sewer rat
1
9.0
- noun
- /ˈsuːər ræt/
- Offensive
:
rata
- The journalist referred to the corrupt politician as a sewer rat for his unethical behavior.
Examples
-
Many people called him a sewer rat after he was caught cheating in the competition.
-
A flat tax on everyone with no deductions for anyone or any industry is the best way to hold these sewer rats in check.
Blog text (19) -
Some in the CIA will finger the faction that carried out the orders of the sewer rat.
Blog text (28) -
Ratigan, no one can have... a higher opinion of you than I have... and I think you're a slimy, contemptible sewer rat!
-
The only code these Chi-town sewer rats understand is that they can't win by obeying the rules of society; their only hope is to steal, cheat, and lie at every opportunity.
Blog text (5) -
Her friends warned her to stay away from that sewer rat who always made trouble and disrespected others.
Synonyms
∞
8.0
A very rude word for a person you strongly dislike or who treats others badly
451
7.6
A person who is greedy and rude in how they act
293
9.9
A very rude and insulting word for a person you strongly dislike
182
8.1
A person who is seen as evil or dishonest
169
9.9
A person or thing that is very bad and has no value used to insult someone
168
9.5
A person who treats other people very badly and unfairly
148
7.4
People who are treated as worthless or unimportant
132
8.5
A person who is sneaky and not worthy of respect
40
8.2
An unpleasant person who lies or treats others badly
24
7.2
A person who is cruel and strongly disliked
20
9.2
A person who is mean and cannot be trusted
16
8.1
A person who behaves badly and cannot be trusted
13
9.9
A rude word for a person who is cruel or dishonest
11
7.5
A cruel person who treats others badly
10
7.2
A person who is mean or dishonest
9
8.7
A cruel, dishonest person that many people hate
9
8.9
A person who treats others very badly
4
9.9
A person who behaves foolishly and cannot be trusted
2
8.0
A person who behaves badly or cheats others
1
8.9
A very bad person who treats other people cruelly
1
9.9
A rude, selfish person who does not help others
1
9.9
A person who is very unpleasant and treats others badly
1
9.9
A rude word for a person people strongly dislike
1
9.2
An insulting word for a person who is dishonest or behaves badly
1
9.9
A person who lies or cheats and treats others badly
1
8.4
An unpleasant person who annoys others
A rude word for a person who treats others badly
A very rude word people use for someone they think is very bad or disgusting
A rude word for a person who is dishonest, cruel, or very mean
A person who is very rude and treats others badly
An insulting word for a person who cheats or lies
A person who betrays others and cannot be trusted
An insulting word for a person people think is dishonest or harmful
A person who is very unpleasant and treats others badly
A person who is mean or dishonest and causes trouble for others
A person who is very rude and insults others cruelly
An insulting name for a cruel or troublesome person
A person who acts badly and cannot be trusted
How Contemptible
Surface Forms
Morphology
The insult is a straightforward metaphor combining 'sewer' (a dirty, waste-filled place) and 'rat' (a despised rodent), so a learner who knows both words can easily infer it refers to a dirty or contemptible person. This follows common cross-linguistic derogatory patterns of likening people to animals in filthy settings, making the meaning directly accessible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Sewer rat as an insult comes from imagining a person as a rat living in a sewer. Picture someone small and sneaky living in filth, so calling someone this means they are seen as 'dirty or contemptible'.