rat snake

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noun

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

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Also called house snake.

Origin of rat snake

First recorded in 1855–60

Words nearby rat snake

rat race, rat-running, rats, ratsbane, Ratskeller, rat snake, rat's nest, rattail, rat-tail cactus, rattail comb, rat-tailed maggot

How to use rat snake in a sentence

For these Arabs, Iran is the raised (and loaded) head of the snake.
The Nuclear Deal That Iran’s Regime Fears Most|Djavad Khadem|November 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The black mamba snake slithering towards Lakshmi is highly venomous.
‘Gods of Suburbia’: Dina Goldstein’s Arresting Photo Series on Religion vs. Consumerism|Dina Goldstein|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Here the snake oil quotient is a bit more evident than in the skybox seats occupied by insights made using hard science.
All These AIDS ‘Cures’ Are a Fantasy—One That Can Cause Real Harm|Kent Sepkowitz|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Which of these foods have science to back them up, and which are nothing but snake oil?
Fish Oil, Turmeric, and Ginseng, Oh My! Are ‘Brain Foods’ B.S.?|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD|October 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST

One rat had once fallen on his head, he said, during a rat raid of a local home.
The Crazy Medieval Island of Sark|Liza Foreman|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Next morning Judy shouted that there was a rat in the nursery, and thus he forgot to tell her the wonderful news.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
He heard Mohammedans alluding to a Brahmin as a leader—so might a wolf and a snake make common alliance against a watch dog.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
He had repeated till he was thrice weary the statement that "the Cat lay on the Mat and the Rat came in."
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
On his loins was a lion of great fierceness, and coiled round his waist was a hissing mamba (snake).
Uncanny Tales|Various
Growling horribly, the enraged brute seized poor Pearson and shook him as a terrier dog shakes a rat.
Hunting the Lions|R.M. Ballantyne

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