water rat
- noun
- /ˈwɔːtər ræt/
- Informal
:
aficionado al agua
- Ever since she was a child, Emily has been a real water rat, always swimming and surfing at the beach.
Examples
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As soon as the pool opened, the water rat in him couldn't stay away any longer.
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His friends started calling him a water rat because he spends more time on his boat than at home.
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My friend is a real water rat!
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The beach is full of water rats enjoying the sun.
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Emily has always been a real water rat, spending her weekends swimming and boating at the lake.
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After moving to the coast, he became a true water rat, eager to sail and explore the ocean every chance he got.
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The local park is popular among water rats, who enjoy kayaking and paddleboarding on the river.
Synonyms
A person who loves being in or near water, especially swimming
A person who spends a lot of time near rivers and likes boating or fishing
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'water' (the aquatic environment) and 'rat' (an animal associated with a habitat) create a recognisable metaphorical image of someone closely associated with water, so the meaning has a partial compositional basis. However, 'rat' is not a common or predictable marker for a person in many languages and learners may instead interpret the phrase literally as an animal or be uncertain, so the sense is not fully derivable without exposure.
Etymology
Water rat compares a person to a rat that loves water. It gives the image of someone always swimming or on a boat, so it means 'a person who enjoys spending time in or on the water'.
