\Ra"cy\, a. [Compar. {Racier}; superl. {Raciest}.] [From
{Race} a tribe, family.]
1. Having a strong flavor indicating origin; of distinct
   characteristic taste; tasting of the soil; hence, fresh;
   rich.
         The racy wine, Late from the mellowing cask restored
         to light.                             --Pope.
2. Hence: Exciting to the mental taste by a strong or
   distinctive character of thought or language; peculiar and
   piquant; fresh and lively.
         Our raciest, most idiomatic popular word. --M.
                                               Arnold.
         Burn's English, though not so racy as his Scotch, is
         generally correct.                    --H.
                                               Coleridge.
         The rich and racy humor of a natural converser fresh
         from the plow.                        --Prof.
                                               Wilson.
Syn: Spicy; spirited; lively; smart; piquant.
Usage: {Racy}, {Spicy}. Racy refers primarily to that
       peculiar flavor which certain wines are supposed to
       derive from the soil in which the grapes were grown;
       and hence we call a style or production racy when it
       ``smacks of the soil,'' or has an uncommon degree of
       natural freshness and distinctiveness of thought and
       language. Spicy, when applied, has reference to a
       spirit and pungency added by art, seasoning the matter
       like a condiment. It does not, like racy, suggest
       native peculiarity. A spicy article in a magazine; a
       spicy retort. Racy in conversation; a racy remark.
             Rich, racy verses, in which we The soil from
             which they come, taste, smell, and see.
                                               --Cowley.