Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Racy?

\Ra"cy\, a. [Compar. {Racier}; superl. {Raciest}.] [From {Race} a tribe, family.] 1. Having a strong flavor indicating origin; of distinct characteristic taste; tasting of the soil; hence, fresh; rich. The racy wine, Late from the mellowing cask restored to light. --Pope. 2. Hence: Exciting to the mental taste by a strong or distinctive character of thought or language; peculiar and piquant; fresh and lively. Our raciest, most idiomatic popular word. --M. Arnold. Burn's English, though not so racy as his Scotch, is generally correct. --H. Coleridge. The rich and racy humor of a natural converser fresh from the plow. --Prof. Wilson. Syn: Spicy; spirited; lively; smart; piquant. Usage: {Racy}, {Spicy}. Racy refers primarily to that peculiar flavor which certain wines are supposed to derive from the soil in which the grapes were grown; and hence we call a style or production racy when it ``smacks of the soil,'' or has an uncommon degree of natural freshness and distinctiveness of thought and language. Spicy, when applied, has reference to a spirit and pungency added by art, seasoning the matter like a condiment. It does not, like racy, suggest native peculiarity. A spicy article in a magazine; a spicy retort. Racy in conversation; a racy remark. Rich, racy verses, in which we The soil from which they come, taste, smell, and see. --Cowley.