lab rat

[lab rat]

1. Also called laboratory rat. a rat, typically the Norway rat, used by scientists for biological research.

2. Informal.,  a laboratory researcher, often a graduate student, whose dedication to the research supplants other interests and activities, including personal relationships.

   The loneliest guy in the room is the one who’s in love with a lab rat.

3. Informal.,  the subject of any sort of experiment.

   Not all the human lab rats in this study fully understood the potential consequences.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lab rat¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Related Words

• experimental subject www.thesaurus.com
• subject 
• test subject www.thesaurus.com