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Glite Dictionary
🎨 A cartoon character 🐀 A traitor
ratfink

ratfink

1 9.9
A strange, ugly cartoon rat from 1960s custom car culture
  • noun
  • /ˈrætˌfɪŋk/
  • Archaic
translation icon : Rat Fink
  • I saw a ratfink toy at the car show.

Examples

  • He wore a vintage T-shirt with a large ratfink print from the 1960s hot-rod scene.

  • The artist proudly displayed a painting of ratfink at the custom car show.

  • Collectors often search for rare ratfink figurines from the 1960s.

  • The ratfink character is iconic in hot-rod culture.

  • The cartoon character ratfink became a popular symbol of 1960s custom-car culture.

  • In the comic book, Ratfink always outsmarted his rivals in hilarious ways.

  • Many hot-rod enthusiasts display Ratfink decals on their cars as a nod to retro culture.

Surface Forms

ratfink singular
ratfinks plural

Morphology

ratfink = rat + fink (semi-transparent) = rat + fink

Formally a clear compound of 'rat' + 'fink', but as a proper name for a specific 1960s cartoon character the cultural reference and specific imagery are not derivable from the parts alone.

Etymology

Ratfink was made famous by artist Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth in the 1960s for a wild, ugly cartoon that stood for hot-rod and custom-car culture. The name mixes rat (a 'dirty, sneaky' animal) and fink (a 'nasty' or 'low' person), which helps explain the character's ugly, rebellious look.