Where does “ratebuster” come from?

ratebuster (English) comes from English rate, from French rate, from French rat, from Middle French rat, from Old French rat, from Old High German rato, from Proto-Germanic ratō, from Proto-Germanic rattaz — to scrape.

ratebuster (English): A worker who works as fast as possible, ignoring the limits on productivity agreed by other workers or by a union

Definitions

  1. A worker who works as fast as possible, ignoring the limits on productivity agreed by other workers or by a union

Ancestry of “ratebuster”, step by step

ratebuster traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English rate

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishrateThe worth of something; value; The proportional...
2Frenchratespleen; female equivalent of rat; female rat;...
3Frenchratrat; sweetheart; scrooch
4Middle Frenchratrat
5Old Frenchratrat rodent
6Old High Germanratorat
7Proto-Germanicratō
8Proto-Germanicrattazrat
9Proto-Indo-EuropeanHreh₃d-to scrape

via English Buster

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishBusterwho or something that bursts, breaks, or destroys a specified thing
2GermanBüstebust; dummy
3Frenchbustebust, torso; bust
4Italianbustotomb, grave; cadaver, corpse; bust
5LatinbustumA burial mound, tomb; A place for burning funeral...
6Latinureresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
7LatinuroI burn, consume, inflame; to rage, to ravage
8Proto-Italicouzō
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁ews-to burn
Every word from Proto-Indo-European Hreh₃d-