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ratfink

American  
[rat-fingk] / ˈrætˌfɪŋk /

noun

Slang.

  1. fink.

ratfink British  
/ ˈrætˌfɪŋk /

noun

  1. slang a contemptible or undesirable person

"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

Etymology

Origin of ratfink

First recorded in 1960–65; rat + fink

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In American criminal circles, a fink was an informer or stool pigeon; a particularly egregious example of the species was given the intensified label of ratfink.

From Slate • Sep. 4, 2014

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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