pack rat

pack rat

n.

1. Any of various small North American rodents of the genus Neotoma that collect in or around their nests a great variety of small objects. Also called trade rat, wood rat.

2. Western U.S. A petty thief.

3. Informal A collector or accumulator of miscellaneous objects.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	pack rat - someone who collects things that have been discarded by others magpie, scavenger hoarder - a person who accumulates things and hides them away for future use
	2.	pack rat - any of several bushy-tailed rodents of the genus Neotoma of western North America; hoards food and other objects bushytail woodrat, Neotoma cinerea, trade rat, packrat wood rat, wood-rat - any of various small short-tailed rodents of the northern hemisphere having soft fur grey above and white below with furred tails and large ears; some are hosts for Ixodes pacificus and Ixodes scapularis (Lyme disease ticks) genus Neotoma, Neotoma - packrats dusky-footed woodrat, Neotoma fuscipes - host to Lyme disease tick (Ixodes pacificus) in northern California