rave
rant and rave
To complain angrily, forcefully, and at great length (about someone or something). You should spend less time ranting and raving about how unfair your professor is and spend more time actually studying the material. He was quite upset when he came home, so I let him rant and rave for a little while until he calmed down.
See also: and, rant, rave
rave about (something)
To give wildly enthusiastic praise for something. My mom was really impressed with your cooking—she spent the whole evening raving about it! Everyone raves about this movie, but I thought it was pretty mediocre to be honest.
See also: rave
rave over (something)
To give wildly enthusiastic praise for something. My mom was really impressed with your cooking—she spent the whole evening raving over it! Everyone raves over this movie, but I thought it was pretty mediocre to be honest.
See also: over, rave
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
rant and rave (about someone or something)
to shout angrily and wildly about someone or something. Barbara rants and raves when her children don't obey her. Bob rants and raves about anything that displeases him.
See also: and, rant, rave
rave about someone or something
1. to rage in anger about someone or something. Gale was raving about Sarah and what she did. Sarah raved and raved about Gale's insufferable rudeness.
2. to sing the praises of someone or something. Even the harshest critic raved about Larry's stage success. Everyone was raving about your excellent performance.
See also: rave
rave over someone or something
to recite praises for someone or something. The students were just raving over the new professor. Donald raved over the cake I baked. But he'll eat anything.
See also: over, rave
stark raving mad
Cliché totally insane; completely crazy; out of control. (Often an exaggeration.) When she heard about what happened at the office, she went stark raving mad. You must be start raving mad if you think I would trust you with my car!
See also: mad, raving, stark
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
rant and rave
Talk loudly and vehemently, especially in anger, as in There you go again, ranting and raving about the neighbor's car in your driveway. This idiom is a redundancy, since rant and rave mean just about the same thing, but probably survives on account of its alliterative appeal.
See also: and, rant, rave
stark raving mad
Totally crazy, as in The constant uncertainty over his job is making him stark raving mad. This term, meaning "completely wildly insane," is used both hyperbolically and literally. Versions of this expression appear to have sprung from the minds of great literary figures. Stark mad was first recorded by poet John Skelton in 1489; stark raving was first recorded by playwright John Beaumont in 1648; stark staring mad was first used by John Dryden in 1693. The current wording, stark raving mad, first appeared in Henry Fielding's The Intriguing Chambermaid in 1734.
See also: mad, raving, stark
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
ˌrant and ˈrave
(disapproving) show that you are angry by shouting or complaining loudly for a long time: He stood there for about twenty minutes ranting and raving about the colour of the new paint.See also: and, rant, rave
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
rave about
or rave overv.
To speak or write about something or someone with wild enthusiasm: The dinner guests raved about the roasted duck. The critic raved over the new movie.
See also: rave
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
rave
n. a party; a wild celebration. Let’s have a little rave next Friday.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
rant and rave, to
To speak wildly and angrily about some circumstance or issue. This expression was first recorded as rave and rant, or literally, “raived and ranted,” in James MacManus’s The Bend of the Road (1898). The turnaround came soon thereafter and the term always appears in this form today. David Leavitt used it in Family Dancing (1984), “It’s easy for you to just stand there and rant and rave.”
See also: and, rant
stark raving mad
Insane. Literally this term means “completely, wildly crazy,” a graphic description of manic behavior. Versions of it have appeared since the sixteenth century, including Jonathan Swift’s, “There’s difference between staring and stark mad” (Polite Conversation, 1738). More recently, Robert Barnard piled up colloquial synonyms: “‘Mad as a hatter,’ said Gillian Soames complacently. ‘Stark raving bonkers. Up the wall. Round the twist.’” (Death and the Chaste Apprentice, 1989).
See also: mad, raving, stark
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- rant and rave
- rant and rave, to
- rant against
- rant against (someone or something)
- be joined at the hip
- noodle around
- traipse
- traipse around
- spend (something) on (someone or something)
- spend on