rrrrr.

v.  to err.

<I said it wasn’t [pronounced] “air” it was “rrrr,” to rrrrr is human, people kept saying it wrong.  —Eric Wilson, “The Axe, the Axe, the Axe,” Prize Stories 1985: O’Henry Awards.>

rrrrr rrrrr.

n.  the blaring of a police siren, as in Cam Jansen and the Birthday Mystery by David A. Adler; see also RRRRRR, rrrrrr.

RRrrr RRrrr.

n.  the sound of a boat engine.

<As each wave passes, I hear something new.  RRrrr ... RRrrr ...  It grows louder.  An engine!  I leap to my knees.  Coming from the island, a couple of hundred yards away, a sharp white bow, flared out at the rail, pitches forward against a wave and then crashes down with a splash.  —Steven Callahan, Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea.>

rrrrr rrrrr rrrrr.

n.  the sound of an engine turning over.

<Oblivious of the fishermen around him, Lupino hooked up the gasoline and pumped the rubber bulb, forcing fuel into the carburetor.  Then he turned the key.  Rrrrr...Rrrrr...Rrrrr.  The engine turned over but wouldn’t start.  —Jack Rudloe, Potluck.> <Insert the key into the ignition and turn the engine over three times (rrrrr, rrrrr, rrrrr).  The compression for that cylinder will then be shown on the gauge.  —Rob Reaser, How to Maintain and Repair Your Jeep: Covers (1945-1986) and Wrangler (1987-1995) Models.>

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