rathole

[ rat-hohl ]

/ ˈrætˌhoʊl /

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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.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

Idioms about rathole

down the rathole, for a worthless purpose or purposes: seeing your inheritance disappear down the rathole.

First recorded in 1805–15; rat + hole

I certainly do, but I think they’ve gone down that same rathole in Colorado and in Montana and other places.
The Radicalization of Kevin Greeson|by Connor Sheets, AL.com|January 15, 2021|ProPublica
The platform was in a warehouse which, like the rest of the structures in Rathole, was a half-buried dome.
Wind|Charles Louis Fontenay
He knew every rathole of the system, with the same intimacy the rats knew them.
Shock Treatment|Stanley Mullen
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