RATTING • FREE TRANSLATOR.ORG • Definition of Ratting

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verb

Rat v. i. (past & past part. ratted; pres. part. ratting)

In English politics, to desert one's party from interested motives; to forsake one's associates for one's own advantage; in the trades, to work for less wages, or on other conditions, than those established by a trades union. "Coleridge... incurred the reproach of having ratted, solely by his inability to follow the friends of his early days."

To catch or kill rats.

To be an informer (against an associate); to inform (on an associate); to squeal; used commonly in the phrase to rat on.

noun

Ratting n.

The conduct or practices of one who rats. See Rat, v. i., 1.

The low sport of setting a dog upon rats confined in a pit to see how many he will kill in a given time.

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Etymology of 'Ratting'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Ratting" Quotes from Famous Books

... direction likewise my fatal lack of means opposed me. (It affords much food to the philosophic mind, this influence of income upon character.) Even fifth-rate "boxing competitions," organized by "friendly leads," and ratting contests in Rotherhithe slums, become expensive, when you happen to be the only gentleman present possessed of a collar, and are expected to do the honours of your class in dog's-nose. True, climbing lamp-posts and putting out the gas is fairly cheap, providing ...

— The Second Thoughts of An Idle Fellow • Jerome K. Jerome