scuttlebutt

[skuht-l-buht]

See more synonyms for scuttlebutt on Thesaurus.com

noun

Nautical.
1. an open cask of drinking water.
2. a drinking fountain for use by the crew of a vessel.
Informal. rumor or gossip.

Origin of scuttlebutt

1795–1805; 1900–05 for def 2; scuttle³ + butt⁴

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

Related Words for scuttlebutt

blather, hearsay, grapevine, meddling, chitchat, talk, babble, prattle, chatter, rumor

Examples from the Web for scuttlebutt

Contemporary Examples of scuttlebutt

That brought a response from John Rutledge, who ran a Florida-based newsletter, The Scuttlebutt.
Pearl Harbor’s Anniversary Sparks Memories of a Long-Ago Dance Contest
Michael Daly
December 7, 2012
Rutledge ran a story in The Scuttlebutt, and Patsy got a phone call from man saying he was her sailor.
Pearl Harbor’s Anniversary Sparks Memories of a Long-Ago Dance Contest
Michael Daly
December 7, 2012

Historical Examples of scuttlebutt

And you had no information direct or indirect of any kind or character, scuttlebutt, hearsay or otherwise, up to that moment?
Warren Commission (1 of 26): Hearings Vol. I (of 15)
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
"Just understand that I don't give a hoot in a scuttlebutt if you do turn me over to the police," pursued the man.
Blow The Man Down
Holman Day
Every now and again one or another of them, choked with the dust, went to get a draft of lukewarm water from the scuttlebutt.
A Master of Fortune
Cutcliffe Hyne
Did there come to your attention any scuttlebutt among employees as to any past history of his?
Warren Commission (10 of 26): Hearings Vol. X (of 15)
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
Was there any scuttlebutt around the camp in that regard with respect to him?
Warren Commission (11 of 26): Hearings Vol. XI (of 15)
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy

British Dictionary definitions for scuttlebutt

scuttlebutt

noun nautical

a drinking fountain
(formerly) a cask of drinking water aboard a ship
mainly US slang rumour or gossip

Word Origin for scuttlebutt

C19: from scuttle ³ + butt 4

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

Word Origin and History for scuttlebutt

1805, "cask of drinking water kept on a ship's deck, having a hole (scuttle) cut in it for a cup or dipper," from scuttle "opening in a ship's deck" (see scuttle (v.2)) + butt (n.2) "barrel." Earlier scuttle cask (1777). Meaning "rumor, gossip" first recorded 1901, originally nautical slang, traditionally said to be from the sailors' custom of gathering around the scuttlebutt to gossip. Cf. water-cooler, figurative for "workplace gossip" mid-20c.