rat snake

noun

any of several New and Old World colubrid snakes, of the genus Elaphe, that feed chiefly on small mammals and birds.

Nearby words

rat islands, rat kangaroo, rat on, rat pack, rat race, rat snake, rat tamer, rat terrier, rat's nest, rat-a-tat, rat-a-tat-tat

Origin of rat snake

First recorded in 1855–60

Also called house snake.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for rat snake

All the roofs of the thatched bungalows swarm with rats, and in every house is kept a rat-snake, which kills and eats these rats.
A Voyage in the 'Sunbeam'|Annie Allnut Brassey
A friend informs us that he once saw in these gardens a rat-snake of Ceylon devour a common Coluber natrix.
Curiosities of Civilization|Andrew Wynter
The presence of a rat-snake (Zamenis mucosus) in a house at night is believed to bring good fortune to the inmates.
Omens and Superstitions of Southern India|Edgar Thurston
A person should postpone an errand on which he is starting, if he sees a cobra or rat-snake.
Omens and Superstitions of Southern India|Edgar Thurston

One the great serpent would select, would lap in scaly coils, crush to a red pulp and swallow as a rat-snake swallows a mouse.
The Hour of the Dragon|Robert E. Howard

British Dictionary definitions for rat snake

rat snake

noun

any of various nonvenomous rodent-eating colubrid snakes, such as Elaphe obsoleta of North America and Ptyas mucosus of Asia

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

rat snake

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of rat snake

Examples from the Web for rat snake

British Dictionary definitions for rat snake

rat snake

noun