rat-tat-tat
English
Etymology
Onomatopoeic.
Interjection
rat-tat-tat!
- The sound made by knocking on a door with a hard object (such as a door knocker).
- The sound made by firing an automatic machine gun.
Noun
rat-tat-tat (plural rat-tat-tats)
- Such a sound.
- 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:
- Then it grew louder and more distinct - it was a clear rat-tat-tat.
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Usage notes
- The tat syllable may be repeated further to convey a sound of longer duration.
Translations
sound made by knocking on a door
|
sound of an automatic machine-gun
|