Rat, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Ratted; p. pr. & vb. n. Ratting.]
1. In English politics, to desert one's party from interested motives; to forsake one's associates for one's own advantage; in the trades, to work for less wages, or on other conditions, than those established by a trades union.
Coleridge . . . incurred the reproach of having ratted, solely by his inability to follow the friends of his early days. --De Quincey.
2. To catch or kill rats.
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rat
n 1: any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger
than a mouse
2: someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike
[syn: scab, strikebreaker, blackleg]
3: a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible;
"only a rotter would do that"; "kill the rat"; "throw the
bum out"; "you cowardly little pukes!"; "the British call
a contemptible person a `git'" [syn: rotter, dirty dog,
skunk, stinker, stinkpot, bum, puke, crumb, lowlife,
scum bag, so-and-so, git]
4: one who reveals confidential information in return for money
[syn: informer, betrayer, squealer, blabber]
5: a pad (usually made of hair) worn as part of a woman's
coiffure
v 1: desert one's party or group of friends, for example, for
one's personal advantage
2: employ scabs or strike breakers in
3: take the place of work of someone on strike [syn: scab, blackleg]
4: give (hair) the appearance of being fuller by using a rat
5: catch rats, especially with dogs
6: give away information about somebody; "He told on his
classmate who had cheated on the exam" [syn: denounce, tell
on, betray, give away, grass, shit, shop, snitch,
stag]
[also: ratting, ratted]