| 释义 |
rat-tat, n.|ˈrætˈtæt|
[Echoic.]
a. A sharp rapping sound, esp. of a knock at a door.
1774T. Hutchinson Diary 3 Nov. I. 277 A violent rat-tat at the door made us jump. 1840–1S. Warren Ten Thousand a Year (ed. Warne) 87/2 A few moments before the postman's rat-tat was heard. 1870M. Bridgman R. Lynne II. xi. 226 There came a soft little rat-tat at the street-door.
b. Used imitatively with vbs.
a1845Hood Double Knock i, Rat-tat it went upon the lion's chin. c1860Lowell Pict. fr. Appledore ii, A breeze..playing rat-tat With the bow of the ribbon round your hat.
c. So rat-tat-tat, etc.; also freq. used to represent the noise of reports from fire-arms.
1779F. Burney Diary Jan. (1842) I. 183 A rat-tat-tat-tat ensued, and the Earl of Harcourt was announced. 1793S. E. Phillips Let. 6 May in F. Burney Jrnls. & Lett. (1972) II. 109 The dear Postman is just arrived... A loud rattat tattoo was heard at the door. 1811Sporting Mag. XXXVII. 75 Coaches frequently drew up, with rat, tat, rat, tattere tat tat! 1843Dickens Mart. Chuz. xxv, A low melodious hammer, rat, tat, tat, tat. 1877Spurgeon Serm. XXIII. 43 The man that can..give a good rat-tat-tat, and feel that he will be welcome. 1907G. Manington Soldier of Legion iii. 127 The sombre background was punctuated again and again..by lightning like red flashes. Rat! tat! tat! tat!... These were Winchesters. 1957L. MacNeice Visitations 42 Rat-tat-tat-tash of shields upon Ida. 1972Angling Times 6 Apr. 14/5 It is only a matter of time before I get that tiny rat-tat-tat on the rod tip. 1974M. Butterworth Man in Sopwith Camel i. 12 Rat-tat-tat-tat, his rear gunner was spraying a libation back on to Braithwaite's riddled body.
d. Comb., as rat-tat ginger = rat-a-tat ginger s.v. rat-a-tat.
1962M. Duffy That's how it Was ii. 26 Rat-tat ginger, two door-knockers tied together and a piece of black cotton leading round the corner so I could knock on two doors at once.
Hence rat-ˈtat(-tat, etc.) v. intr. (and trans.), to (cause to) make a sharp rapping sound, to knock; also † rattatattatory a.; rat-tattooing.
1709E. Ward tr. Cervantes p. viii, All the rattles in Bartholomew-Fair had been loudly conducing to the Rattatattatory Harmony. c1852Thackeray Yankee Volunteers Misc. (1857) I. 50 Drummer making din..With thy rat⁓tattooing. 1910Daily Chron. 14 Apr. 9/5 The lady rat-tat-tatted for half an hour. Then the housekeeper..sternly asked the visitor to be so good as to go away. 1916H. S. Walpole Dark Forest i. vii. 188 A machine gun ‘rat-tat-tat-tated’ close to us. 1953‘N. Blake’ Dreadful Hollow 106 Nigel rat-tat-tatted an imaginary tommy-gun at them. 1966A. Cavanaugh Children are Gone ii. vi. 49 ‘Well, g'night.’ Her heels rat-tatted down the hall. |
