[syn: blue, gamy, gamey, juicy, naughty, racy, risque, spicy]
4. designed or suitable for competing in a race;
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Racy \Ra"cy\ (r[=a]"s[y^]), a. [Compar. Racier
(r[=a]"s[i^]*[~e]r); 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.
[1913 Webster]
The racy wine,
Late from the mellowing cask restored to light.
--Pope.
[1913 Webster]
2. Hence: Exciting to the mental taste by a strong or
distinctive character of thought or language; peculiar and
piquant; fresh and lively; vigorous; spirited.
[1913 Webster]
Our raciest, most idiomatic popular words. --M.
Arnold.
[1913 Webster]
Burns's English, though not so racy as his Scotch,
is generally correct. --H.
Coleridge.
[1913 Webster]
The rich and racy humor of a natural converser fresh
from the plow. --Prof.
Wilson.
[1913 Webster]
3. Somewhat suggestive of sexual themes; slightly improper;
risqu['e].
[PJC]
Syn: Spicy; spirited; lively; smart; piquant; risqu['e].
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 to style, 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.
[1913 Webster]
Rich, racy verses, in which we
The soil from which they come, taste, smell, and
see. --Cowley.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
racy
adj 1: full of zest or vigor; "a racy literary style" [syn:
lively, racy]
2: marked by richness and fullness of flavor; "a rich ruby
port"; "full-bodied wines"; "a robust claret"; "the robust
flavor of fresh-brewed coffee" [syn: full-bodied, racy,
rich, robust]
3: suggestive of sexual impropriety; "a blue movie"; "blue
jokes"; "he skips asterisks and gives you the gamy details";
"a juicy scandal"; "a naughty wink"; "naughty words"; "racy
anecdotes"; "a risque story"; "spicy gossip" [syn: blue,
gamy, gamey, juicy, naughty, racy, risque,
spicy]
4: designed or suitable for competing in a race
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
94 Moby Thesaurus words for "racy":
adult, animated, bawdy, blue, brisk, broad, buoyant, burning,
coarse, crude, curried, dirty, dynamic, earthy, energetic,
exciting, fiery, filthy, flavorful, fresh, full of beans,
full of pep, gross, high-seasoned, hot, hot as pepper, immodest,
indecent, indelicate, interesting, inviting, juicy, lewd, lively,
lusty, mettlesome, naughty, nippy, obscene, off color, off-color,
peppery, peppy, piquant, poignant, pornographic, provocative,
provoking, pungent, purple, raunchy, readable, ribald, rich, risky,
risque, rude, salacious, salty, savory, scabrous, seasoned, sexual,
sexy, shady, sharp, smutty, snappy, sparkling, spiced, spicy,
spirited, sprightly, stimulating, strong, succulent, suggestive,
tangy, tantalizing, tart, tasty, thought-challenging,
thought-inspiring, thought-provoking, tickling, titillating,
vigorous, vivacious, vulgar, wicked, with a kick, zestful, zesty,
zippy