̈ɪræt n. & v. --n. 1 a
any of
several rodents of
the genus Rattus (brown rat). b any
similar rodent (muskrat; water-rat). 2 a deserter
from a party,
cause,
difficult situation,
etc.; a
turncoat (from the
superstition that rats desert a sinking ship). 3 colloq. an
unpleasant person. 4 a
worker who refuses to
join a
strike, or who blacklegs. 5 (in pl.) sl. an
exclamation of
contempt, annoyance, etc. --v.intr. (ratted, ratting) 1 (of a person or dog)
hunt or
kill rats. 2 colloq. desert a cause, party, etc. 3 (foll. by on) a
betray; let down. b
inform on. ørat-catcher a person who rids buildings of rats etc. rat
kangaroo Austral. any of
various small ratlike marsupials of the
family Potoroidae, having kangaroo-like hind limbs
for jumping. rat race a fiercely
competitive struggle for
position,
power, etc. rat's tail a
thing shaped like a rat's tail, e.g. a tapering cylindrical file. rat-tail 1 the
grenadier fish. 2 a
horse with a hairless tail. 3
such a tail. rat-tail (or -tailed)
spoon a spoon with a tail-like
moulding from the
handle to the
back of the bowl. [OE
rót & OF rat]
