Why do we say drowned rat?

Soaking wet and utterly bedraggled, as in When she came in out of the rain she looked like a drowned rat. This simile appeared in Latin nearly 2,000 years ago, and in English about the year 1500.

What does the phrase drowned rat mean?

used to describe a person who is very wet and miserable. He came in from the rain looking like a drowned rat.

What is a synonym for like a drowned rat?

look very wet and untidy

Synonyms: Wet to the touch or looking wet. wet. damp.

Why is rat an improper word?

Rats are often associated with filth and disease. So, if someone calls you a rat, it's not like being called a fox. It's an insult.

What does the expression rat mean?

If you call someone a rat, you mean that you are angry with them or dislike them, often because they have cheated you or betrayed you. [informal, disapproval]

Like A Drowned Rat - English Idiom 🐀 ☔

Where did the insult rat come from?

Perhaps the first appearance of the word as a reference to a tattletale comes from Thomas Moore's 1819 satire The Fudge Family in Paris, in which the father Phil Fudge praises the “peaching Rat … false enough to shirk [his] friends” (to peach here means to snitch).

What does it mean when a boy calls you a rat 😍?

Usually it means they have told on you but it could also mean you are a rotten person in general.

Why do people say oh rats?

an expression of anger or disappointment: Oh, rats! I forgot my keys. Aw, rats!

What does the insult rat mean?

countable noun. If you call someone a rat, you mean that you are angry with them or dislike them, often because they have cheated you or betrayed you. [informal, disapproval]

Is rats a swear word?

In many parts of the world the word rats is used as a mild swearword or expletive. There are several possible reasons for this. 'Drat' was first used early in the 19th century. It was a shortening of 'od rat' which was a euphemism meaning God rot.

What is a water rat slang?

(US, slang) A petty thief or waterfront ruffian. (slang) A person fond of water sports.

What is slang for rat?

betrayer, blabbermouth, canary, double-crosser, fink, informant, sneak, snitch, source, squealer, stoolie, tattler, tattletale, turncoat, whistle-blower, backstabber, deep throat, stool pigeon.

What is a slang name for rats?

A rat is an informer, or generally a person who turns people in to the police or to their enemies.

Is it cruel to drown a rat?

A: No. The professional pest control industry and scientists agree that drowning is not humane. One experiment found the average time it takes for a rat to drown is 2.6 minutes.

What does swamp rat mean in slang?

A subset of hillbilly or redneck that lives near the bayou.

What does no AXE to grind mean?

idiom. to have a strong personal opinion about something that you want people to accept and that is the reason why you do something: Environmentalists have no political axe to grind - they just want to save the planet.

What does the 🐀 emoji mean?

Emoji Meaning

A rat, a large rodent with a long tail, known to frequent big cities. Depicted in gray in full profile on all fours facing left, with pink ears, feet, and tail. May be use for various metaphorical senses of rat.

What is rat love slang?

noun Chiefly British Slang. a sexually unfaithful man, especially one whose infidelity involves more than one affair: She's a lot less trusting of men since her second husband turned out to be as much of a love rat as her first.

What does snake mean in slang?

Snake is a widely used term for an untrustworthy person, especially deceitful men in romantic contexts. forgot what a snake looked like until I met you.

What is the Chinese saying about rats?

In the eyes of Chinese, a rat is a byword for “coward.” The idiom 胆小如鼠, literally meaning “as timid as a rat,” is often used to express contempt for cowards. Even the way a rat runs arouses contempt.

What does God rot mean?

: damn. used as a mild oath.

What does it mean to rat on your friend?

rat on somebody

to tell someone in authority about something wrong that someone else has done Where I come from, you don't rat on your friends. Someone ratted us out to the police.

What does rat killing mean?

It just means "I've got to get back to work." So, the next time a friend IMs you when you're in the middle of a project, you can reply once or twice, then text that you've got to get back to your rat-killing.

What does the no rats sticker mean?

Activists: 'Blue code' of silence stickers on SDPD restroom door. 'No rats' and 'blue falcon' stickers warn officers not to snitch on other officers, activists said.

Why do rats get a bad rap?

Wild rats do and can spread a number of nasty diseases. Along with fleas and other parasites, they're known to carry and help transmit illnesses such as foot and mouth, and have been linked to conditions like cryptosporidiosis (a parasite-borne intestinal disease).