water rat

water rat

noun
1.
any of various rodents having aquatic habits.
2.
the muskrat, Ondatra zibethica.
3.
(in Australia and New Guinea) any of the aquatic rats of the subfamily Hydromyinae, especially of the genus Hydromys.
4.
Slang. a vagrant or thief who frequents a waterfront.

Origin:
1545–55
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Water rat is always a great word to know.
So is hot seat. Does it mean:
a highly uncomfortable or embarrassing situation
of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a person who is obnoxious or peculiar
Collins
World English Dictionary
water rat
 
n
1.  any of several small amphibious rodents, esp the water vole or the muskrat
2.  any of various amphibious rats of the subfamily Hydromyinae, of New Guinea, the Philippines, and Australia
3.  informal a person who is very fond of water sports

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

water rat

any of 18 species of amphibious carnivorous rodents. They exhibit many adaptations associated with hunting in water for food and burrowing along streams, rivers, and lakes. The eyes are small, the nostrils can be closed to keep water out, and the external portion of the ears is either small and furry or absent. Highly sensitive whiskers are abundant on the fleshy blunt muzzle. The long thick fur is gray or brown, dense and woolly, and water-repellent. The tail is usually densely haired, and in some species the hairs form a keel along the underside. The rats' long, wide hindfeet are fringed with stiff hairs and have bald soles with conspicuous webbing between the digits

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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