Synonyms

rathole

American

[rat-hohl] / ˈrætˌhoʊl /

noun

a hole made by a rat, as into a room, barn, etc..

The first chore in the old building is to plug up the ratholes.
the burrow or shelter of a rat.
any small and uncomfortable room, office, apartment, etc., especially one that is dirty or disordered.

He lives in a rathole near the docks.

idioms

down the rathole, for a worthless purpose or purposes.

seeing your inheritance disappear down the rathole.

Etymology

Origin of rathole

First recorded in 1805–15; rat + hole

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.

“Where have you led us, dwarf? My horse does not leave my side. Climb into this rathole, the rest of you. I shall guard Islimach myself.”

From Literature

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee called it a “rathole.”

From Washington Post

“I want to stop throwing money down that particular rathole,” he said at a Brookings Institution event earlier this month.

From Washington Times

According to the DPIC, when Virginia goes, the death penalty will be dead in a majority of states, whether by legislative action, state court order or executive refusal to continue shoveling money down the rathole.

From Washington Post

When I try to describe the civic and cultural value of architecture, I sometimes contrast entering Grand Central, the city’s great gateway, with the experience of arriving at the rathole that is Penn Station.

From New York Times

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