ratter
/'rætə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A dog bred or trained to catch rats: A ratter is specifically a type of dog, often a terrier breed, whose purpose is to hunt and kill rats.
- A disloyal person who betrays a group or cause: Informally, a ratter is a person who deserts or informs on their associates, akin to a traitor or informant.
Usage Examples
- Noun (Dog):
- The farmer kept a Jack Russell terrier as an excellent ratter in the barn.
- This breed was historically valued as a ratter on ships.
- Noun (Person):
- After the scandal, he was branded a ratter by his former colleagues.
- The informant was seen as a ratter who betrayed the organization's secrets.
Advanced Usage
- "To turn ratter": To become an informant or betrayer.
- Facing pressure from the police, one member of the gang turned ratter.
Variants and Related Words
- Rat (verb): To desert or betray someone; to inform on someone.
- He ratted on his partners to get a lighter sentence.
- Rat-catcher (noun): A person or animal whose job is to catch rats. (Note: This is a related compound term, not a variant of "ratter" itself).
Synonyms
- For the dog: Rat-catcher, terrier (in context).
- For the person: Informant, betrayer, traitor, deserter, snitch (informal).
Related Phrases
- "Like a ratter": With the keenness or determination of a rat-hunting dog.
- He went through the old files like a ratter, searching for the evidence.
Idioms
- No direct idioms are formed solely with the word "ratter." However, the related verb "rat" is used in idioms like "to smell a rat" (to suspect trickery) or "rat race" (a fiercely competitive struggle).
Noun
- any of several breeds of terrier developed to catch rats
- a disloyal person who betrays or deserts his cause or religion or political party or friend etc.