Dictionary.com
definitions

rathole

[rat-hohl]
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rathole ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Origin of rathole

First recorded in 1805–15; rat + hole
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for rathole

hut, shack, shanty, cottage, lean-to, box, shed, chalet, cot, shelter, lodge, hovel, cabin, bungalow, hutch, dump, stall, den, pigpen, hole

Examples from the Web for rathole

Historical Examples of rathole

  • He had seven hours to go and he was still at least 16 kilometers from Rathole.

    Wind

    Charles Louis Fontenay

  • There was nothing to do but turn back to Rathole and see if some other way could not be found.

    Wind

    Charles Louis Fontenay

  • You will have to take a groundcar to Rathole and bring the fellow back.

    Wind

    Charles Louis Fontenay

  • One of the men of Rathole came to Jan's side and tried the engines.

    Wind

    Charles Louis Fontenay

  • He knew every rathole of the system, with the same intimacy the rats knew them.

    Shock Treatment

    Stanley Mullen