• Ever since I read in the paper that an American scientist had succeeded in creating an intelligent mouse by manipulating DNA, I have been wondering why anyone thought they should try and make mice any smarter than they are.
• I almost felt like a mouse in front of a hungry cat.
• The KOSDAQ Internet home page will likely allow investors to trade stocks at the click of a mouse as early as this week.

• to play cat and mouse (with) : to tease or fool someone by pretending to let him go free and then catching him again
  The policeman decided to play cat and mouse when he saw the woman steal the dress in the store. (The policeman pretended to let the woman go, but he didn't really let her go when he saw her steal the dress in the store.)
  John's uncle had fun playing cat and mouse with mouse with him. (John's uncle had fun pretending to let him go but not really letting him go.)
  [A Dictionary of American Idioms]
• mousetrap :
  (n) a trap for catching mouse
  (v) to trick or ensnare by means of a feint or stratagem
  "All the evidence against her was circumstantial, Robert. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time and she got mousetrapped.
  [Rage of Angels written by Sidney Sheldon]

2. Mikey Mouse
(n) 
① Walt Disney의 만화 주인공 캐릭터/ 미키마우스

• Walt Disney was born December 5, 1901 and died December 15, 1966. The Disney company hasn't had much to do directly with the Disney comics, and the same goes for Walt personally. He did write the Mickey Mouse newspaper strip in the very beginning though, before Floyd Gottfredson took it over.

② (derogatory) a stupid person/ a policeman/ a white man (as used by blacks)

(adj.) (slang) inferior, second rate, chicken, easy, gimmicky

• Watch out for John, he's full of mickey mouse ideas.
  (He's full of second rate, inferior thoughts.) 

3. Minnie Mouse : 미키마우스의 여자 친구/ 미니마우스

4. rat [ratte < *rod-, to scratch, gnaw < rodere, to scrape, to gnaw] :(n) 
① any of numerous long-tailed rodents, resembling, but larger than the mouse : rats are very destructive pests and carriers of highly contagious diseases, as bubonic plagues, typhus, etc.
② a person who deserts or betrays a cause

• to smell a rat : to be suspicious; feel that something is wrong
  When the policeman saw a light go on in the store at midnight he smelled a rat. [A Dictionary of American Idioms]
• rat race : (slang) very confusing, crowded, or disorderly rush; a confusing scramble, struggle, or way of living that does not seem to have a purpose
  The party last night was a rat race rat race. It was too noisy and crowded.
  School can be a rat rat race if you don't keep up with your studies.
  This job is a rat race rat race. The faster you work, the faster the boss wants you to work.
  Robert then defined the "Rat Race" for us. "부자 아빠 가난한 아빠"의 저자인 "로버트 기요사끼는 "Rat Race"를 어떻게 정의를 했는지 알아 볼까요. 여기를 클릭하세요.[Rich Dad Poor Dad written by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L.Lechter C.P.A.]

5. rodent [rodens < rodere, to gnaw, 갉아먹다] : (n) any of a very large order(Rodentia) of gnawing mammals, including rats, mice, squirrels, beavers, etc., characterized by constantly growing incisors adapted for gnawing or nibbling; esp., in popular usage, a rat or mouse/ 설치동물

6. erode [e-, away, out of + rodere, to gnaw, scratch, 갉아먹다 = to eat away] : to cause to deteriorate or disappear as if eating or wearing away

• If something is eroded, it is gradually destroyed or removed.
• If rock or soil erodes or is eroded by water or weather, it is gradually destroyed or removed.
• Despite its economic hardships, North Korea has so far shunned government-level talks with Seoul while permitting the private exchanges. It has been trying to reach out to the international community while continuing to shun the South. The reclusive Socialist regime in Pyongyang seems to believe that resuming government-level dialogue with the democratic, economically better-off South will erode its authority and cause it to lose face.

7. erosion : gradual removal or destruction of something

• Throughout the earth's history of 4.5 billion years, a number of asteroids have struck our planet. But craters (분화구), like the ones on the surface of the moon, haven't appeared on the earth because of weathering and erosion.

8. erase [e-, away + eradere, to scratch, scrape :SEE RAT] :
① to rub or scrape out (as written, painted, or engraved letters)
② to remove from existence or memory as if by erasing

• If you erase writing, you remove it by rubbing it.
• If you erase a thought or feeling, you get rid of it.
• The innate nature of mind is indeed empty. So, in order to feel the inherent form of mind, we need to be empty ourselves. People often say that you must "erase" or "get rid of" impurities in the mind. But, like it is said in Zen Buddhism, it is better to just let go of all thoughts. What does "letting go" mean?  Obviously the mind is not something that you can grab on to.

9. eraser/ 지우개

• An eraser is a piece of rubber used for rubbing out writing.

10. corrode [cor-, com-, intense, together +  erodere, to gnaw : SEE RAT] : to eat away by degrees as if by gnawing, esp. by chemical action/(금속 등이) 부식하다

• When metal corrodes, it is gradually destroyed by a rust or a chemical.
• Vinegar will corrode metal.

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First uploaded : April 20, 2000 / Last updated : March 16, 2002