rataplan

[rat-uh-plan]

noun

a sound of or as of the beating of a drum.

verb (used without object), rat·a·planned, rat·a·plan·ning.

to produce such a sound.

Origin of rataplan

1840–50; < French; imitative

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for rataplan

Historical Examples of rataplan

Not the best suited for little Mabsy; but she'll catch at the Rataplan.
One of Our Conquerors, Complete
George Meredith
Then she laughed, and drummed the rataplan again with her brass heel.
Under Two Flags
Ouida [Louise de la Ramee]
I had a moment of triumph also when we sang the Rataplan, rataplan.
Memoirs of an American Prima Donna
Clara Louise Kellogg
They turned in at the Rataplan and drew up at the carriage entrance.
The Cab of the Sleeping Horse
John Reed Scott
Oh, they were getting on very well indeed when the Rataplan was reached.
The Cab of the Sleeping Horse
John Reed Scott

British Dictionary definitions for rataplan

rataplan

noun

a drumming sound

Word Origin for rataplan

from French, of imitative origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012