ratfink

The first factor is labeled the "Ratfink" factor. This factor consists only of items that measure whether a boy would give information to various adult figures if one of his friends were in trouble.

In my novella, "Our Lady of Desperation," a painter and civil servant square up to one another. One of the protagonists was an artist; so it was assumed I was somehow in his camp. In fact both are ratfinks; when thieves fall out, honest …

You'd think that some rat-fink in the company would spill the beans and warn Mr. Wright, but nobody did. There wasn't much company loyalty at Nineveh Publishing.