Definition of "rat-catcher" []

• One whose business is the catching of rats; a ratter. (noun)

The Century Dictionary (Public Domain)

• "When a rat-catcher is thus accompanied, there is generally a strong aromatic odour about him, far from agreeable; this is owing to his clothes being rubbed with oil of thyme and oil of aniseed, mixed together."
• "His challenge will be to interest a voting public whose instincts are likely to favour the rat-catcher approach."
• "If a snake comes slithering into your house, you do not perform a careful analysis to determine how much of a threat it represents, whether, on balance, its survival as a rat-catcher may be a benefit to you, and so on -- you either flee or grab an ax and start swinging."