Talk:pack rat

RFV discussion: March–June 2014

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pack rat

Rfv-sense: (informal) A scavenger.

I think a much better one-word gloss would be hoarder. Also scavenger implies one is collecting items generally considered of low value, whereas a pack rat hoards things which may be of some value to others, but not to the pack rat.

I added a definition which includes both gathering and keeping and generally fits my understanding of the word. DCDuring TALK 01:04, 26 March 2014 (UTC)

I disagree that scavenger implies low value. But other than that, I agree that a better gloss is hoarder. --WikiTiki89 05:10, 26 March 2014 (UTC)

MWO's most applicable def for scavenge: "to salvage from discarded or refuse material; also: to salvage usable material from". This strongly implies low value.

Thinking about this a bit more: there is nothing that requires that a human pack rat scavenge his hoardings. He could just keep purchased or made items that others would discard, eg, packaging, string, old newspapers, eight-track audio tapes, instruction manuals to obsolete or discarded equipment. DCDuring TALK 13:23, 26 March 2014 (UTC)

It does not imply low value. It implies that you find something of value in a pile of seemingly useless material. --WikiTiki89 20:13, 26 March 2014 (UTC)

To me value is not intrinsic, but the result of exchange, the last price paid. That is, I am an economist by training and habit of thought. Discarding something gives it zero value. Obviously a salvage yard - or a scavenger - is attempting to convert zero-value items to cash. DCDuring TALK 21:27, 26 March 2014 (UTC)

• RFV failed: no attesting quotations provided. --Dan Polansky (talk) 08:34, 28 June 2014 (UTC)