Rat
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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| - | # Any of about 56 different [[species]] of small, [[omnivorous]] [[rodent|rodents]] belonging to the [[genus]] ''[[Rattus]]''. | + | '''Rats''' are various medium-sized, long-tailed [[rodent]]s of the [[Family (biology)|superfamily]] [[Muroidea]]. "True rats" are members of the genus ''Rattus'', the most important of which to humans are the [[black rat]], ''Rattus rattus'', and the [[brown rat]], ''Rattus norvegicus''. Many members of other rodent genera and families are also referred to as rats, and share many characteristics with true rats. |
| - | # A term [[indiscriminate]]ly applied to numerous members of several [[rodent]] families (e.g. [[vole]]s and [[mice]]) having bodies longer than about 12 cm, or 5 inches. | + | |
| - | # A person who is known for [[betrayal]]; a [[scoundrel]]. | + | |
| - | #: ''What a '''rat''', leaving us stranded here!'' | + | |
| - | #* '''1883''', [[w:Robert Louis Stevenson|Robert Louis Stevenson]], ''[[w:Treasure Island|Treasure Island]]'' | + | |
| - | #*: He’s more a man than any pair of '''rats''' of you in this here house. | + | |
| - | # An [[informant]] or [[snitch]] | + | |
| - | # {{slang}} A person who [[routinely]] spends time at a particular [[location]]. | + | |
| - | #: ''Our teenager has become a mall '''rat'''.'' | + | |
| - | #: ''He loved hockey and was a devoted rink '''rat'''.'' | + | |
| - | # A [[promiscuous]] person - often a young female - who attends sporting and other entertainment events, primarily to seek [[sexual]] [[liaison]]s with athletes, entertainers and/or others traveling with them; a [[groupie]]. | + | |
| - | # [[informer|Informer]]. | + | |
| - | # [[scab|Scab]] | + | |
| - | # North West London slang term for [[Vagina]], as in ''get your '''rat''' out. | + | |
| - | # A [[wad]] of [[shed]] [[hair]] used as part of a [[hairstyle]]. | + | |
| - | =====See also===== | + | Rats are typically distinguished from [[mouse|mice]] by their size; rats are generally large [[muroid]] rodents, while mice are generally small muroid rodents. The muroid family is very large and complex, and the common terms ''rat'' and ''mouse'' are not [[taxonomy|taxonomically]] specific. Generally, when someone discovers a large muroid, its [[common name]] includes the term ''rat'', while if it is small, the name includes the term ''mouse''. Scientifically, the terms are not confined to members of the ''Rattus'' and ''[[Mus (genus)|Mus]]'' genera, for example, the [[pack rat]] and [[cotton mouse]]. |
| - | * [[mouse]] | + | |
| - | * [[rodent]] | + | ==See also== |
| + | * [[East Timor giant rat]] | ||
| + | * [[List of fictional mice and rats]] | ||
| + | * [[Mouse]] | ||
| + | * [[Oriental rat flea]] | ||
| + | * [[Rat (zodiac)]] | ||
| + | * [[Rat-baiting]] | ||
| + | * [[Rat-catcher]] | ||
| + | * [[Working rat]] | ||
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Revision as of 13:03, 13 February 2013
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Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus. Many members of other rodent genera and families are also referred to as rats, and share many characteristics with true rats.
Rats are typically distinguished from mice by their size; rats are generally large muroid rodents, while mice are generally small muroid rodents. The muroid family is very large and complex, and the common terms rat and mouse are not taxonomically specific. Generally, when someone discovers a large muroid, its common name includes the term rat, while if it is small, the name includes the term mouse. Scientifically, the terms are not confined to members of the Rattus and Mus genera, for example, the pack rat and cotton mouse.
See also
- East Timor giant rat
- List of fictional mice and rats
- Mouse
- Oriental rat flea
- Rat (zodiac)
- Rat-baiting
- Rat-catcher
- Working rat
