like a rat up a drainpipe
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Very rapidly.
Register: colloquial
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “like a rat up a drainpipe” mean?
Very rapidly.
Is “like a rat up a drainpipe” formal or informal?
like a rat up a drainpipe is generally colloquial.