederacy (2002) ii. 47 Decided to take a gun of the Tredegar pattern 6ft. in length, weighing 11,000 lbs., ratchet rifling, 5 grooves.

1945 C. E. Balleisen Princ. Firearms ii. 16 This form requires that much of the bullet jacket be deformed sharply by the grooves. Hence, it is often suggested that so-called ratchet rifling be used,..in which only the driving side of the land is made sharp.

Derivatives

ˈratcheted adj. provided with a ratchet.

ΚΠ

1852 Ladies' Repository July 276/2 We pointed to a maze of wheels, cogged and not cogged, ratcheted and not ratcheted, springs, wires, and machinery in profusion.

1892 Star 14 Dec. 3/2 The ratchetted arm of the derrick..broke.

1933 Metrop. Mus. Art Bull. 28 92/2 The legs were made hollow..to receive the ratcheted shafts which support the top in the raised position.

2005 Operative Techniques Gen. Surg. 7 190/1 The assistant grasps the drain with ratcheted clamp and retracts it inferiorly.

ˈratchety adj. having the qualities of a ratchet; esp. resembling the sound of a ratchet.

ΚΠ

1885 The Money-Makers ix. 128 Raikes..poured out a ratchety but vehement panegyric.

1962 M. E. Murie Two in Far North iv. l. 336 Ptarmigan soaring and cluck-clucking and giving their ratchety call.

2006 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 1 Sept. b2/3 Beyoncé led a phalanx of trench-coated dancers doing robot moves to ratchety noises.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	ratchet
释义	ratchetn.¹ Brit. /ˈratʃᵻt/, U.S. /ˈrætʃət/ Forms: 1500s ratchette. Origin: Formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: English ratch , rache n., -et suffix¹. Etymology: < ratch, northern variant of rache n. + -et suffix¹. Compare earlier brachet n. rare (English regional (northern) in later use). A hunting dog; = rache n. Now only in Gabriel-ratchet (see Gabriel n. 1a) and gabble ratchet n. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Canidae > dogs used for specific purposes > [noun] > sporting or hunting dog > that follows prey by scent or sight racheeOE ratchet1563 gaze-hound1570 roader1817 1563 T. Becon Acts Christ & Antichrist in Wks. III. 400 Antichrist hunteth the wilde dere..with houndes and ratchettes ronning. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022). ratchetn.² Brit. /ˈratʃᵻt/, U.S. /ˈrætʃət/ Forms: α. 1600s–1700s rochet, 1600s–1700s rochett, 1700s rotchet; Scottish pre-1700 rotchet. β. 1600s– ratchet, 1700s–1800s rachet. Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French rochet. Etymology: < French rochet tooth on the edge of a wheel (1534 in Middle French in Paré as rocquet ; earlier in sense ‘lance-head used for jousting’ (1285 in Old French)), bobbin or spool (1669), balance wheel (of a clock) (1752) < an unattested French word cognate with the Romance forms cited at rock n.² + -et -et suffix¹. Compare Italian rocchetto spool, bobbin (1310). With sense 1 compare earlier ratch n.³ and discussion at that entry. Compare also earlier rocket n.²The sense development in French is not entirely clear; the earliest sense ‘lance-head’ may have referred originally to the heads of blunted jousting lances (perhaps originally resembling a distaff), which by the 14th cent. were tipped with a pronged head or coronal, the latest shape of which (surviving into the 17th cent.) was a tube with a serrated end, in turn giving its name to the similarly shaped mechanical wheel. †1. Scottish. The barrel of a gun. Cf. ratch n.³ 1. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > parts and fittings of firearms > [noun] > barrel firing barrel1370 ratch1575 barrel1644 ratcheta1650 gun-barrel1747 spout1879 a1650 D. Calderwood Hist. Kirk Scotl. (1843) III. 74 Some..rotchets of small ordinance. 2. a. A series of angular teeth on the edge of a bar, the rim of a wheel, etc., into which a cog, tooth, pawl or similar part may engage, typically in order to prevent reversed motion in a mechanism. Also: a bar, wheel, etc., provided with such teeth (see also ratchet bar n., ratchet wheel n. at Compounds 1). ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > wheel > [noun] > parts of wheels > tooth > series or set of ratchet1659 cog1712 ratch1721 society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > wheel > [noun] > cog or gear > ratchet ratch1696 ratchet wheel1736 ratchet1744 ratch-wheel1744 racket wheel1758 catch wheel1786 mousing1875 α. 1659 J. Leak tr. I. de Caus New Inventions Water-works 25 They make the peeces of Timber to come to the Saws by means of certain Toothed Wheels with a rochet [Fr. avec un roquet]. 1744 Philos. Trans. 1742–3 (Royal Soc.) 42 558 A Wheel..notched round, which works as a Rotchet on a Spring Ketch. 1759 Philos. Trans. 1758 (Royal Soc.) 50 728 The outside rochet and outside wheel are fixed on the arbor. 1765 Ann. Reg. 1764 i. 78/2 Barrel and main spring... Great wheel and rotchet. β. 1696 W. Derham Artific. Clock-maker 2 The small Teeth at the bottom of the Fusy, or Barrel, that stop it in winding up, is the Ratchet.1730 Philos. Trans. 1729–30 (Royal Soc.) 36 204 To throw the Catch in again upon the Teeth of the Ratchet, and stop the whole Motion without Accidents.1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 501 The click attached to the great wheel is laid hold of by the teeth of the ratchet.1843 Penny Cycl. XXVII. 107/2 The arbor is also attached immoveably to another wheel called the ratchet.1881 W. W. Greener Gun & its Devel. 9 The ratchet is wound up by means of the lever and cogs.1930 F. D. Jones Ingenious Mechanisms I. ii. 63 The spring-actuated pawl..prevents the ratchet..from turning backward.1993 Collins Compl. DIY Man. (new ed.) xi. 487/1 A good-quality brace has a ratchet so you can turn the bit in one direction only when working in a confined space where a full turn of the handle isn't possible.2000 P. Vincent Mountain Bike Maintenance 109/1 (Gloss.) When freewheeling (rolling without pedalling), the pawls slide over the ratchets, giving a distinctive clicking sound. †b. Each of the teeth of such a device (see also ratchet tooth n. at Compounds 1). Only in plural. Obsolete. rare. ΚΠ 1721 N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict. Ratchets [in a watch], are the small Teeth at the Bottom of the Barrel, which stop it, in winding up. 1813 Weekly Reg. 4 111/2 The wheels of both boats and carriages are provided with double ratchets reversed, or friction cups and balls. 1860 M. F. Maury Physical Geogr. Sea (ed. 8) iii. §165 The cogs on this wheel are cut and regulated to the rachets on that. c. A pivoted bar or lever that catches on a toothed bar or wheel and prevents its reverse motion; = pawl n.¹ 1b. Also in extended use. rare. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > wheel > [noun] > parts of wheels > tooth > catch click1714 click iron1831 ratchet1846 1846 in W. Johnston tr. J. Beckmann Hist. Invent. (ed. 4) I. 11 These two wheels are connected by a ratchet or pall,..the larger ratchet-wheel is held stationary by a ratchet. 1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 1881/2 Ratchet, the detent which falls into the interdental spaces of a ratchet-wheel, rising, as the wheel revolves, in one direction and preventing the backward motion of the wheel. 1990 Sci. Amer. June 94A/2 The microbarb at the tip of the quill acts as a ratchet, so that the implanted quill migrates forward under random bodily motions. †3. A kind of bobbin or spool (see quot. 1763). Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture of thread or yarn > [noun] > winding > winding on spool or bobbin > spool or bobbin spoolc1325 pirn1440 rocket1440 quillc1450 bobbin1530 reed1530 spill1594 twill1664 ratchet1728 pirnie1776 runner1784 reel1785 spindle1837 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Cloth That for the Warp is wound on a kind of Rochets, or large wooden Bobbins, to dispose it for warping. 1763 W. Lewis Commercium Philosophico-technicum 56 From this the wire is wound off upon a smaller cylinder, called a Rochett, placed on the spindle of a spinning wheel. 4. Music. A (usually wooden) percussion instrument incorporating a ratchet wheel which is struck by a stiff tongue fixed in a frame to produce a coarse grating sound, played either by turning the ratchet wheel with a handle or moving it in such a way that the frame rotates around it. Cf. rattle n.¹ 2c. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > musical instrument > percussion instrument > [noun] > other tongs1600 riqq1836 morache1896 ratchet1933 reco-reco1942 dhantal1947 spoons1972 ferrinho1988 1933 Musical Q. 19 290 Experiments were performed..with five different powerful sound-producers: (1) very powerful three-tined ratchets; [etc.]. 1946 M. Mezzrow & B. Wolfe Really Blues App. 3 The cowbell and the woodblock and the ratchet. 1974 Galpin Soc. Jrnl. 27 6 In this chorus Kauer utilized..the full complement of sound effects of the Leopoldstadt theater—ratchet, wind machine,..and thunderclaps. 1995 Music Educators Jrnl. 81 25/1 Children pick their favorite instrument... A child might pick a ratchet to make a sound for a snowflake. 5. figurative. a. Frequently with upward or downward. An incremental or irreversible change; a process of increasing or decreasing (as specified by the modifying word) the scale or intensity of something, usually in a series of irreversible steps; such a step. Cf. ratchet v. 1b. ΚΠ 1944 Amer. Econ. Rev. 34 114 The effects of a one-way ratchet on prices or wages can be offset to a considerable extent by inflationary monetary action. 1968 R. E. Slesinger National Econ. Policy x. 193 An upward ratchet of interest rates is not an inherent or necessary result of a flexible monetary policy. 1981 H. R. Penniman Canada at Polls, 1979 & 1980 379 Support for Trudeau, as though determined by some downward ratchet, never seems to come back from a loss to quite the level of his earlier popularity. 1998 Washington Times (Nexis) 11 Mar. a19 Every downward ratchet of the standards of permissible disclosure. b. Finance. An incentive scheme used in venture capital investment and management buyouts to allow managers a larger share of the equity based on the performance of the firm. ΚΠ 1987 Financial Times 14 Oct. (Survey section) p. v/1 It has also prompted the growth of the bought deal.., and the use of ratchets to ensure that managers have an additional incentive to perform. 1999 K. Robbie & M. Wright Managem. Buy-outs & Venture Capital 23 There is a greater degree of control exercised by institutions over management buy-ins than for buy-outs especially in the form of..greater use of equity ratchets. 2003 European Venture Capital Jrnl. (Nexis) 1 Oct. Ratchets are common practice among private equity firms although a brief poll..of private equity and venture capital investors..found their use varies greatly from firm to firm. 6. = ratchet knife n. at Compounds 2. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > cutting tool > knife > [noun] > other knives bollock knifec1400 paring knife1415 spudc1440 pricking-knifec1500 shaving-knife1530–1 by-knifec1570 heading knife1574 stock knife1582 drawing knife1583 bung-knife1592 weeding knife1598 drawing knife1610 heading knife1615 draw knife1679 dressing knife1683 redishing knife1688 mocotaugan1716 skinning knife1767 paper knife1789 draw shave1824 leaf-cutter1828 piece-knife1833 nut-pick1851 relic knife1854 butch1859 straw-knife1862 sportsman's companion1863 ulu1864 skinner1872 hacker1875 over-shave1875 stripping-knife1875 Stanley knife1878 flat-back1888 gauge-knife1888 tine-knife1888 plough1899 band-knife1926 X-Acto1943 shank1953 box cutter1955 ratchet knife1966 ratchet1975 society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > sharp weapon > side arms > knife or dagger > [noun] > types of anlacec1300 misericord1324 bodkin1386 baselardc1390 popperc1390 wood-knife1426 spudc1440 pavade1477 bistoury1490 skene1527 dudgeon1548 sword dagger1567 machete1575 kris1589 bum dagger1596 stillado1607 stiletto1611 steelet1616 hanjar1621 pisaa1640 jockteleg1642 khanjar1684 bayonet1692 kuttar1696 parazonium1751 skene-ochles1754 scalping-knife1759 snick-a-snee1760 manchette1762 snickersnee1775 guard-dagger1786 boarding knife1807 scalp-knife1807 kukri1811 skene-dhu1811 parang1820 stylet1820 belt knife1831 bowie-knife1836 scalper1837 sheath-knife1837 toothpick1837 tumbok lada1839 snick-and-snee knife1843 tickler1844 bowie1846 toad-sticker1858 simi1860 scramasax1862 kinjal1863 left-hander1869 main gauche1869 aikuchi1875 tanto1885 toad-stabber1885 cinquedea1897 trench knife1898 puukko1925 panga1929 quillon dagger1950 flick-knife1957 ratchet knife1966 sai1973 ratchet1975 1975 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 11 June 3/1 Walking with the road with a ratchet (knife) in your waist, Johnny you're too bad. 1976 Daily Mirror 2 Apr. 20/2 Ratchet, knife. 2000 L. Bradley Bass Culture (2001) ix. 183 The cane-cutting machete (or cutlass..) and the ratchet (a mass-imported inexpensive knife that could be locked open with a flick of the wrist) were regulation rude-boy accessories. Compounds C1. Chiefly designating tools or other devices which work by means of a ratchet, or parts of a mechanism which contains a ratchet. ratchet arbor n. ΚΠ 1832 T. Reid Treat. Clock & Watch Making iii. 45 This..takes away from the good effect, which the rack would otherwise have did it operate solely with the pinion on the ratchet arbor. 1849 H. M. Noad Lect. Electr. (ed. 3) viii. 383 A pinion on the ratchet-arbor gives motion to other simple wheel-work which carries the minute and hour hands. 1977 N.Y. Times 25 Sept. 32/3 Misc. Mach & Equip... 12 ton ratchet arbor press. ratchet bar n. ΚΠ a1824 A. Scott in Trans. Highl. Soc. (1824) 6 34 So hinged that its lower end shall fall into the teeth of the same ratchet-bar. 1889 Science 31 May 411/2 The armatures of the brake-magnets are provided with a ratchet bar and pawl. 1970 Biol. Bull. 139 119 The fish was slowly lowered into the liquid by cranking down the ratchet bar supporting the platform. ratchet brace n. ΚΠ 1847 Sci. Amer. 18 Sept. 412/2 (heading) Double Ratchet Brace. 1968 J. Arnold Shell Bk. Country Crafts 112 Wooden stocks and their spoon-bits lie cheek-by-jowl with the modern ratchet-brace and ‘twisty’-bit. ratchet catch n. ΚΠ a1824 A. Scott in Trans. Highl. Soc. (1824) 6 32 A ratchet-wheel of about 13 inches diameter, with ratchet-catches. 1917 J. H. Stephenson Traction Farming & Traction Engin. i. xvii. 236 By pressing down on back end of ratchet catch lock TS-8, ratchet catch TS-11 will be released and allowed to engage with notch on ratchet TS-5. 1987 Advertiser (Adelaide) (Nexis) (Machinery & Chemicals Special Suppl.) 17 Mar. The bale is closed against a ratchet catch, with a trigger-operated spring release. ratchet drill n. ΚΠ 1844 Mechanics' Mag. 27 Jan. 62 (table) Ratchet drill (improved). 1902 J. Conrad Heart of Darkness in Youth iii. 168 I lived in an infernal mess of rust, filings, nuts, bolts, spanners, hammers, ratchet-drills—things I abominate, because I don't get on with them. 1960 H. S. Arnow Seedtime on Cumberland x. 266 The boring of holes for the thousands of such pegs was not the easy job it is today with a ratchet drill. ratchet handle n. ΚΠ 1894 Fort Wayne (Indiana) Sentinel 16 Mar. Edward..was struck..with a ratchet handle this morning. 1971 Tools & their Uses (U.S. Navy Bureau of Naval Personnel) (1973) i.9 A ratchet handle eliminates the necessity of lifting the socket and refitting it on the nut again and again. 2004 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) (Nexis) 18 Apr. 46 The ratchet handle I was using slipped off a bolt-head. ratchet jack n. ΚΠ 1866 Railroad Prop. (U.S. Congress) 504 (table) 2 large ratchet jacks. 1984 Mod. Law Rev. 47 52 The plaintiff was injured when he was lowering the body of a tipper vehicle by means of a ratchet jack manufactured abroad. ratchet lever n. ΚΠ 1826 in London Jrnl. Arts & Sci. (1828) 14 93 On releasing the catch from the ratchet lever, the power of the convolute spring..exerts itself, and draws the rope. 1983 Buck & Hickman Catal. 1983–5 436 Heavy duty ratchet levers... Hardened steel racks and reversible pawls. ratchet maker n. ΚΠ 1876 G. P. Bevan Industr. Classes & Industr. Statist. I. 182 In Kelly's Trade Directory I find the following list of various callings connected with watches..watch barrel ratchet makers. 1905 Daily Chron. 13 Mar. 5/6 A man named Joseph Scott..a ratchet maker by trade. ratchet pinion n. ΚΠ 1779 Philos. Trans. 1778 (Royal Soc.) 68 979 We must..except the rochet pinions. 1849 Sci. Amer. 29 Sept. 9/3 On this circular frame is a small ratchet pinion, G, fixed on a short axis. 1920 T. W. Chalmers Paper Making & its Machinery xi. 103 Any arrangement for vibrating the strainer drum which employs a ratchet pinion and hammer..is apt to prove unpleasantly noisy when in use. 1982 Kirk-Othmer Encycl. Chem. Technol. XIX. 31 Several design configurations can be combined into one component [using powder metallurgy], such as a combination ratchet pinion or a gear with a cam surface that might otherwise be an assembly of components. ratchet punch n. ΚΠ 1909 N.E.D. at Punch sb.¹ Ratchet punch. 1954 Dixon (Illinois) Evening Tel. 25 Mar. 2/4 (advt.) Public sale of contractor's equipment... Wire rope cutter; ¼ ratchet punch; [etc.]. ratchet ring n. ΚΠ 1779 J. Ramsden Descr. Engine for dividing Straight Lines 11 The spiral spring turns back the cylinder, till the piece (j) is brought under the stop on the ratchet ring (b). 1861 J. F. W. Herschel Telescope 146 Over the attachments of these cocks is screwed a ratchet-ring, by the action of an arm on whose notches the interior ring and the speculum with it can be carried round on its centre. 1992 Mech. Products & Tools July 1413/2 Double ended ratchet rings, nickel chrome plated with heat treated driving parts. ratchet screwdriver n. ΚΠ 1892 Fresno (Calif.) Morning Republican 24 Dec. 5/2 He stole a ratchet screw-driver. 1938 Amer. Home Oct. 82/3 What a help the modern ratchet screwdriver is! 1979 S. Brett in Winter's Crimes 11 12 A ratchet screwdriver... Just the job for putting up shelves. † ratchet side n. Obsolete rare ΚΠ 1838 Civil Engineer & Architect's Jrnl. 1 192/1 The palls..are thrown into the ratchet sides of the press. ratchet stop n. ΚΠ 1834 J. Holland Treat. Manuf. Metal III. xv. 289 This clock is wound up by a line going over a pulley, with a ratchet stop on the axis of the great wheel. 1992 Mech. Products & Tools July 1472/3 The micrometer head also includes a constant force ratchet-stop and positive locking clamp. ratchet tooth n. ΚΠ 1736 Philos. Trans. 1735–6 (Royal Soc.) 39 89 Their Distance depends on the Ratchet-Teeth..in the Brass-Bottom. 1835 A. Ure Philos. Manuf. 94 The imbrications of the fibre lay hold on each other, as clicks do on ratchet teeth. 1998 Transport News July 65/1 The handbrake held well, even if it does look a bit unfinished, with no gaiter and the ratchet teeth clearly in view. ratchet wheel n. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > wheel > [noun] > cog or gear > ratchet ratch1696 ratchet wheel1736 ratchet1744 ratch-wheel1744 racket wheel1758 catch wheel1786 mousing1875 1736 Philos. Trans. 1735–6 (Royal Soc.) 39 85 The rachet-wheel..rests on one side upon the determinator, and upon a piece of brass of the same thickness. ?1790 J. Imison School of Arts (ed. 2) 17 It is requisite to have a ratchet-wheel on the end of the axle..with a catch to fall into its teeth. 1881 F. J. Britten Watch & Clockmakers' Handbk. (ed. 4) 76 Pivotted to the same centre as the weighted lever is a ratchet wheel with very fine teeth. 1988 D. Rees GCSE CDT—Design & Realisation xiii. 115 The gradual slope allows the pawl to slide over the surface but the steep slope prevents it from moving and so stops the ratchet wheel from rotating backwards. C2. ratchet effect n. originally Economics an effect whereby a trend or tendency in cost, demand, etc., is maintained incrementally so that it becomes, or appears to become, irreversible; also in extended use. ΘΚΠ society > authority > rule or government > politics > party politics > [noun] > departure from party principles > acquiescence in changes ratchet effect1950 1950 Jrnl. Business Univ. Chicago 23 88/1 Where demand is maintained at going prices, as by government orders, the ratchet effect may be found on the demand as well as on the cost side. 1977 New Society 31 Mar. 643/2 One of the curiosities of political life is what you might call the ‘ratchet effect’. This is the process by which one party makes the running over an issue, and gradually winds the other (or others) along after it. 1985 Rev. Econ. & Statistics 67 497/1 The influence of the ‘ratchet effect’—prices being revised upwards following devaluations, but not adjusted downwards following revaluations—on domestic prices should also be considered. 2007 Evening Standard (Nexis) 26 Feb. 37 Cosmetic surgery has a ratchet effect—if one person does it, others follow in order to keep up. ratchet knife n. a type of small flick knife popular in Jamaica. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > cutting tool > knife > [noun] > other knives bollock knifec1400 paring knife1415 spudc1440 pricking-knifec1500 shaving-knife1530–1 by-knifec1570 heading knife1574 stock knife1582 drawing knife1583 bung-knife1592 weeding knife1598 drawing knife1610 heading knife1615 draw knife1679 dressing knife1683 redishing knife1688 mocotaugan1716 skinning knife1767 paper knife1789 draw shave1824 leaf-cutter1828 piece-knife1833 nut-pick1851 relic knife1854 butch1859 straw-knife1862 sportsman's companion1863 ulu1864 skinner1872 hacker1875 over-shave1875 stripping-knife1875 Stanley knife1878 flat-back1888 gauge-knife1888 tine-knife1888 plough1899 band-knife1926 X-Acto1943 shank1953 box cutter1955 ratchet knife1966 ratchet1975 society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > sharp weapon > side arms > knife or dagger > [noun] > types of anlacec1300 misericord1324 bodkin1386 baselardc1390 popperc1390 wood-knife1426 spudc1440 pavade1477 bistoury1490 skene1527 dudgeon1548 sword dagger1567 machete1575 kris1589 bum dagger1596 stillado1607 stiletto1611 steelet1616 hanjar1621 pisaa1640 jockteleg1642 khanjar1684 bayonet1692 kuttar1696 parazonium1751 skene-ochles1754 scalping-knife1759 snick-a-snee1760 manchette1762 snickersnee1775 guard-dagger1786 boarding knife1807 scalp-knife1807 kukri1811 skene-dhu1811 parang1820 stylet1820 belt knife1831 bowie-knife1836 scalper1837 sheath-knife1837 toothpick1837 tumbok lada1839 snick-and-snee knife1843 tickler1844 bowie1846 toad-sticker1858 simi1860 scramasax1862 kinjal1863 left-hander1869 main gauche1869 aikuchi1875 tanto1885 toad-stabber1885 cinquedea1897 trench knife1898 puukko1925 panga1929 quillon dagger1950 flick-knife1957 ratchet knife1966 sai1973 ratchet1975 1966 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 18 June 10/3 It is just not good enough to call upon the Government to..place stricter controls upon the importation and sale of dynamite, firearms and ratchet-knives. 1976 A. Boot & M. Thomas Jamaica 40/1 Just the sort of deft digital flourish you need to whip out the blade of a ratchet knife—which is a particular kind of nicely curved blade in a tapered handle, made in Germany for gutting fish. 1999 M. Cezair-Thompson True Hist. Paradise xlv. 243 One of the men..raised a ratchet knife to Jean's neck. ratchet rifling n. rare a form of rifling of a gun barrel in which the grooves have their edges machined more sharply on the side imparting rotation to the bullet. ΚΠ 1861 J. M. Brooke Jrnl. 8 Nov. in G. M. Brooke Ironclads & Big Guns of Confederacy (2002) ii. 47 Decided to take a gun of the Tredegar pattern 6ft. in length, weighing 11,000 lbs., ratchet rifling, 5 grooves. 1945 C. E. Balleisen Princ. Firearms ii. 16 This form requires that much of the bullet jacket be deformed sharply by the grooves. Hence, it is often suggested that so-called ratchet rifling be used,..in which only the driving side of the land is made sharp. Derivatives ˈratcheted adj. provided with a ratchet. ΚΠ 1852 Ladies' Repository July 276/2 We pointed to a maze of wheels, cogged and not cogged, ratcheted and not ratcheted, springs, wires, and machinery in profusion. 1892 Star 14 Dec. 3/2 The ratchetted arm of the derrick..broke. 1933 Metrop. Mus. Art Bull. 28 92/2 The legs were made hollow..to receive the ratcheted shafts which support the top in the raised position. 2005 Operative Techniques Gen. Surg. 7 190/1 The assistant grasps the drain with ratcheted clamp and retracts it inferiorly. ˈratchety adj. having the qualities of a ratchet; esp. resembling the sound of a ratchet. ΚΠ 1885 The Money-Makers ix. 128 Raikes..poured out a ratchety but vehement panegyric. 1962 M. E. Murie Two in Far North iv. l. 336 Ptarmigan soaring and cluck-clucking and giving their ratchety call. 2006 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 1 Sept. b2/3 Beyoncé led a phalanx of trench-coated dancers doing robot moves to ratchety noises. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022). ratchetv. Brit. /ˈratʃᵻt/, U.S. /ˈrætʃət/ Inflections: Present participle ratcheting, ratchetting; past tense and past participle ratcheted, ratchetted; Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: ratchet n.² Etymology: < ratchet n.² Compare earlier ratcheting n. 1. a. intransitive and transitive. To move with, or as with, a ratchet; to move jerkily, or by degrees. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > equipment > machine > parts of machines > wheel > of wheel: operate [verb (intransitive)] > other actions ratchet1881 free-wheel1899 pinwheel1907 1881 F. Young Every Man his own Mechanic i. iv. 103 The angular borer turning clear around without stopping to ratchet. 1965 Kingsport (Tennessee) Times-News 6 June 12/2 a We had a great deal of difficulty in getting the hatch to close far enough so that we could even start ratcheting it. 1977 Rolling Stone 16 June 36/1 The movie director, age 34, spirals, ratchets, thrusts his chin like Mussolini. 1991 R. R. McCammon Boy's Life i. vi. 69 His big square head ratcheted to right and left. 2000 D. Conley Honky xvii. 205 They fell asleep standing up, slowly ratcheting to one side until they almost fell over. 2004 National Post (Canada) (Nexis) 27 Aug. d10 Back seat legroom..can be compromised when someone in the shotgun perch decides to ratchet the seat back for a nap. b. transitive. With up or down. To increase or decrease (as specified by the adverb) the scale or intensity of, esp. incrementally and irreversibly. Also occasionally intransitive: to undergo an increase or decrease of this type. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > increase in quantity, amount, or degree > [verb (transitive)] > increase progressively escalate1959 ratchet1965 1965 Fiscal Policy Issues of Coming Decade: Statements by Individual Economists (U.S. Congr.: Joint Econ. Comm.) 90 I welcome the use of tax cuts, which avoid ratcheting Government outlays up (and might even ratchet them down on some occasions). 1979 Daily Tel. 9 Aug. 2/7 The union movement has not been responsible for ratcheting up inflation. 1987 Times Lit. Suppl. 9 Oct. 1103 If world trade were to contract again, or dollar interest rates to ratchet upwards, the willingness (or capacity) of many debtors could suddenly evaporate. 1996 New Statesman 26 July 43/3 The tempo and the stakes ratchet up as each tornado outguns the last. 2001 Wall St. Jrnl. 4 June a3/1 Both projects..are quietly moving to ratchet down plans to provide Internet service via satellite. 2003 Guardian 5 July (Guide Suppl.) 10/1 Security guards only ratchet up the adrenaline level. 2. intransitive. To make a sound characteristic or suggestive of a ratchet; to click, rattle, grind; (also) to move with such a sound.In quot. 1907 transitive with out: to produce (a ratcheting sound). ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > repeated sound or succession of sounds > [verb (intransitive)] > rattle rattlec1330 hoursch?a1400 rottlea1400 ruttlea1400 ricklec1400 to tirl at the latch, at the sneck15.. clitter1530 ruckle1700 jar1735 knock1869 ratchet1907 1907 San Antonio (Texas) Light 20 Aug. 21/6 I racheted out a click like two dozen telegraph offices tryin' to sing the ‘Star Spangled Banner’. 1977 Time 3 Jan. 44/3 The signal, according to some radio operators who have heard it ratcheting over their headsets, sounds like a ‘buzzsaw’ or ‘the whirring of helicopter blades’. 1985 D. Smith Roundhouse Voices 171 The electric pulse snaps off, leaves hiss underfoot, then a black truck ratcheting away, headlights skittery. 1990 S. Miller Family Pictures i. vii. 135 A train ratcheted by, screaming. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.¹1563n.²a1650v.1881
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ratchetn.1

ratchetn.2

Compounds

Derivatives

ratchetv.

ratchetn.¹

ratchetn.²