Best Mouse Traps Blog | CatchMaster Blog
Catchmaster traps, Disposable Fly Trap, Humane Mouse Trap, Mouse Glue Trap, Sticky Mouse Trap and more…
The Catchmaster Presents a History of the Word ‘Rat’
Rats have always been despised by humans. This post will examine this manifestation of disgust in the English language.
The word rat has been used slangily to describe a scoundrel, a traitor, informer, especially in times of trouble, as well as a person who frequents a certain place. For example, that pack of teenagers you always see hanging out around the Hot Topic in your local mall could be called mallrats. (Where’s the best mouse trap to use on them?) Then there’s a “rat pack” which meant juvenile gang in the 50′s and was appropriated by Sinatra and family. The phrase rat-race emerged from capitalistic society in 1939.
The word rats is also used as an interjection and began as an Americanism in the late 19th century. The word itself has an ancient history. In Gaelic, radan is similar to the Italian ratto. Rattus was the vulgar Latin, but it is possible that it is of Germanic origin and that it traveled east as people moved that way.
It has also recently been shown that rats transmitted the waves of plague that affected Europe from China, in a westward movement. I bet they wished they had a catchmaster then, or at least some of the best mouse traps they could get.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.Posted on: Monday, November 8th, 2010 at 9:14 am
Posted in: catchmaster
Tags: Best Mouse Trap(s), catchmaster, catchmaster traps, Disposable Fly Trap(s), Humane Mouse Trap(s), Mouse Glue Trap(s), Sticky Mouse Trap(s)