1
general::
Phrase(s): rat race
Fig. a fierce struggle for success, especially in one’s career or business. • Bob got tired of the rat race. He’s retired and gone to the country. • The money market is a rat race, and many people who work in it get out quickly because of the stress.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
2
general::
Fierce competition to maintain or improve one's position in the workplace or social life. For example, You may not realize what a rat race it is to get research grants. This term presumably alludes to the rat's desperate struggle for survival. [Colloquial; first half of 1900s]
American Heritage Idioms