ruction

English

Etymology

1825, of unknown origin, possibly from eruption or insurrection. Possibly related to the Irish insurrection of 1798.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈɹʌk.ʃən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌkʃən

Noun

ruction (plural ructions)

1. A noisy quarrel or fight.
   • 1907, E.M. Forster, The Longest Journey, Part I, XII :

     “If you do want to go home, here’s your whip. Don’t fall off. Say to her you wanted it, or there might be ructions.”

   • 1947, Christopher Sheridan, Bread and circuses, page 52:

     She could see there were going to be ructions. Sure enough there'd be a scene between them, when Sebastian found what Tilly had been up to.

   • 2002, Ruth Bereson, The Operatic State: Cultural Policy and the Opera House, page 148:

     Although she acknowledged that the development of an opera house had caused considerable ructions in Australia, she nevertheless implied that its construction was a sort of coming-of-age for the rough antipodeans

   • 2013, Alan S. Blinder, After the Music Stopped: The Financial Crisis, the Response, ..., page 381:

     While the U.S. government had a huge fiscal deficit, similar to Greece's, the financial ructions emanating from Athens sent nervous money flocking to the United States, not away.

   • 2014, Murray C. Morison, Time Sphere:

     Dad drove and Mum commented on Dad's driving; not too much, but just enough to occasionally lead to ructions.

Synonyms

• (noisy quarrel): brawl, disturbance, fracas, row, uproar

Related terms

• ruckus

Translations

References

• “ruction”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “ruction”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• courtin', in court