"To rack" is a slang term meaning "to impact a guy's testicles" A guy may be racked by his own action (I racked myself) or by someone else's action (she racked me). Generally, this is a painful event, accompanied by a certain amount of deparate panic (is everything still functional?!?) and the engaging of the fight or flight response.

I'm surprised that no one else has noded this yet, but here I go, being crass again. But it's for the good of Everything, I swear.

Rack can also refer to the breastidious area of a stacked woman. For example:

(in a thick Chicago accent):
Who's the chick with the fat rack?

Please note that being identified as having a fat rack is, most likely, a good thing, unless you mind being hit on by morons.

The term rack often refers to the EIA-standardized 19-inch mounting format, used in such places as computer datacenters and music studios, for consolidating many pieces of electronic equipment in a small space. Many other standards do exist, especially in the telecommunications world – the EIA also provides 23-inch and 35-inch rack standards – but the 19-inch format is prevalent enough that when you say "19-inch rack," most everyone understands what you mean.

As its name implies, the 19-inch EIA standard calls for a faceplate 19 inches wide, with rails on either side having mounting holes 18.31 inches on center. The basic unit of rack space is, appropriately enough, the unit (also called the U), which in the EIA standard is 1.75 vertical inches (with two holes in each rail, 1.25 inches on center). Most racks also have a third hole at the vertical center of the unit.

Used in a music studio, racks may hold audio signal processing devices such as compressors or effects units, mixers, amplifiers, or synthesizer modules controlled by external MIDI interfaces. Some of these are purpose-built for use in a rack, while others may simply be boxes with removable "ears" at the front corners to make the device rack-mountable.

In the IT datacenter, two major types of racks are common:

  1. A telco rack or relay rack consists of a free-standing pair of rails, usually bolted to the floor and/or ceiling, with the normal pattern of mounting holes. These are mostly used for network equipment like routers, hubs and switches, and patch panels for connecting cables to other locations.
  2. The server rack may contain these items as well, but as one would expect, it is mostly used for servers – and associated equipment such as a KVM switch for operating multiple computers with a single keyboard, mouse and video display. These racks are usually enclosed, with doors and side panels, and have two sets of rails, front and rear (though the depth is not standardized and varies by manufacturer). Again, the servers may be tower-style units adapted for rack use by mounting kits, or special chassis designed for high-density server farm deployments. Such computers, especially those with a height of one unit (1U), are often called pizza boxes.

Rack (?), n.

Same as Arrack.

 

© Webster 1913.


Rack, n. [AS. hracca neck, hinder part of the head; cf. AS. hraca throat, G. rachen throat, E. retch.]

The neck and spine of a fore quarter of veal or mutton.

 

© Webster 1913.


Rack, n. [See Wreck.]

A wreck; destruction.

[Obs., except in a few phrases.]

Rack and ruin, destruction; utter ruin. [Colloq.] -- To go to rack, to perish; to be destroyed. [Colloq.] "All goes to rack." Pepys.

 

© Webster 1913.


Rack, n. [Prob. fr. Icel. rek drift, motion, and akin to reka to drive, and E. wrack, wreck. .]

Thin, flying, broken clouds, or any portion of floating vapor in the sky.

Shak.

The winds in the upper region, which move the clouds above, which we call the rack, . . . pass without noise. Bacon.

And the night rack came rolling up. C. Kingsley.

 

© Webster 1913.


Rack, v. i.

To fly, as vapor or broken clouds.

 

© Webster 1913.


Rack, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Racked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Racking.] [See Rack that which stretches, or Rock, v.]

To amble fast, causing a rocking or swaying motion of the body; to pace; -- said of a horse.

Fuller.

 

© Webster 1913.


Rack, n.

A fast amble.

 

© Webster 1913.


Rack, v. t. [Cf. OF. vin raqu'e squeezed from the dregs of the grapes.]

To draw off from the lees or sediment, as wine.

It is in common practice to draw wine or beer from the lees (which we call racking), whereby it will clarify much the sooner. Bacon.

Rack vintage, wine cleansed and drawn from the lees. Cowell.

 

© Webster 1913.


Rack, n. [Probably fr. D.rek, rekbank, a rack, rekken to stretch; akin to G. reck, reckbank, a rack, recken to stretch, Dan. raekke, Sw. racka, Icel. rekja to spread out, Goth. refrakjan to stretch out; cf. L. porrigere, Gr. . Cf. Right, a., Ratch.]

1.

An instrument or frame used for stretching, extending, retaining, or displaying, something.

Specifically: (a)

An engine of torture, consisting of a large frame, upon which the body was gradually stretched until, sometimes, the joints were dislocated; -- formerly used judicially for extorting confessions from criminals or suspected persons.

During the troubles of the fifteenth century, a rack was introduced into the Tower, and was occasionally used under the plea of political necessity. Macaulay.

(b)

An instrument for bending a bow

. (c)

A grate on which bacon is laid

. (d)

A frame or device of various construction for holding, and preventing the waste of, hay, grain, etc., supplied to beasts.

(e)

A frame on which articles are deposited for keeping or arranged for display; as, a clothes rack; a bottle rack, etc.

(f) Naut.

A piece or frame of wood, having several sheaves, through which the running rigging passes; -- called also rack block. Also, a frame to hold shot.

(g) Mining

A frame or table on which ores are separated or washed

. (h)

A frame fitted to a wagon for carrying hay, straw, or grain on the stalk, or other bulky loads

. (i)

A distaff

.

2. Mech.

A bar with teeth on its face, or edge, to work with those of a wheel, pinion, or worm, which is to drive it or be driven by it.

3.

That which is extorted; exaction.

[Obs.]

Sir E. Sandys.

Mangle rack. Mach. See under Mangle. n. -- Rack block. Naut. See def. 1 (f), above. -- Rack lashing, a lashing or binding where the rope is tightened, and held tight by the use of a small stick of wood twisted around. -- Rack rail Railroads, a toothed rack, laid as a rail, to afford a hold for teeth on the driving wheel of locomotive for climbing steep gradients, as in ascending a mountain. -- Rack saw, a saw having wide teeth. -- Rack stick, the stick used in a rack lashing. -- To be on the rack, to suffer torture, physical or mental. -- To live at rack and manger, to live on the best at another's expense. [Colloq.] -- To put to the rack, to subject to torture; to torment.

A fit of the stone puts a kingto the rack, and makes him as miserable as it does the meanest subject. Sir W. Temple.

 

© Webster 1913.


Rack (?), v. t.

1.

To extend by the application of force; to stretch or strain; specifically, to stretch on the rack or wheel; to torture by an engine which strains the limbs and pulls the joints.

He was racked and miserably tormented. Pope.

2.

To torment; to torture; to affect with extreme pain or anguish.

Vaunting aloud but racked with deep despair. Milton.

3.

To stretch or strain, in a figurative sense; hence, to harass, or oppress by extortion.

The landlords there shamefully rack their tenants. Spenser.

They [landlords] rack a Scripture simile beyond the true intent thereof. Fuller.

Try what my credit can in Venice do; That shall be racked even to the uttermost. Shak.

4. Mining

To wash on a rack, as metals or ore.

5. Naut.

To bind together, as two ropes, with cross turns of yarn, marline, etc.

To rack one's brains or wits, to exert them to the utmost for the purpose of accomplishing something.

Syn. -- To torture; torment; rend; tear.

 

© Webster 1913.

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