scuttlebutt

noun

scut·tle·butt ˈskə-tᵊl-ˌbət

Synonyms of scuttlebutt next

: a cask on shipboard to contain fresh water for a day's use

: a drinking fountain on a ship or at a naval or marine installation

: rumor, gossip

Did you know?

Scuttlebutt, the Water Cooler Talk of 19th Century Seafarers

When office workers catch up on the latest scuttlebutt around the water cooler, they are continuing a long-standing tradition that probably also occurred on the sailing ships of yore. Back in the early 1800s, the cask containing a ship's daily supply of fresh water was called a scuttlebutt (from the verb scuttle meaning "to cut a hole through" and the noun butt, "cask"); that name was later applied to a drinking fountain on a ship or at a naval installation. In time, the term for the water source was also applied to the gossip and rumors generated around it, and the latest chatter has been called "scuttlebutt" ever since.

Examples of scuttlebutt in a Sentence

according to scuttlebutt in the financial markets, the company will be downsizing soon

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Reading about it in detail now can feel a little like an immersion in stale scuttlebutt from back issues of Roll Call. —

Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024 And please don't sugarcoat scuttlebutt that is making your company look bad. —

Mike Maynard, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024 More than this, the scuttlebutt method emphasizes using available research regarding the economy and industry-related trends as a way to better understand the success trajectory of a business. —

Jacob Wolinsky, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Dawson Renaud/Courtesy Sur Lie A bustling hospitality scene as hot as ever: Portland The big scuttlebutt in Portland these days? —

Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for scuttlebutt