Rattle
['ræt(ə)l] or ['rætl]
Definition
(noun.) loosely connected horny sections at the end of a rattlesnake's tail.
(noun.) a baby's toy that makes percussive noises when shaken.
(noun.) a rapid series of short loud sounds (as might be heard with a stethoscope in some types of respiratory disorders); 'the death rattle'.
(verb.) shake and cause to make a rattling noise.
(verb.) make short successive sounds.
Edited by Hugh--From WordNet
Definition
(v. i.) To make a quick succession of sharp, inharmonious noises, as by the collision of hard and not very sonorous bodies shaken together; to clatter.
(v. i.) To drive or ride briskly, so as to make a clattering; as, we rattled along for a couple of miles.
(v. i.) To make a clatter with the voice; to talk rapidly and idly; to clatter; -- with on or away; as, she rattled on for an hour.
(v. t.) To cause to make a rattling or clattering sound; as, to rattle a chain.
(v. t.) To assail, annoy, or stun with a rattling noise.
(v. t.) Hence, to disconcert; to confuse; as, to rattle one's judgment; to rattle a player in a game.
(v. t.) To scold; to rail at.
(n.) A rapid succession of sharp, clattering sounds; as, the rattle of a drum.
(n.) Noisy, rapid talk.
(n.) An instrument with which a rattling sound is made; especially, a child's toy that rattles when shaken.
(n.) A noisy, senseless talker; a jabberer.
(n.) A scolding; a sharp rebuke.
(n.) Any organ of an animal having a structure adapted to produce a rattling sound.
(n.) The noise in the throat produced by the air in passing through mucus which the lungs are unable to expel; -- chiefly observable at the approach of death, when it is called the death rattle. See R/le.
Typist: Nelly
Synonyms and Synonymous
v. n. Clatter.
Inputed by Kirsten
Definition
v.i. to clatter: to move along rapidly with a clattering noise: to speak eagerly and noisily.—v.t. to cause to make a clatter: to stun with noise: to speak rapidly: to scold loudly.—n. a sharp noise rapidly repeated as the death-rattle: a clatter: loud empty talk: loud scolding: a toy or instrument for rattling: a brisk jabberer: an annual meadow herb: a lousewort.—adjs. Ratt′le-brained -head′ed -pat′ed noisy: giddy: unsteady.—ns. Ratt′le-mouse a bat; Ratt′lepate a noisy chatterer; Ratt′ler a loud inconsiderate talker: (coll.) a stunning blow: (coll.) an impudent lie; Ratt′lesnake a poisonous snake having a number of hard bony rings loosely jointed at the end of the tail which make a rattling noise; Ratt′lesnake-grass an American grass; Ratt′lesnake-mas′ter -root an American plant reputed to cure the bite of a rattlesnake; Ratt′lesnake-weed a hawk-weed of the United States; Ratt′le-trap a rickety vehicle; Ratt′lewort a plant of genus Crotalaria; Ratt′ling a clattering: railing.—adj. making a rattle: smart lively: (coll.) strikingly great.
Typist: Oliver
Unserious Contents or Definition
To dream of seeing a baby play with its rattle, omens peaceful contentment in the home, and enterprises will be honorable and full of gain. To a young woman, it augurs an early marriage and tender cares of her own. To give a baby a rattle, denotes unfortunate investments.
Typist: Rebecca
Examples
- It comes this way--comes very faSt. How loud sounds its rattle on the paved path! Charlotte Bronte. Villette.
- Hears his number called, hears himself challenged, hears the rattle of the muskets, hears the orders 'Make ready! Charles Dickens. Great Expectations.
- We had hardly time to take our place behind a pile of luggage when it passed with a rattle and a roar, beating a blast of hot air into our faces. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
- What a rattle I am! Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- We both went flat and with the flash and bump of the burst and the smell heard the singing off of the fragments and the rattle of falling brick. Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell To Arms.
- Drive slowly anywhere,' Mrs Lammle called to her coachman, 'and don't let the carriage rattle. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- The spinster aunt trembled, till some pebbles which had accidentally found their way into the large watering-pot shook like an infant's rattle. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- It was a loud report and echoed and rattled heavily. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- It was a smart little landau which rattled up to the door of Briony Lodge. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- And he sat down to the piano, and rattled a lively piece of music. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- What time, the mail-coach lumbered, jolted, rattled, and bumped upon its tedious way, with its three fellow-inscrutables inside. Charles Dickens. A Tale of Two Cities.
- At the same instant an empty dog-cart, the horse cantering, the reins trailing, appeared round the curve of the road and rattled swiftly towards us. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- Again there was a loud laugh, the most startling of which was the Baronet's, which rattled out like a clatter of falling stones. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- While he excused himself, the old lady's cup rattled more and more. Charles Dickens. Hard Times.
- I heard the mice too, rattling behind the panels, as if the same occurrence were important to their interests. Charles Dickens. Great Expectations.
- What are you rattling in there? Thomas Hardy. The Return of the Native.
- With these injunctions, he pushed the rattling door with his shoulder, and entered the house, followed by his companion. Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist.
- And yet, I was perverse enough to feel a chill and disappointment in receiving no welcome, and rattling, alone and silent, through the misty streets. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- And the wagon drove off, rattling and jolting over the frozen road. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- My wants were few and simple, so that in less than the time stated I was in a cab with my valise, rattling away to Paddington Station. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- Tell him, when he theeth that gig clothe by, to jump down, and it'll take him off at a rattling pathe. Charles Dickens. Hard Times.
- He looks at them with an eager eye and rattles something in his pocket--halfpence perhaps. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- He might add, And rattles like it, but he only mutters, I'm a-moving on, sir. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- There were the conch shell trumpet, the stone, bone, wood and metal dance rattles, the beaks of birds, and the horns and teeth of beasts, for the same rattling purpose. William Henry Doolittle. Inventions in the Century.
Editor: Miriam