Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- v. Present participle of rat.
- n. The sport of setting a dog upon rats confined in a pit to see how many he will kill in a given time.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
- n. The conduct or practices of one who rats. See rat, v. i., 1.
- n. The low sport of setting a dog upon rats confined in a pit to see how many he will kill in a given time.
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The act of deserting one's principles, and going over to the opposite party.
- n. In the trades, the act of working for less than established or demanded prices, or of refusing to strike, or of taking the place of a striker.
- n. A low sport consisting in setting a dog upon a number of rats confined in a tub, cage, or pit, to see how many he will kill in a given time.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- n. to furnish incriminating evidence to an officer of the law (usually in return for favors)
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Examples
-
After all, ratting is good fun, and difficult to come by in London.
-
Political prisoner probably whose offence had been "ratting" -- and so his punishment was made "to fit the crime," as Mr. GILBERT's _Mikado_ used to observe.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 101, September 19, 1891
-
Godard once said that by "ratting" to the police she had emancipated herself.
Patricia Zohn: Culture Zohn: The Enduring Magic of Breathless
-
Firstly, back in 1996, when official 'ratting' was largely dying out, a woman came back for a consultation to the place I lived and the owner of the house immediately went at her and pushed the woman out the door, which she then slammed behind.
-
One day one may engage in trading, another in hauling, or "ratting" or guard duty, or just plain...
-
I don ` t say this applies to present day activities in any police force but I think it is very well known the practice of never "ratting" on a fellow police officer is very close to reality.
-
Well, I was strictly independent and I didn't take any "ratting" see, so
-
Using the analogy of a poker game he explained why an honor system, if correctly understood and adequately communicated, attempts to eliminate doubt on this point and why such terms as "ratting," "squealing," etc. are not appropriate.
-
Resident Brandon Goddard told the newspaper how he killed the animal as he went "ratting" with friends on the edge of the estate.
-
There are clearly multiple equilibria: Police departments where your peers despise you for taking bribes, and others where they despise you for not taking bribes - or worse yet, "ratting" on an officer who does.
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.