desert rat

noun7

1. •
   One of various mouselike rodents species inhabiting deserts.
2. •
   (slang, historical) A British or Australian soldier who served in North Africa with the British 7th Armoured Division in 1941-42.
3. •
   A gerbil (subfamily Gerbillinae) of the deserts of Africa and Asia
4. •
   A kangaroo rat (genus Dipodomys) from North America
5. •
   A Natal multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis) from Africa
6. •
   A jerboa, including those of species Jaculus orientalis and Jaculus jaculus (lesser Egyptian jerboa), which inhabit the desert regions of North Africa.
7. •
   (slang, historical) A wandering prospector.