wharf rat
Pier-dwelling vermin
A wharf rat is a brown rat found around docks and waterfronts, known for infesting ships and harbors.
By extension, it describes a person who loiters around wharves—a dockside vagrant, petty thief, or someone who makes a dishonest living in port areas: The bar was full of wharf rats and sailors.
Harbor freight worker
- stevedoreShip cargo handler
- dockworkerPort cargo loader
- deckhandShip's manual laborer
- sailorSeafaring crew member
docker · cargo handler · old salt · seadog · able seaman · bosun · mariner · gangway
Land beside navigable waters
- underbellyVulnerable lower surface
- grimeIngrained surface dirt
- squalorDirty, degraded living conditions
- seedyRundown and disreputable
rough · hardscrabble · noir · urban decay · dockside · grimy · rundown · dilapidated
Aimless, rootless traveler
- derelictAbandoned or neglectful
- hoboItinerant without fixed address
- transientTemporary, soon departing
- vagabondHomeless, aimless wanderer
down-and-out · castaway · outcast · squatter · homeless · indigent · rough sleeper · streetwise
longshoreman
Harbor freight worker
- stevedoreShip cargo handler
- dockworkerPort cargo loader
- deckhandShip's manual laborer
sailor · docker · cargo handler · old salt · seadog · able seaman · bosun · mariner · gangway · mooring
waterfront
Land beside navigable waters
- underbellyVulnerable lower surface
- grimeIngrained surface dirt
- squalorDirty, degraded living conditions
seedy · rough · hardscrabble · noir · urban decay · dockside · grimy · rundown · dilapidated · bleak
drifter
Aimless, rootless traveler
- derelictAbandoned or neglectful
- hoboItinerant without fixed address
- transientTemporary, soon departing
vagabond · down-and-out · castaway · outcast · squatter · homeless · indigent · rough sleeper · streetwise · survivor
snitch
One who tells authorities
tattletale · canary · grass · narc · tipster · mole · turncoat · betrayer · double-crosser · leaker
scavenger
Seeker of refuse
- gnawingPersistent biting action
- verminHarmful small animals
- infestationPest takeover situation
plague · disease · contamination · filth · nest · burrow · nocturnal · feral · scurrying · pest
wharf ratlandlubber
Non-seafaring person
desert rat · inlander · city dweller · mountain man · field mouse
wharf ratlandlubber
Non-seafaring person
gentleman · aristocrat · captain · city slicker · merchant prince
wharf ratclean
Free of soil
well-groomed · refined · respectable · pristine · polished
wharf, rat, wharfs, wharves, rats, ratty, ratted, ratting, ratter