ratsbane

[ rats-beyn ]

/ ˈrætsˌbeɪn /

rat poison.

the trioxide of arsenic.

Origin of ratsbane

First recorded in 1515–25; rat + 's¹ + bane

ratline, rato, ratoon, ratpack, rats, ratsbane, ratskeller, rattail comb, rattan, ratteen, ratter

I counselled him either to give or take an ounce of ratsbane, to cure his mind.

A Select Collection of Old English Plays |Robert Dodsley
If his wife and children are not to be made over, he is not to wear a dagger and ratsbane in his pockets.

The History of John Bull |John Arbuthnot
Doolittle is a rat, and I will hire somebody to give him ratsbane.

The Evil Eye; Or, The Black Spector |William Carleton
Mrs. Smith's doctor tells her if she wants poison she had better get ratsbane, and then she will know what she is swallowing.

Ginger-Snaps |Fanny Fern

If his Lordship had sent me an infusion of ratsbane in the loving-cup, I should have taken it much more kindly at his hands.

Our Old Home, Vol. 2 |Nathaniel Hawthorne

ratsbane

/ (ˈrætsˌbeɪn) /

rat poison, esp arsenic oxide