wharf rat
Americannoun
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a large brown rat that is commonly found on wharves.
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a person who lives or loiters near wharves, often existing by pilfering from ships or warehouses.
noun
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any rat, usually a brown rat, that infests wharves
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informal a person who haunts wharves, usually for dishonest purposes
Etymology
Origin of wharf rat
An Americanism dating back to 1815–25
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.
There is the misnamed Norway rat — also called the brown, sewer or wharf rat — actually a native from northern China or Mongolia.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 13, 2023
Like many children in fishing villages, O'Brien was a "wharf rat", making pocket money cutting out and selling cod tongues by the dozen or the pound.
From BBC • Jun. 21, 2017
He is usually defended by first-class criminal lawyers, and his wharf rat companions seem to be very desirable witnesses for him.”
From The River Motor Boat Boys on the St. Lawrence The Lost Channel by Gordon, Harry
That wharf rat of a Max is just like a snake.
From The River Motor Boat Boys on the St. Lawrence The Lost Channel by Gordon, Harry
He is a wharf rat at Quebec, and is being used by these outlaws to further their treacherous ends.
From The River Motor Boat Boys on the St. Lawrence The Lost Channel by Gordon, Harry
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.
