scuttlebutt
UK /ˈskʌtəlbʌt/ · US /ˈskʌtəlˌbʌt/ noun, verb
Forms scuttlebutts scuttlebutting scuttlebutted scuttle-butt
- noun (countable, nautical) Originally (now chiefly historical), a cask with a hole cut into its top, used to provide drinking water on board a ship; now (by extension, informal), a drinking fountain on a modern ship.
- noun (uncountable, originally US, nautical slang) Gossip, idle chatter; also, rumour.
- verb (transitive, rare) To spread (information) by way of gossip or rumour.
- verb (intransitive) To chat idly or gossip; also, to spread rumours.
Synonyms
scuttle-cask furphy babble bavardage bibble-babble blab blabber blabbing blather blathering chatter chinwag chit-chat claver clepe gabble hot air mardle natter palaver gossip comment
Etymology
The noun is derived from scuttle (“to cut a hole through (something)”) + butt (“wooden cask”). Noun sense 2 (“gossip, idle chatter; rumour”) refers to the fact that sailors would gather around the scuttlebutt to drink and exchange gossip; compare furphy and water cooler.
The verb is derived from the noun.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “scuttlebutt”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details