rat
(…)
- rats, Slang . (an exclamation of disappointment, disgust, or
disbelief.)
(source: dictionary.reference.com)
Where does this meaning/usage of "rat" come from?
etymology
rat
(…)
- rats, Slang . (an exclamation of disappointment, disgust, or
disbelief.)
(source: dictionary.reference.com)
Where does this meaning/usage of "rat" come from?
Best Answer
Drat is first used in the early 19th century as shortening of od rat, which was an euphemism for God rot.
Rats seems a shortening of od rat obtained by removing od, and used as plural to make it seems the plural of rat (the rodent).
[Reference: the New Oxford American Dictionary.]