rattrap

[ rat-trap ]

noun

1. a device for catching rats.
2. a run-down, filthy, or dilapidated place.
3. a difficult, involved, or entangling situation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of rattrap¹

1425–75; late Middle English. See rat, trap ¹

Example Sentences

While cleaning it I found lots of matches, a cap, and a rattrap.

From The New Yorker

He had accidentally stumbled upon the rattraps, two of which were attached crookedly to his sneakers.

From Literature

Chumley’s, he wrote, came well recommended when he was seeking a place to take “a ‘nice girl’ instead of the rattraps I usually patronized.”

From New York Times

The carton was very sticky, covered in glue from rattraps.

From New York Times

He remembers that house as a “rattrap,” a term that had an all-too-literal meaning for Rice, whose feet were bitten by rodents while he slept.

From Newsweek

Related Words

• cottage
• hut
• lean-to
• shack
• shanty