rat
Betrayer with whiskers
The rodent designated as rat is unwelcome and despised nearly everywhere (exception: the laboratory rat) because of its association with filth and disease.
Figurative uses of rat take on these negative characteristics.
If you call a person a rat, you imply that they are despicable or disloyal.
If you smell a rat, you suspect betrayal or dishonesty.
The verb rat is also negative and means to inform on, desert, or to work as a scab.
The exception is to rat your hair, that is, make it appear more voluminous.
One who tells authorities
- informantOne who provides intelligence
- betrayerOne who breaks allegiance
- turncoatOne who betrays allegiance
- finkContemptible informer
squealer · tattletale · stool pigeon · canary · tipster · narc · cooperator · witness
Small gnawing mammal
- whiskersFacial sensory hairs
- tailRear animal appendage
- gnawBite repeatedly at
- scurryHurried small-stepped motion
incisors · burrow · nest · squeak · nocturnal · fur · paws · snout
Pest takeover situation
- exterminatorOne who eradicates vermin
- trapDevice for catching animals
- poisonHarmful ingested substance
- verminHarmful small animals
bait · fumigation · scavenger · contamination · gnawing · droppings · pesticide · nuisance
Deadly epidemic disease
- leptospirosisBacterial illness from contaminated water
- hantavirusRodent-spread respiratory pathogen
- salmonellaFoodborne bacterial illness
- vectorQuantity with direction
zoonosis · infection · transmission · fleas · bubonic · typhus · contamination · parasites
Facility for scientific investigation
- mazePuzzle of passages
- experimentSystematic investigation procedure
- neuroscienceStudy of nervous systems
- cognitionMental knowledge acquisition
learning · memory · behavior · Skinner box · conditioning · trials · subjects · testing
Escape through a breach
- exposéInvestigative journalism piece
- corruptionDishonest abuse of power
- insiderOne with confidential access
- disclosureAct of revealing information
retaliation · protection · anonymous · watchdog · accountability · misconduct · scandal · journalist
snitch
One who tells authorities
- informantOne who provides intelligence
- betrayerOne who breaks allegiance
- turncoatOne who betrays allegiance
fink · squealer · tattletale · stool pigeon · canary · tipster · narc · cooperator · witness · testimony
mouse
Small gnawing mammal
scurry · incisors · burrow · nest · squeak · nocturnal · fur · paws · snout · litter
infestation
Pest takeover situation
- exterminatorOne who eradicates vermin
- trapDevice for catching animals
- poisonHarmful ingested substance
vermin · bait · fumigation · scavenger · contamination · gnawing · droppings · pesticide · nuisance · invasion
plague
Deadly epidemic disease
- leptospirosisBacterial illness from contaminated water
- hantavirusRodent-spread respiratory pathogen
- salmonellaFoodborne bacterial illness
vector · zoonosis · infection · transmission · fleas · bubonic · typhus · contamination · parasites · pathogen
laboratory
Facility for scientific investigation
- mazePuzzle of passages
- experimentSystematic investigation procedure
- neuroscienceStudy of nervous systems
cognition · learning · memory · behavior · Skinner box · conditioning · trials · subjects · testing · psychology
leak
Escape through a breach
- exposéInvestigative journalism piece
- corruptionDishonest abuse of power
- insiderOne with confidential access
disclosure · retaliation · protection · anonymous · watchdog · accountability · misconduct · scandal · journalist · source
ratloyalist
Faithful supporter of authority
stand-up guy · ride-or-die · solid · true friend · bro
- rat's nestsSeverely matted hair clumps
- rat poisonToxic substance targeting rodents
- rat raceExhausting competitive work routine
- pack ratsCompulsive keepers of clutter
- ratted outInformed on someone
- smell a ratBecome suspicious of deceit
rats, ratty, irrational, ratify, ratted, ratting, muskrat, unrated, packrat