trade rat
- noun
- /treɪd ræt/
- US
:
rata de comercio
- Hikers sometimes find their gear missing, only to discover a trade rat nest full of odds and ends.
Examples
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The old cabin was infested by a trade rat that stole shiny buttons and coins.
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The trade rat is known for its bushy tail.
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At dusk, the trade rat emerged from its den to search for new treasures to collect.
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Many trade rats collect shiny objects.
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At dusk, the trade rat emerged from its den to search for new treasures to collect.
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Hikers sometimes find their gear missing, only to discover a trade rat nest filled with oddities and trinkets.
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The old cabin was infested by a trade rat that hoarded shiny objects and discarded items.
Synonyms
1
7.3
A small North American animal like a rat with a bushy tail that collects objects
A small animal like a mouse with a thick bushy tail that lives in western North America and stores food
A small rodent like a mouse from North America with a bushy tail that collects things for its nest
A small North American animal like a rat that collects things to build nests
A small mouse-like animal with a thick bushy tail that lives in western North America and collects food and objects
A North American wood rat with dark feet that builds large stick nests
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'a bushy-tailed rodent known for collecting and hoarding objects' cannot be predicted from 'trade' (an occupation or commerce) plus 'rat' (a rodent). This is a lexicalized common name whose internal element 'trade' does not transparently contribute the hoarding/species sense, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituents would not infer the meaning.
Etymology
Trade rat gets its name from a small, bushy-tailed rodent that loves to carry shiny bits and other objects back to its nest. One popular story says people watched it taking and keeping things like it was 'trading' or 'collecting' treasures, so the word trade was added to rat to mean a rodent that steals and stores small items.