A homeless kid who lives on the streets. A rat is highly intelligent, agile, and lives off of what other throw away.
Street rats are generally on their own and feel at home anywhere in a given city. The alleys, buildings, dumpsters are their domain.
Not to be confused with Hood Rat,
rat fink,
rat pack, or a group of homeless kids generally defined as a wolf pack.
That kid looks hungry, we should bring out our left overs after we leave, he is a
street rat after all.
Hence the name of the main real life character in the homeless youth documentary "
street wise".
Also referenced to in the song by hardcore band Sick of it all - "
Rat Pack" or the crust band the Virus with the song "Rats in the City"