rat
n.— «My face was quite round and my ears stuck out—and the beehive just accentuated that. I was, however, persuaded to wear it a few times for photoshoots and recall they used something called a “rat” to wrap the hair around. This was a piece of wire-wool the length of a hand and it kept everything in place.» —“Ooh beehive!” by Diana Appleyard, Stephanie Clarkson Daily Mail (United Kingdom) Oct. 4, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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There was a time when William Shakespeare was just another little seven-year-old in school. Classes in his day were demanding — and all in Latin. A new book argues that this rigorous curriculum actually nurtured the creativity that later flourished...