ratcatcher

American  

[rat-kach-er] / ˈrætˌkætʃ ər /

noun

1. a person, animal, or thing that catches and exterminates rats, especially a person whose business it is to rid a property of rats.

2. Chiefly British. an informal fox-hunting costume, as a tweed jacket and tan riding breeches.

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Etymology

Origin of ratcatcher

First recorded in 1585–95; rat + catcher

Example Sentences

When Hall was born in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, on Nov. 22,1930, his father was a railway employee and his grandfather had been the village ratcatcher.

From Time Magazine Archive

Mrs. Rose Sturgess, 70, famed English ratcatcher, descendant of generations of ratcatchers; of natural causes; at Paddock Wood, England.

From Time Magazine Archive

"We have a Corporation ratcatcher, but he goes for the wrong sort."

From Time Magazine Archive

"The same way you came in," answered the ratcatcher.

From "The Whipping Boy" by Sid Fleischman

“Stonecutter! This one’s more fit to become a ratcatcher or a twiner of flower wreaths. Well, come along, come along.”

From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw