Quit or Join the 'Rat Race'?

Now Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.

Rats. They are not among nature's most loved animals.

However, rats help humans in many ways. They have been tested and re-tested for so many diseases and other issues -- all for the purpose of human health and happiness.

Rats have other uses, as well. For example, they can be trained to find explosives buried underground.

American researcher Ellie Cutright with an African giant pounched rat. She trains them to find underground explosives.

American researcher Ellie Cutright with an African giant pounched rat. She trains them to find underground explosives.

Despite all this, lots of people fear or even hate rats.

So, some people like rats. Some don't. However, when talking about English expressions, "rat" phrases almost all have a negative meaning.

Calling someone a "rat" is a big insult. When we "rat on" someone, we tell others something they did in order to get them in trouble. If an object is ratty, it is in poor condition. And we can simply say "Rats!" if something bad happens.

Today, we will talk about another bad rat expression: rat race.

This may sound like a running contest between rats. It is not. A rat race is a purely¹ human situation.

If you are in a rat race, you are in a daily work routine that is extremely competitive, tiring and never-ending. Day after day, you compete for more power and more wealth against others wanting the same thing.

We can also use the term "rat race" to describe a person's struggle to gain the basics of life. This struggle is also out of their control. They are seemingly helpless against a way of life that is slowly killing² them and their soul.

Some word historians say this expression comes from real rat races. These were sporting events held in the 1800s. People would bet money on the rats.

Others say it comes from the custom of testing rats in laboratory experiments. Scientists often study rats to see how they will react in different conditions.

During some of these experiments, scientists put rats in cages. They give them a winding³ path, or maze⁴, to run. As the rats look for the reward -- in many cases a piece of cheese -- researchers place many obstacles in their way. The rat's race is full of struggles and exhaustion⁵. And in the end, the race leads to ... nowhere.

The phrase "rat race" compares the competitive part of human work life and some of its struggles as being as pointless as the race of the rat. Leaving or quitting a rat race is the only way a person can win.

Now, let's hear some examples using the phrase "rat race."

After being in the rat race for years and years, Steve can't wait to retire!

This rat-race* lifestyle is going to kill me! I don't have time to do anything I love anymore!

Chloe has no interest in joining the rat race. I think she is going to be a farmer.

*One note on writing this expression: When this expression is used as an adjective, we usually put a dash between "rat" and "race."

And that is all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.

In the Comments Section, let us know if you are stuck in a rat race, if you like being in the rat race or if you have avoided a rat-race kind of life.

Words in This Story

negative – adj. harmful or bad : not wanted

routine – n. a boring state or situation in which things are always done the same way

soul – n. the spiritual part of a person that is believed to give life to the body and in many religions is believed to live forever : a person's deeply felt moral and emotional nature

maze – n. a confusing arrangement of paths or passages

obstacle – n. something that makes it difficult to do something

exhaustion – n. the state of being extremely tired

1 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

4 maze   

n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑

参考例句：

• He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
• She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时，她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。

5 exhaustion   

n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述

参考例句：

• She slept the sleep of exhaustion.她因疲劳而酣睡。
• His exhaustion was obvious when he fell asleep standing.他站着睡着了，显然是太累了。