Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - rap

~1 rapped, rapping ~ v 1 »HIT« to hit or knock something quickly and lightly  (She rapped the table with her pen and called for silence.) + at/on  (rapping loudly on the door) 2 »SAY« also rap out to say something loudly, suddenly, and in a way that sounds angry  (Captain Blake rapped out an order.) 3 »CRITICIZE« a word meaning to criticize someone angrily used in newspapers  (a film rapped by critics for its excessive violence) 4 »MUSIC« to say the words of a rap2 (2) 5 »CONVERSATION« old-fashioned to talk in an informal way to friends; chat 6 rap sb over the knuckles to criticize someone, often officially, for something they have done wrong  (schools rapped over the knuckles for their failure to improve examination results) ~2 n 1 »KNOCK« a quick light hit or knock  (We heard a sharp rap on the door.) 2 »MUSIC« a type of popular music in which the words of a song are not sung, but spoken in time to music with a steady beat 3 »CRIME« AmE informal a) a statement by the state that someone is responsible for a serious crime; charge1 (4)  (murder rap/drunk driving rap)  (He's in police custody facing a murder rap.) b) time spent in prison as punishment for a crime  (beat the rap (=escape punishment)) 4 take the rap (for sth) to be blamed or punished for a mistake or crime, especially unfairly  (It didn't worry him that someone else would have to take the rap for his greed.) 5 »CRITICISM« a rap on/over the knuckles informal strong criticism for something you have done wrong  (The New York Post received an official rap over the knuckles for the way it reported the story.) 6 »NOT FAIR« a bum rap AmE slang unfair treatment or punishment