desert rat

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

des′ert rat′, 

1. Mammals any of various small rodents, as the kangaroo rat, inhabiting arid regions.
2. Dialect Terms [Chiefly Western U.S.] one who lives in the desert, esp. in order to prospect for gold or other valuable minerals.
3. [Informal.] a soldier fighting in the N African desert in World War II, esp. a British soldier.
• 1905–10, American.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

desert rat noun

1. a jerboa, Jaculus orientalis, inhabiting the deserts of N Africa
2. a soldier who served in North Africa with the British 7th Armoured Division in 1941–42