rat racer
- noun
- Offensive
:
trepador
- In his quest for promotion, Tom became a true rat racer, stepping on others to get ahead.
Examples
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She refused to become a rat racer, choosing work-life balance over ruthless ambition.
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Many rat racers are willing to sacrifice their integrity just for a bigger bonus.
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Don't be such a rat racer!
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Many rat racers will do anything to get ahead.
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In his quest for promotion, Tom became a true rat racer, stepping on others to get ahead.
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Many rat racers prioritize winning at any cost, often disregarding fairness and ethics.
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She avoided becoming a rat racer and instead focused on collaboration and teamwork.
Synonyms
3
7.5
A person in business or competition who tries to get ahead by hurting others
How Ambitious
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound transparently combines 'rat' (a derogatory person) and 'racer' (a competitor), so a B1 learner who knows both words could reasonably infer it labels someone who competitively pursues success in a negative way. However, the precise nuance—especially the implication of unethical methods and the specific usage pattern (more like a derivation from 'rat race')—is idiomatic and not fully predictable from the parts, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Rat racer comes from the image of a rat running over and over in a maze or on a wheel like a racer, always chasing food or a prize. That's why it describes 'a person who competes aggressively, often using unethical methods'.