racks

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of rack.

   She grilled two racks of lamb for the dinner party.

   Several elk racks hung above the stone fireplace in the lodge.

   Note

   Rack adds a plain -s, and the plural sorts itself by construction. Followed by of it often names cuts of meat, as in two racks of lamb or racks of ribs; in compounds such as bike racks, drying racks and roof racks it names the frames themselves. Hunters speak of racks of antlers, and a magazine that hits the racks has gone on sale.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of rack.

   Guilt racks him every time he drives past his brother's old house.

   The bartender racks the clean glasses above the sink before the evening rush.

   Note

   The form for he, she and it: rack adds -s after a singular subject, as in pain racks her body or she racks the balls. It is spelled exactly like the plural noun, so in a phrase such as racks the glasses only the sentence around it, a subject before and an object after, shows that it is a verb.

3. 3
   nounmetonymically

   The publication and distribution of a magazine, when a new issue goes on sale.

   Once the issue hits the racks, no correction can be made until next month.

   The redesigned edition hits the racks this fall with a thicker cover and a new logo.

   Similarnewsstands, shelves

   Note

   Here the display stands where magazines are sold lend their name to the act of selling. The word nearly always comes with the and a verb of arrival: an issue hits the racks or reaches the racks. Once that happens the issue is out in the world, which is why the phrase so often explains that it is too late for corrections.

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