rat

Word family

Related topics: Animals

rat1 /ræt/ noun [countableC]

1. HBAan animal that looks like a large mouse with a long tail 大老鼠

2 spokenBAD PERSON someone who has been disloyal to you or deceived you 卑鄙小人，骗子

But you promised to help us, you rat!

可你答应过要帮我们的，你这小人！

3. look like a drowned rat WETto look very wet and uncomfortable 看上去像只落水老鼠

Examples from the Corpus

look like a drowned rat• Out in the field, we looked like a bunch of drowned rats.• You were looking like a drowned rat after our little foray into Puddephat's rooms.

4. (like) rats leaving the sinking ship UNFAITHFULused to describe people who leave a company, organization etc when it is in trouble （就像）老鼠逃离沉船一样〔形容人们在公司、组织等有麻烦时纷纷离去〕

→ rat race , rats, → smell a rat at smell2(7)

Examples from the Corpus

rat• Old steamboats with their scrollwork more scrolled and withered by weathers sat in the mud inhabited by rats.• He ran on laughing, used to having rats thrown at him.• This is a good way to get back at that rat Yossarian.• The electrodes gave the rats access to their own stores of bliss-producing neurotransmitters.• But the immature brain cells were the most effective treatment in the rats, says Sandberg.• The rat weights did not differ between the groups.• The rats eventually managed to press the lever very quickly after being placed in the box, in order to receive their reward.• The rats must have learned the maze earlier and were demonstrating latent learning.

rat2 verb (ratted, ratting) [intransitiveI] informal

1 UNFAITHFULif someone rats on you, they tell someone in authority about something wrong that you have done 告发，告密 SYN grass

rat on

They’ll kill you if they find out you’ve ratted on them!

假如他们发现是你告发了他们，会杀掉你的！

2 British EnglishBrE to not do what you had promised to do 食言，背信弃义 SYN go back on, renege on

rat on

He accused the government of ratting on its promises to the disabled.

他指责政府没有履行对残疾人所作的承诺。

3 rat somebody ↔ out American EnglishAmE informal if someone rats you out, they are disloyal to you, especially by telling someone in authority about something wrong that you have done 出卖；〔尤指〕告发

You can’t rat out your teammates.

你不能告发队友。

Examples from the Corpus

rat out• Magic shop in Plantation, the rat stock sells out nearly before it hits the shelves.• Giant amphipods, the size of rats, appear out of nowhere to nibble on the remains.• When they blast, the rats jump out of the sewers and then dive back in again.• Sometimes the bravest rats ran out on to the floor or across the tops of the pictures.

Examples from the Corpus

rat• I have to rat all he has reet.• After that you ratted or rotted.• Looks like Rico got in on it, then decided like he was gon na rat to Spider.

rat on• I wouldn't rat on Albert.• Can you believe he ratted on his own brother?

Origin rat1

Old English ræt

rat1 nounrat2 verb

Chinese

Corpus