Rat Candy
Encyclopedia
Rat candy is rodenticide. The name is a slang
nickname
, the exact origins of which are not conclusively known. One possible origin is the way that a rat is attracted to rat poison
like a child
to candy
, another possibility being the use of actual candy, particularly chocolate
, as bait
when luring a rat
into a trap
that will lead to its imprisonment
or demise
.
According to United States Environmental Protection Agency
statistic
s, approximately 13,000 American
children were treated for ingesting rat poison in 2004, most mistaking the rodenticide for candy. Other sources put the figure nearer to the 50,000 mark.
Warfarin
, an early rat poison, was derived from licorice. Tales of poisoned candy also abound in urban legend
s.
Rat Candy is the title of the debut album by English
band The Malfated
, released on 6 June 2006. Lead singer Karl Steiger heard the phrase in reference to rodenticide during a visit to Texas
.
Rat Candy is also actual confectionery
made to look like rat
s and other rodent
s. Such candy
is particularly popular during Halloween
.
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
, the exact origins of which are not conclusively known. One possible origin is the way that a rat is attracted to rat poison
Rat poison
Rodenticides are a category of pest control chemicals intended to kill rodents.Single feed baits are chemicals sufficiently dangerous that the first dose is sufficient to kill....
like a child
Child
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
to candy
Candy
Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
, another possibility being the use of actual candy, particularly chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
, as bait
Bait (luring substance)
Bait is any substance used to attract prey, e.g. in a mousetrap.-In Australia:Baiting in Australia refers to specific campaigns to control foxes, wild dogs and dingos by poisoning in areas where they are a problem...
when luring a rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
into a trap
Rat trap
A rat trap is a trap designed to catch rats.Rats are suspicious of new objects and traps with only one entrance. If they see other rats have been trapped they may avoid the trap. Traps which do not address these issues are likely to catch only young, inexperienced rats, not the older ones.Spring...
that will lead to its imprisonment
Imprisonment
Imprisonment is a legal term.The book Termes de la Ley contains the following definition:This passage was approved by Atkin and Duke LJJ in Meering v Grahame White Aviation Co....
or demise
Demise
Demise, in its original meaning, is an Anglo-Norman legal term for a transfer of an estate, especially by lease...
.
According to United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
statistic
Statistic
A statistic is a single measure of some attribute of a sample . It is calculated by applying a function to the values of the items comprising the sample which are known together as a set of data.More formally, statistical theory defines a statistic as a function of a sample where the function...
s, approximately 13,000 American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
children were treated for ingesting rat poison in 2004, most mistaking the rodenticide for candy. Other sources put the figure nearer to the 50,000 mark.
Warfarin
Warfarin
Warfarin is an anticoagulant. It is most likely to be the drug popularly referred to as a "blood thinner," yet this is a misnomer, since it does not affect the thickness or viscosity of blood...
, an early rat poison, was derived from licorice. Tales of poisoned candy also abound in urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
s.
Rat Candy is the title of the debut album by English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
band The Malfated
The Malfated
The Malfated are an independent guitar band from London, England, who gained a cult following using online websites such as MySpace. The band formed in 2004, and were one of the first UK bands to join MySpace in 2004. They use a drum machine, which they call 'Bel The Expendable Drum Machine'. Line...
, released on 6 June 2006. Lead singer Karl Steiger heard the phrase in reference to rodenticide during a visit to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Rat Candy is also actual confectionery
Confectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
made to look like rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s and other rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s. Such candy
Candy
Candy, specifically sugar candy, is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added...
is particularly popular during Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
.