desert rat

noun

1. any of various small rodents, as the kangaroo rat, inhabiting arid regions.

2. Chiefly Western U.S.,  one who lives in the desert, especially in order to prospect for gold or other valuable minerals.

3. Informal.,  a soldier fighting in the N African desert in World War II, especially a British soldier.

desert rat

noun

1. a jerboa, Jaculus orientalis, inhabiting the deserts of N Africa

2. informal,  a soldier who served in North Africa with the British 7th Armoured Division in 1941–42

Word History and Origins

Origin of desert rat¹

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10

Example Sentences

“I’m a desert rat,” I’ve heard friends say, and four years in I know what they mean.

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We spoke with NV Energy executives, conservation activists battling Buffett’s company and desert rats who don’t want to see their favorite off-highway vehicle trails cut off by solar farms.

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Darrah’s dallying with cowboys, desert rats and glitter queens around a seedy motel isn’t, itself, altogether new to modern opera stagings, but it felt fresh and right for this little-known score.

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Their house is desert rat lite: big screened porch in the front, massive water and propane tanks next to the outhouse in the back, random tchotshkes — but not too many — strewn about.

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“He was a living, breathing ‘hang loose’ sign, a swaggering hybrid of Zoni desert rat, SoCal hobo, and Telluride ski bum.”

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