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wharf rat

wharf rat
W w

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [hwawrf, wawrf rat]
    • /ʰwɔrf, wɔrf ræt/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [hwawrf, wawrf rat]
    • /ʰwɔrf, wɔrf ræt/

Definitions of wharf rat words

  • noun wharf rat a large brown rat that is commonly found on wharves. 1
  • noun wharf rat a person who lives or loiters near wharves, often existing by pilfering from ships or warehouses. 1
  • noun wharf rat common rodent 1
  • noun wharf rat sb who lives near the wharves 1
  • noun wharf rat any rat, usually a brown rat, that infests wharves 0
  • noun wharf rat a person who haunts wharves, usually for dishonest purposes 0

Information block about the term

Origin of wharf rat

First appearance:

before 1815
One of the 39% newest English words
An Americanism dating back to 1815-25

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Wharf rat

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

wharf rat popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 37% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
According to our data about 54% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

wharf rat usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

See also

Matching words

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