rat|tle

rat|tle¹ «RAT uhl», verb, -tled, -tling, noun.

–v.i.

1. to make a number of short, sharp sounds: »

The window rattled in the wind.

2. to move with short, sharp sounds: »

The old car rattled down the street.

3. to talk quickly, on and on, in a lively but rather pointless manner: »

They…rattled on in a free, wild, racy talk (William Dean Howells).

–v.t.

1. to cause to rattle: »

She rattled the dishes. The door did not yield…he rattled the handle violently (Edith Wharton).

2. to say or do quickly: »

He rattled off the dates without a moment's hesitation. He sat down to the piano, and rattled a lively piece of music (Harriet Beecher Stowe).

3. Informal. to disturb; confuse; upset: »

She was so rattled that she forgot her speech.

4. Informal. to stir up; rouse.

5. to chase (game) vigorously.

–n.

1. a number of short, sharp sounds: »

We used to hear the rattle of the milk bottles in the early morning.

2. a toy or instrument that makes a noise when it is shaken: »

The baby shakes his rattle.

3. the series of horny pieces at the end of a rattlesnake's tail.

4. a sound in the throat caused by partial obstruction, occurring in some diseases of the lungs and also often just before death.

5. a racket; uproar.

6. any one of certain plants whose ripe seeds rattle in their cases.

7. trivial talk; chatter: »

People took her rattle for wit (George Meredith).

╂[Middle English ratelen; probably ultimately imitative. Compare Low German ratelen.]

rat|tle² «RAT uhl», transitive verb, -tled, -tling.

to furnish with ratlines on: »

to rattle the rigging down.

╂[back formation < ratline, taken as verbal noun ratlin']