Definition scuttlebutt7/4/2023 ![]() ![]() (5) The scuttlebutt in the office is that Tom is going to be fired. Have you heard any scuttlebutt about the new boss (4) Now Ive heard a lot of scuttlebutt about a food shortage. (2) All this scuttlebutt was laughed off as nonsense. Have you got a Big Question you'd like us to answer? If so, let us know by emailing us at. scuttlebutt n (Nautical) 1 a drinking fountain 2 (formerly) a cask of drinking water aboard a ship 3 (Chiefly U.S.) slang rumour or gossip (C19: from scuttle3 + butt4) English Collins Dictionary - English Definition & Thesaurus See also: scuttle, scute, scutate, scutter Add your entry in the Collaborative Dictionary. 'scuttlebutt' (1) The scuttlebutt is theyre going to Australia. The next time someone asks you what the scuttlebutt is, now you can tell them. Nautical technology made the scuttlebutt obsolete, but the term endured, becoming a catch-all word for unfounded rumors. The scuttlebutt was really the only place to do it. Since sailors could congregate around the fountain, it became a place to finally catch up and exchange gossip, making scuttlebutt synonymous with casual conversation. A scuttlebutt was therefore a hatch in the cask.īecause sailors usually received orders from shouting supervisors, talking amongst themselves was discouraged. The cask was known as a butt, while scuttle was taken from the French word escoutilles and means hatch or hole. ![]() It was later used as the name of the drinking fountain found on a ship or in a Naval installation. But what exactly is scuttlebutt, and why did it become associated with idle water cooler talk?Īccording to Merriam-Webster, a scuttlebutt referred to a cask on sailing ships in the 1800s that contained drinking water for those on board. We can easily infer that scuttlebutt is a slang term for information or maybe even gossip. Hypernyms ('scuttlebutt' is a kind of. “What’s the scuttlebutt?” you’d say, for example, and then they’d reply with the solicited scuttlebutt. Context example: the divorce caused much gossip. Sometimes, you can ask them what the scuttlebutt is. You might ask someone how they’re doing, what’s new, or if they’ve done anything interesting recently.
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