wharf rats
Harbor dock pilferers
Wharf rats are the large brown rats that infest docks and waterfronts, feeding on cargo and garbage.
The term extends to people who hang around wharves—dockworkers, vagrants, or petty criminals who haunt the waterfront: The bar was full of wharf rats and sailors looking for trouble.
- jettyStructure extending into water
- quayWaterfront loading platform
- dockMooring structure at water's edge
- loading dockRaised platform for freight
- waterfrontLand beside navigable waters
pier · cargo · berth · vagabond · harbor · ships · marina · drifter · rogue · boats · dock worker · rodent · port · mooring · vermin · longshoreman · dockworker · smuggler
moral character and occupation at the docks
wharf ratsship officers
Crew members holding rank
harbor masters · customs officers · merchant sailors · union men