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# ruddy

«ruddy» in Mova's school dictionary: **healthy and red or pink, often from being outdoors** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 4 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (ruddy, ruddier, ruddiest); adverb (ruddy — UK, informal)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A ruddy face is healthy and red or pink, often from being outdoors. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruddy/#m1)

2) Ruddy can mean reddish in colour. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruddy/#m2)

3) (UK, mild swearing, old-fashioned) Ruddy is a softer word for «bloody», used to show annoyance or for emphasis. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruddy/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In stories a farmer or sailor has «ruddy cheeks» from wind and sun. In UK everyday talk, older people may say «the ruddy car won't start» when cross; it is a mild word, a polite replacement for a ruder one. Phrases: ruddy cheeks, ruddy complexion, ruddy hell (UK, mild).

### examples

- The fisherman had a ruddy face from the sea wind. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruddy/#x1)
- Her cheeks were ruddy after the snowball fight. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruddy/#x2)
- The sky had a ruddy glow at sunset. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruddy/#x3)
- This ruddy printer has jammed again! (UK, mild swearing) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruddy/#x4)
- Grandad said, «It's ruddy freezing out there!» (UK) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruddy/#x5)
- The ruddy fox crept across the field. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruddy/#x6)
- Rudy turned round, and beheld a man with a ruddy, pleasant face, and a stout figure. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruddy/#x7)

### note

Adjective forms: ruddier, ruddiest. The swearing sense is mild and old-fashioned, a euphemism for «bloody»; it is still better not used in class. The colour sense is not rude at all.

### In the corpora

- ["Ruddy" is an old-fashioned British stand-in for "bloody".](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/39-pardon-my-french/12/)
- [And the first came forth ruddy, all over like a hairy mantle; and they called his name Esau.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/GEN.721/)
- [Now he was ruddy, and withal of beautiful eyes, and goodly to look upon.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/jps/1SA.438/)
- ['My beloved is white and ruddy, pre-eminent above ten thousand.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/SNG.78/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «ruddy» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/ruddy/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.