rathole meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

rathole

noun

Etymology From rat + hole.

An entrance to a living area or passageway used by mice or rats.

A living area used by mice or rats, or a similar living area used by other animals.

Bhantus catch the sanda, or broad-tailed lizard, which dwells in rat-holes in the ground and lives always in fear of the cobra.1913, Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society, page 122:

A particularly squalid human residence or other place.

An area of a silo that has undergone ratholing, so that material moves mostly through the centre and accumulates around the edges.

verb

Etymology From rat + hole.

To hoard.

To take a conversation off topic, especially in technical meetings.

Card games, Poker To surreptitiously or prematurely remove chips during a poker game.

Card games, Poker To exit a cash game and re-enter with a smaller stack.

(of material) To empty only in the center of a hopper or silo, persisting circumferentially.