Slangora

ratfucking

A US political slang term for dirty tricks or covert political sabotage — activities designed to undermine an opponent's campaign through deception, infiltration, or disruption rather than legitimate competition.

ˈɹætˌfʌkɪŋDocumented since 1970s1970sBoomerhistoricalCurrent259 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
🗺️ Regional & Other
2 definitions
Community
Seen in the wild
3 citations · last seen May 2026

Etymology timeline

Born ~1970 · 1 year of recorded use
1970Born2026: 3 citationsToday, 2026
Boomer / counterculture eraSee decade cohort →

Seen in the wild

Definitions

IN
#1·Apr 28, 2026IN

A US political slang term for dirty tricks or covert political sabotage — activities designed to undermine an opponent's campaign through deception, infiltration, or disruption rather than legitimate competition. The term was popularized during Watergate when it emerged that Nixon campaign operatives had conducted extensive ratfucking operations against Democratic candidates. Still used in political journalism to describe underhanded campaign tactics.

The leaked memo described a systematic ratfucking operation against the candidate's primary rivals.
Origin: American political slang, documented from the Nixon era (early 1970s). 'Rat' implying sneaky, treacherous behavior; 'fucking' as a crude intensifier. Coined in the context of political dirty tricks operations. Editorial expansion authored on Slangora.
Cluster: authentic
Was this helpful?

Comments

GlobalAvoid at work
#2·Apr 27, 2026Global

(US, vulgar) Political sabotage or dirty tricks.

See it in action
  • “Of course some ratfucking leftists still feel the need to bash Hillary in the comments. Easy to block.”

  • “This. This is a ratfucking op. Period. Treat it as such.”

Heard in the wild
  • “Of course some ratfucking leftists still feel the need to bash Hillary in the comments. Easy to block.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “This. This is a ratfucking op. Period. Treat it as such.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “Have some respect for this ratfucking scab who is shouting profanities at you, he says. A fascinating mind.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
Was this helpful?

Comments

Used in

GlobalIN

Have a better definition?

Add your own interpretation of "ratfucking".

Add definition

🗺️About Regional & Other slang

Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.

See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.

Tags

Other words near "ratfucking" (R)

Browse all slang words starting with R.

Related terms

People also read

Semantically related