Words and Their Stories - Rats!

 

Now, Words and Their Stories, a weekly program from VOA Learning English.

Today we will be talking about a hated but misunderstood animal – the rat.

The sight of a rat might frighten you. Or it might make you sick to your stomach.

Well, perhaps not everyone.

In some countries, dishes made with rat meat can be rare and sometimes pricey -- what we call a delicacy¹.

Plus, rats are useful. With their extreme sense of smell, people can train giant rats to find land mines and even tuberculosis².

But do these things make people love rats?

No. For the most part, rats are not beloved animals.

For starters, they're not cute. They have pointed³ noses and long, thin tails. They can eat and damage crops. And the world has long blamed rats for spreading diseases, like the Bubonic plague⁴ in Europe during the 14th century. It does not help your reputation when you are accused of killing⁵ at least one-third of the population of an entire continent.

But, perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to judge.

Scientists now think that it was most likely not rats, but another rodent⁶, the gerbil, that caused the Bubonic plague. They suspect that gerbils traveled to Europe from Asia, some along the Silk Road that traders used. But these animals were not carrying spices and silk, but rather disease.

Today, however, gerbils are pets in many American homes. Teachers sometimes keep them in classrooms for students to care for. Rats, not so much.

Such is the difficult life of an unwanted, misunderstood animal.

So, scientists can debate the role of rats in spreading disease. But the fact that rats have a really bad reputation in American English is not debatable. It’s the truth. None of our rat expressions means anything good.

The simplest way we use this word is to simply say, “Rats!” Americans often use this expression when something goes wrong. The term is common and polite -- unlike some of our other expressions we might use when we are angry.

As we said earlier, rats may have a good sense of smell. But smelling a rat isn’t good. When we say, “I smell a rat!” we suspect that something is wrong. If you feel that someone has betrayed⁸ you, you can say that you smell a rat.

A pack rat is not good, either. This is a person who keeps useless things. And worse, they live with all the stuff they have collected.

So, calling someone a "rat" is never an expression of respect or affection. When describing people, a “rat” is someone who is not loyal or cannot be trusted. A rat snitches on someone to an authority figure – a parent, a teacher, a police officer.

As a verb, the word "rat" isn't good either.

To rat on someone means to betray⁷ a loved one, friend or someone else you know. When you rat on someone, you tell on them.

Let's say you know that your brother ate the last piece of cake when he wasn't supposed to. You rat on him to your parents. Or maybe you rat on a colleague at work. Ratting on people, or tattling on them, will not win you friends. It just makes you a rat. Or worse -- a rat fink.

The words tattling and tattletales are often used for children. But ratting someone out or snitching on them can be for any age.

No matter what your age, nobody likes to be called a rat, a snitch or a tattletale. However, it is a little different when the police are involved.

Let's say you have information about a crime. When the police begin asking questions, you decide to keep that information to yourself. You may feel you don't want to rat on someone else.

However, nobody would blame you for sharing information with the police if it helps them catch a criminal. Well, another criminal might not approve. Most criminals have a different code of conduct among themselves: You don't rat on fellow criminals to the police.

In old police television shows and movies, you may hear one criminal criticize another who snitched to the police. They may say, "You dirty rat!"

You would not say that a hardened, possibly violent criminal tattled on another ... unless you were trying to be funny.

So, when using the word “rat” in English know that the meaning is never a good one. But in life, maybe we should take another look at rats and give them a chance.

And that brings us to the end of this Words and Their Stories.

Do rats have a good reputation in your country? Please tell us! It would be nice to know there is a place on this planet where saying "Rats!" is a good thing.

I'm Anna Matteo.

"You won't tell me where you've been. Whiskey running down your chin. I smell a rat, baby. I smell a rat, baby. You better watch out. I smell a rat, baby."

Words in This Story

delicacy – n. a food that people like to eat because it is special or rare

tuberculosis – n. a serious disease that mainly affects the lungs : also called TB

reputation – n. overall quality or character as seen or judged by people in general

pet – n. a domesticated⁹ animal kept for pleasure rather than utility

polite – adj. having or showing good manners or respect for other people

betray – v. to hurt (someone who trusts you, such as a friend or relative) by not giving help or by doing something morally wrong

snitch – v. to tell someone in authority (such as the police or a teacher) about something wrong that someone has done

authority – n. the power to give orders or make decisions : the power or right to direct or control someone or something

code of conduct – n. an agreement on rules of behavior for the members of that group or organization

1 delicacy   

n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴

参考例句：

• We admired the delicacy of the craftsmanship.我们佩服工艺师精巧的手艺。
• He sensed the delicacy of the situation.他感觉到了形势的微妙。

2 tuberculosis   

n.结核病，肺结核

参考例句：

• People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。

3 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

4 plague   

n.瘟疫，鼠疫，祸患，灾难；v.烦扰，使痛苦

参考例句：

• Plague was then prevailing in that city.当时瘟疫正在该城流行。
• The plague once could wipe out a village.鼠疫曾一度可以夺走整个村庄村民的生命。

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 rodent   

n.啮齿动物；adj.啮齿目的

参考例句：

• When there is a full moon,this nocturnal rodent is careful to stay in its burrow.月圆之夜，这种夜间活动的啮齿类动物会小心地呆在地洞里不出来。
• This small rodent can scoop out a long,narrow tunnel in a very short time.这种小啮齿动物能在很短的时间里挖出一条又长又窄的地道来。

7 betray   

vt.背叛，失信于，泄露，暴露

参考例句：

• He promised never to betray the organization.他发誓永不背叛组织。
• Keep calm.Don't betray your identity.沉住气，别可露馅儿。

8 betrayed   

对…不忠( betray的过去式和过去分词 )； 背叛； 出卖； 泄露

参考例句：

• The shakes of the speaker's hands betrayed his nervousness. 发言者双手颤抖，可见他很紧张。
• He betrayed all his friends on his own account. 他为自己的利益出卖了所有的朋友。

9 domesticated   

adj.喜欢家庭生活的；（指动物）被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He is thoroughly domesticated and cooks a delicious chicken casserole. 他精于家务，烹制的砂锅炖小鸡非常可口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The donkey is a domesticated form of the African wild ass. 驴是非洲野驴的一种已驯化的品种。 来自《简明英汉词典》