noun
Street Slang
wharf rat
WORF-RAT · noun · slang
A thief who robs around docks and waterfronts.
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Definitions
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A wharf rat is a thief who prowls the wharves and riverfronts, stealing cargo and robbing sailors and dockworkers.
“Cargo went missing every night thanks to the wharf rats.”
by community
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wharf rat In A Sentence
Cargo went missing every night thanks to the wharf rats.
Origin & Usage
American slang, 19th century.
Variants
wharfrat
People Also Ask
What does 'wharf rat' mean?
It names a thief who works the docks and riverfronts, stealing cargo and robbing sailors and dockworkers.
Does 'wharf rat' just mean an actual rat?
It literally names the rodents found around docks, but as slang it was transferred to human thieves and dock-loafers who hung around the waterfront.
How old is the term?
The human-thief sense is 19th-century American slang, from the era of busy port and river commerce.
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