| 释义 |
▪ I. rattle, n.1|ˈræt(ə)l|
Also 6 rattell (Sc. -ill), ratell, -ille, 6–7 ratle, 7 rat(t)el.
[f. rattle v. Cf. (in senses 1–3) Du. and LG. ratel, G. rassel.]
I.
1. An instrument used to make a rattling noise, as: a. A case of some hard material containing small bodies which rattle when the instrument is shaken. (Chiefly used as a child's toy.) b. An instrument having a vibrating tongue fixed in a frame, which slips over the teeth of a ratchet-wheel with a loud noise when the instrument is whirled round. (Formerly used by watchmen and others to give an alarm.)
1519W. Horman Vulg. 147, I wyll bye a rattell to styll my baby for cryenge. 1548Patten Exped. Scotl. K viij, Great rattels..coouered with old parchement or dooble papers, small stones put in them to make noys, and set vpon the ende of a staff. 1613Purchas Pilgrimage viii. vi. (1614) 764 All of them with Rattles in their hands making a great noise. 1711Steele Spect. No. 258 ⁋4 An Entertainment very little above the Rattles of Children. 1792Wolcott (P. Pindar) Academic Ode Wks. 1812 II. 509 That instrument the Rattle, That draws the hobbling brother⁓hood to battle. 1866Mrs. H. Wood St. Martin's Eve xiv, His next movement was to..swing the watch round and round after the manner of a rattle.
transf. and fig.1622Mabbe tr. Aleman's Guzman d'Alf. ii. 18, I had..put into his head nothing but Hawkes-bells and Rattles: All that he tooke delight in were merry tales, idle jests, and the like vanities. 1665Glanvill Scepsis xxvii. 166 Opinions are the Rattles of immature intellects. 1758H. Walpole Lett. to Mann 9 Sept. (1846) III. 388 A man at whom, in former days, I believe, Mr. Pitt has laughed for loving such rattles as drums and trumpets.
†c. A dice-box. Obs.
a1732Gay Fables ii. xii. 39 When you the pilf'ring rattle shake, Is not your honour too at stake? 1796in Grose's Dict. Vulg. Tongue (ed. 3).
2. a. A set of horny, loosely-connected rings forming the termination of the tail in the rattlesnake, by shaking which it produces a rattling noise. Also pl.
1624Capt. Smith Virginia ii. 30 Those Rattels..they take from the taile of a snake. a1704T. Browne Martial iii. xliv. 151 Not snake in tail that carries rattle. 1774Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) VII. 211 A rattle-snake..reared up, bit his hand, and shook his rattles. 1860O. W. Holmes Elsie V. xiii. (1891) 190 The long, loud, stinging whirr, as the huge..reptile shook his many-jointed rattle.
†b. pl. Wattles. Obs. rare—0.
1611Cotgr., La barbe d'vn coq, a Cockes rattles, or waddles.
3. Applied to certain plants having seeds which rattle in their cases when ripe:
a. Yellow rattle, Rhinanthus Crista-galli = cock's-comb 5 a.
b. Red rattle, Pedicularis sylvatica = louse-wort.
So Du. ratels, G. rassel. OE. hratele (glossing L. bubonica, Wr.-Wülcker 296/2) and hrætelwyrt (gl. hierobotanum 301/3) have been compared; but the late appearance of the stem of rattle in Eng. and the cognate languages makes it probable that the resemblance is quite fortuitous.
1578Lyte Dodoens iv. lvi. 516 Yellow Rattel. 1611Cotgr., Creste au coq, ou, de coq, the hearbe coxcombe, Penie-grasse, yellow and white Rattle. 1677Plot Oxfordsh. 255 Rattles they hand-weed as soon as in flower. 1748Sir J. Hill Brit. Herbal 121 We confusedly call two genera in English by the name of rattle, distinguishing them only by epithets taken from the colour of the flower into red and yellow rattle. 1854S. Thomson Wild Fl. iii. (ed. 4) 209 We must not overlook the yellow rattle.., for ere long its seeds will be rattling in its seed-vessel. 1880Jefferies Hodge & M. II. 281 ‘Rattles’ and similar plants destructive to the hay crop.
II.
4. a. A rapid succession of short sharp sounds, caused by the concussion of hard bodies. Fig. phr. with a rattle: with sudden or unexpected rapidity (orig. Horse-racing). Also rattle-rattle.
1500–20Dunbar Poems xxvii. 74 His harnass brak and maid ane brattill, The sowtaris horss scart with the rattill. 1695Prior Ballad on Namur 102 The rattle Of those confounded drums. 1790Burns Ep. to R. Graham xii, As Highland crags by thunder cleft..Hurl down with crashing rattle. a1806Horsley Serm. xxiii. II. 245 The sharp rattle of the whirling phaeton, and the graver rumble of the loaded waggon. 1823J. Badcock Dom. Amusem. 32 The bottom one..makes a rattle when hit with the knuckle. 1860Tyndall Glac. i. vii. 48 Sent bounding down the slope with peal and rattle. 1888Daily Chron. 10 Dec. 6/2 Bachelor came on with a rattle and won by a length and a half. 1909in J. R. Ware Passing Eng. 206/2 The only approach to a sensation was caused by Warrington and Kettleholder, the former coming ‘with a rattle’ in the morning to the price taken about him in the excitement caused by his forward running in the Cesarewitch. 1926E. Bowen Ann Lee's 251 Only the rattle-rattle of my bicycle. 1928D. H. Lawrence Lady Chatterley's Lover ii. 11 She heard the rattle-rattle of the screens at the pit. 1977Evening Gaz. (Middlesbrough) 11 Jan. 13/5 The Merryweather crew came with a rattle to level at the penultimate end 15–15 [in Bowls].
b. transf. Racket, uproar, noisy gaiety, stir.
1691T. H[ale] Acc. New Invent. p. xxxiii, The great Controversie about Easter, that heretofore put all the World in a rattle. a1700B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew s.v. Bustle, What a Bustle you make! What a Hurry or Rattle you Cause! 1742Young Nt. Th. v. 639 Think you the soul, when this life's rattles cease, Has nothing of more manly to succeed? 1750Johnson Rambler No. 74 ⁋10 She cannot bear a place without some cheerfulness and rattle. 1874Kingsley Lett. (1878) II. 424 New York was a great rattle, dining and speechifying and being received.
c. A rattling sound in the throat, caused by partial obstruction: see râle, and death-rattle s.v. death n. 19. Also in pl. (spec. as a popular name for croup).
1752Berkeley Th. Tar-water Wks. III. 505 Persons have been recovered by tar-water after they had rattles in the throat. 1820Earl of Dudley Lett. 3 Apr. (1840) 244 The monarch is always immortal till the rattles are in his throat. 1848Lytton Harold v. v, Godwin..tried to speak, but his voice died in a convulsive rattle. 1898Allbutt's Syst. Med. V. 142 The large coarse toneless rattles produced by mucus and air in the trachea and larger bronchi.
d. A ‘rattling’ breeze.
1896Daily News 10 July 3/6 They came rushing along in a fine rattle of wind.
e. N. Amer. A succession of small, noisy waterfalls forming rapids; a fast-moving stream.
1776G. Cartwright Jrnl. 14 Aug. (1779) 200 We fished in the stream below the rattle, and also in the lower pool, and killed seventy-eight fish. 1861L. De Boilieu Recoll. Labrador Life xiii. 166 In the different bays are brooks, and in these brooks are ‘rattles’, as they are termed, or, more properly speaking, ‘falls’, though none are of any great magnitude. 1907J. G. Millais Newfoundland iii. 70 We had only to unload twice in passing ‘rattles’, as they called the strong rapids. 1925Dialect Notes V. 339 Rattle,.. a swift brook. 1975Canad. Antiques Collector Mar.–Apr. 23/1 From the sealhunt we have:..rattle, river rapids, and so on.
f. The rustling quality of a sheet of finished paper when handled, indicative of its hardness and density.
1900Cross & Bevan Paper-Making (ed. 2) v. 137 As a consequence, it adds the quality of ‘wetness’ to the pulp, which again confers the quality of hardness and ‘rattle’ upon the finished paper. 1962F. T. Day Introd. to Paper ii. 24 Starch is added to paper furnishes and serves either as a sizing agent or to give the paper more substance and better handle for its use imparts stiffness and ‘rattle’ to the finished sheet.
g. Hunting. A particular note on the horn.
1908L. C. F. Cameron Otters & Otter Hunting 203 Rattle, the note sounded on the horn at the ‘worry’. 1954J. I. Lloyd Beagling 143 Rattle, an exciting, vibrant sounding of the horn. 1976Shooting Times & Country Mag. 16–22 Dec. 25/2 A rattle on the horn had hounds racing to the spot.
5. a. Sc. and north. A rattling blow or shock.
1632Lithgow Trav. i. 33 The woman gaue the Frier such a rattle in the face. Ibid. iv. 154 Then hoysing him vp.., they let the rope flee loose, whence downe he falles, with a rattle. 1806Black Falls of Clyde 200 I'd gi'e 'm a rattle, I'd break his collar-bane wi' a plough pattle.
†b. A sharp reproof. Obs.
c1650Heylin Laud (1668) 257 Receiving such a rattle for his former Contempt of the Bishop of London. 1679Hist. Jetzer 17 At their return he gave them a round rattle, and spared none of his course Eloquence to tell them their own. 1711Brit. Apollo IV. No. 3. 1/2 My Wife has given me such a Rattle, that another Peal will rattle all my Brains out of my Head. 1842C. Ridley Let. in Cecilia (1958) ix. 111 Wells..is tiresome again... I wish I had courage to give her a good rattle, but if I did I think she would not bear it.
6. a. A noisy flow of words.
1627Hakewill Apol. (J.), All this ado about the golden age, is but an empty rattle and frivolous conceit. 1755J. Shebbeare Lydia (1769) II. 193 What a rattle of words, without the least feeling or sentiment, does this letter contain.
b. Without article: Lively talk or chatter of a trivial kind.
1748Richardson Clarissa III. 127 Sir, said I, I see what a man I am with. Your rattle warns me of the snake. 1780F. Burney Diary May (1842) I. 374 And gay enough we were, for the careless rattle of Captain Bourchier [etc.]. 1813J. Adams Wks. (1856) X. 86 If I am not weary of writing, I am sure you must be of reading such incoherent rattle. 1890F. W. Robinson Very Strange Fam. 112 One is not called upon to repeat all the rattle and tattle that one hears.
7. A constant chatterer; one who talks incessantly in a lively or thoughtless fashion.
1716D. Ryder Diary 17 May (1939) 235, I was vexed to see her so long entertained with such a rattle as he. 1744Eliza Heywood Female Spect. No. 4 (1748) I. 167 Neither this old rattle..nor many others who act in the same manner, ever did a real hurt to any one. 1809Malkin Gil Blas x. x. ⁋43, I paid so little attention to the talk of this rattle. 1859Jephson Brittany ix. 147 My companion turned out to be a lively amusing rattle. 1969N.Y. Rev. Bks. 2 Jan. 3/4 Editor of a biographical history of philosophy yet welcomed as a rattle and raconteur..Lewes stands in these pages like a wax effigy. 1971E. Mavor Ladies of Llangollen i. 33 Great confidante, greater rattle, she was ever recording..what she was pleased to call ‘boosey’ whist parties beneath the Woodstock oaks.
8. U.S. Used as a mild expletive.
1790R. Tyler Contrast v. i. (1887) 88 But what the rattle makes you look so tarnation glum?
†9. slang. A coach. = rattler 2 b. Obs.
1785in Grose Dict. Vulg. Tongue.
10. Naut. phr. in the rattle: on the commander's report of defaulters; in confinement; in trouble.
1914‘Bartimeus’ Naval Occasions ii. 10 ‘In the bloomin' rattle, I am,’ explained the disturber of traffic. 1919W. Lang Sea-Lawyer's Log xii. 152 Ordinary Seaman Oldroyd spent the first dog-watch last night..washing his under⁓garments, but, having done so, he hung the same up to dry in the fore ammunition lobby, where they were subsequently discovered by the Gunner, who promptly placed Oldroyd ‘in the rattle’, hence his appearance as a defaulter. 1942Penguin New Writing XV. 13 He was taken off, bawled out, put in the rattle. 1951H. Hastings in Plays of Year 1950 IV. 72 You ain't gonna put him in the rattle on account of a bit of leg-pull? 1964J. Hale Grudge Fight vi. 91 The Andrew, that had taken him round the world a few times, given him his good conduct stripes and removed them when he'd been in the rattle. 1973‘B. Mather’ Snowline xviii. 212 The Old Man..let the others out, but..your bloke is back in the rattle.
11. attrib. and Comb., (in some cases perh. the verbal stem) as rattle-baby, a rattling doll, fig. a young child; rattle-barrel, a tumbling box for castings, to remove sand, etc. (Knight Dict. Mech. 1875); rattle-bladder, a bladder containing peas, pebbles, or the like, used as a rattle (in quot. fig.); rattle-bones = bone n. 5 b pl.; rattle-box, (a) a rattle in the form of a box or case; (b) = rattle 3; (c) a species of rattlewort (Crotalaria sagittalis); (d) transf., applied to a conveyance or machine; rattle-broom, a species of rattlewort (see quot.); rattle-bush, a West Indian plant (Crotalaria incana); rattle-clap, a rattle; rattle-free a., devoid of rattles; rattle-gourd, a primitive musical instrument (cf. rattle-box quot. 1884); rattle-grass = rattle 3; rattle-jack, (a) shaly coal; (b) = rattle 3 a; † rattle-man, a watchman provided with a rattle; † rattle-noddled a. = rattle-headed a.; rattle-note, a rattling note; rattleproof a., capable of preventing rattling; hence rattleproofing vbl. n.; rattle-skull dial. = rattle-head; hence rattle-skulled adj.; † rattle-watch (see quot. for rattle-man); rattle-weed, (a) U.S., the bugbane, Cimicifuga racemosa; (b) dial. Bladder Campion (Wiltsh. Gloss. 1893); (c) = loco1; (d) = rattle-box; rattle-wing(s, the Golden-eyed Duck, Clangula glaucia; rattle-wort, the genus Crotalaria (Treas. Bot. 1866). Also rattle-bag, -brain, -head, etc.
16012nd Pt. Return Parnass. i. ii. 155 What new paper hobby horses, what *rattle babies are come out in your late May morrice daunce. 1636Heywood Loves Mistress i. Wks. 1874 V. 78 Fine little rattle-babies, scarce thus high, Are now call'd wives.
1548Patten Exped. Scotl. Pref. c iiij, Our consciences, now quite vnclogd from the fear of his vaine terriculaments and *rattelbladders.
1809W. Irving Knickerb. (1861) 131 A full band of boys..performing on the popular instruments of *rattle-bones and clam-shells.
1780Johnson in Croker Boswell (1831) IV. 390 There certainly is no harm in a fellow's rattling a *rattle-box. 1817A. Eaton Man. Bot. 80 Crotalaria..sagittalis, (rattle-box) leaves lance-oblong. 1835J. E. Alexander Sk. in Portugal viii. 179 In May, the fleet of her Most Faithful Majesty consisted of the following ships:—..18, Audax,..Fine, stout brig, but very ugly. 16. Providenza,..Ditto, a perfect rattle-box. 1866Treas. Bot. 961/1 Rattle-box, Rhinanthus Crista galli; also an American name for Crotalaria. 1884F. Carpenter Round about Rio iii. 33 A kind of a rattle-box produced by the clashing of a pint of beans within a dry gourd. 1884[see loco n.1 a]. 1929M. A. Gill Underworld Slang, Rattle box, machine gun. 1943R. Holt George Washington Carver 199 He would caution stockmen against the rattlebox (Crotalaria). 1972G. Beine Land of Coyote 90 These are rattleboxes, and there, some rabbitsfoot clover. 1973‘H. Howard’ Highway to Murder vii. 87 He was crowding ninety and so was his rattlebox.
1711Phil. Trans. XXVII. 347 Lupine-leaved Malabar Crotolaria, or *Rattle-broom.
1750Hughes Barbados 212 The inclosed Peas, when ripe, make a Rattling Noise when shaken by the Wind. From hence they derive the Name of *Rattle-Bush, or Shake-Shake. 1879Baron Eggers Flora St. Croix 41 Leguminosæ..Rattle-bush.
1860Piesse Lab. Chem. Wonders p. viii, He may have been only a scarecrow or *rattle-clap.
1962Times 3 May 19/4 It [sc. a car] is impressively quiet throughout..completely *rattle-free and draughtproof.
1791W. Bartram Carolina 505 The tambour, *rattle-gourd, and a kind of flute.
1578Lyte Dodoens iv. lvi. 515 *Rattel grasse..beareth redde flowers, and leaues finely iagged or snipt. 1753Chambers Cycl. Supp. App., Rattlegrass, a name sometimes used for a species of Pedicularis, or Louse-wort.
1877N.W. Linc. Gloss., *Rattle-jack, a plant,..in some parts called cock's-comb, and yellow⁓rattle. 1883Gresley Gloss. Coal-mining 200 Rattle-Jack, carbonaceous shale. 1885Daily Tel. 21 Jan. 3/3 To burn in the fireplace some coke or rattlejacks.
1689in Ann. Albany (1850) II. 110 Zacharias Sichells, *ratel man desyres he may have payment..due to him for his service as ratel watch.
1661K. W. Conf. Charact., Informer (1860) 47 Hees a..*rattlenodled, large-lugg'd eagle-ey'd hircocervus.
1851G. Meredith Love in the Valley v, His *rattle-note unvaried,..spins the brown eve-jar.
1924Motor 21 Oct. 626/1 Table utensils held in *rattleproof devices.
1976Norwich Mercury 19 Nov. 8/5 (Advt.), But Ziebart is rustproofing and soundproofing..and squeakproofing and *rattleproofing.
1725Ramsay Gentle Sheph. i. ii, How can ye loe that *rattle-skull? 1788Shirrefs Poems (1790) 86 Some rattle-scull..like Geordy Will. 1887S. Chesh. Gloss., Rattle-skull, a talkative person; a chatter-box.
1805Scott Let. to Miss Seward in Lockhart, A *rattle-skulled half lawyer, half sportsman.
1791Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc. III. 114 American Bane-berry, Black Snake-root, *Rattle-weed. 1851R. Glisan Jrnl. Army Life (1874) vi. 70 The rattle-weed..derives its name from the fact that its pod is full of loose seed, and makes a rattling noise when dry. 1864Rep. Maine Board Agric. 45 Last year nothing grew on the field where it had been applied but rattle-weed. 1883Harper's Mag. Mar. 503/1 The loco, or rattle-weed, met with also in California, drives them raving crazy. 1931W. N. Clute Common Names Plants 110 Crotalaria sagitalis..is frequently known as rattle-box or rattle-weed.
1843Yarrell Brit. Birds III. 274 The boat-shooters [near Yarmouth]..are well acquainted with the Golden Eye, or *Rattle-wings, as they call it.
▸ colloq. (chiefly Brit.). to throw one's rattle out of the pram (also cot) and variants: = to throw one's toys out of the pram at toy n. Additions.
1988Times 4 Mar. 44/1 Bates was warned for ‘verbal abuse’ of a line judge but Castle was more consistently prone to throw his rattle out of the pram. 1997Observer (Nexis) 12 Jan. 12 He..is not disposed to undermine the cause by throwing his rattle from the pram. 2000Truth (Auckland, N.Z.) (Nexis) 3 Mar. 37 He'll throw the rattle out of the cot and blame everyone except himself.
▪ II. † rattle, n.2 Obs. rare—0.
A kind of fishing-net. Also rattle-net.
1753Chambers Cycl. Supp., Wolf-net, a kind of net used in fishing..in rivers and ponds,..of the nature of the rattle, excepting only the wanting the four Wings. Ibid. App., Rattle-net.
▪ III. † rattle, a. Obs.—1
[App. f. rattle n.1 or v.1, but possibly an error for racle rackle a.]
Rattling (in speech), voluble.
1541R. Hyrde tr. Vives' Instr. Chr. Wom. ii. v. 87 b, The cause why many women be ratle of tonge, is bycause they can nat rule their mindes.
▪ IV. rattle, v.1|ˈræt(ə)l|
Forms: 4 ratellen, ratil-, ratyl, (5 -ylle), 4–5 ratel(en), 4–8 ratl-, (7 ratle); 5 rattyll(e, 6 rattell, -il, Sc. -ill, 6– rattle.
[ME. ratelen = (M)Du., LG. ratelen, G. rasseln, prob. of echoic origin: cf. Gr. κρόταλον a clapper, κροτεῖν to rattle, κρότος rattling noise.
On OE. hratele, hrætel, see note to rattle n.1 3.]
I. intr.
1. a. Of things: To give out a rapid succession of short sharp sounds, usually in consequence of rapid agitation and of striking against each other or against some hard dry body.
c1330Arth. & Merl. 7848 (Kölbing) Þair gilt pensel wiþ þe winde Mirie ratled of cendel Ynde. a1400Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (E.E.T.S.) 250/6 Þin teth ratilet, And þin hond quaket. c1470Gol. & Gaw. 691 Ryngis of rank steill rattillit. 1508Dunbar Flyting 180 Thy rigbane rattilis, and thy ribbis on raw. 1535Coverdale Jer. xlviii. 12 Hir tankerdes rattell, and shake to and fro. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 342 The Forrest rattles, and the Rocks rebound. 1782Cowper J. Gilpin 43 The stones did rattle underneath. a1839Praed Poems (1864) II. 399 The canvas rattled on the mast. 1861Miss Pratt Flower. Pl. III. 68 Its dead stalks rattle in the wind.
transf.1682Dryden Abs. & Achit. ii. 420 He..faggoted his notions as they fell, And, if they rhymed and rattled, all was well.
b. Of sounds having this character.
1587Fleming Contn. Holinshed III. 1288/1 The acclamations and cries of the people..ratled so lowd. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 408 Rowling Thunder rattl'd o'er his Head. 1719De Foe Crusoe ii. iv, The echoes rattling from one side to another. 1801Med. Jrnl. V. 491 Her respiration rattling like that of an apoplectic person. 1830Lytton P. Clifford i, Her voice..rattled indistinctly, and almost died within her. 1865Kingsley Herew. xiii, With a blow which rattled over the fen.
c. Of places: To resound, be filled, with a noise of this kind.
1622J. Reynolds God's Revenge ii. ix. (1635) 163 The City..rattleth and resoundeth of this cruell and unnaturall Murther. Ibid. iii. xii. 227 Millan ratleth with the newes of Baretano's bloody and vntimely end. 1855Kingsley Heroes, Theseus ii. 165 When he saw Theseus he rose, and laughed till the glens rattled.
d. Of an agent: To produce a succession of sharp sounds by striking or knocking on something, or by causing hard bodies to strike against each other.
1676Hobbes Iliad (1677) 135 Then came his father rattling at his door. 1715Addison Drummer i. i, He ratled so loud under the tiles. 1726–46Thomson Winter 93 The storm that blows Without, and rattles on his humble roof. 1781Cowper Hope 77 Till half the world comes rattling at his door. 1852Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. xvi. 148 She rattled away with her needles.
e. transf. in Shoemaking: (see quot.).
1840J. Devlin Shoemaker i. 51 So that the stitches..may rattle, as it is called, or distinctly shew themselves to the eye of the spectator.
2. a. To produce an involuntary sound of this kind, esp. in the throat; † to stutter.
1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. v. xxi. (Bodl. MS.) 11 b, Superfluyte of moisture is cause whiche somme men rateleþ, þat mowe not soune alle letteres. 1483Cath. Angl. 300/2 Ratylle, travlare. 1589W. Rider Biblioth. Schol. s.v., He that rattleth in the throate or cannot scarce vtter his words, traulus. 1619R. Best Treat. Hawkes (1890) 86 Vpon any bate she [the hawk] wil heaue and blow, and rattle in the throat. 1721Bailey, To Rattle in the Sheath [spoken of a Horse] is when he makes a Noise in the skinny Part of his Yard. 1753N. Torriano Gangr. Sore Throat 5 Her Voice was much interrupted, and she rattled..in her Breath. a1776R. James Diss. Fevers (1778) 23 At this time he rattled in the throat.
†b. Of a goat: (see quot. 1678). Obs.
1575Turberv. Venerie 238 A Rowe belleth: a Gote rattleth. 1678Phillips (ed. 4), To Ratle, in Hunting, a Goat is said when she cries or makes a noise, through desire of copulation. 1688R. Holme Armoury ii. 134/1 A Goat Rattleth, or Rotteleth. [a1700in Dict. Cant. Crew. 1721in Bailey.]
3. a. To talk rapidly in a thoughtless, noisy, or lively manner; to chatter. Also, to scold at († rail on) in this manner.
1594Nashe Unfort. Trav. Wks. (Grosart) V. 33 To the Enemie he went and offered his seruice, ratling egregiously on the king. 1715J. Chappelow Rt. way to get Rich (1717) 163 They shall not then roar and rattle in the taverns. 1806–7J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life (1826) xii. Concl. 313 The frothiest coxcomb that ever rattled in a ball-room. 1885G. Meredith Diana xli, I rattled at her: and oh! dear me, she..defies me to prove. 1889Boy's Own Paper 17 Aug. 730/2 How we chattered and rattled, and bandied the stalest chaff.
redupl.1885G. Meredith Diana xiv, Because a woman..would rattle-rattle, as if the laughter of the company were her due.
b. So with advbs., as on, away, along.
1773Goldsm. Stoops to Conq. ii. i, A resolution to break the ice, and rattle away at any rate. 1782F. Burney Diary 4 Nov., Dr. Johnson..went rattling on in a humorous sort of comparison he was drawing of himself. 1838Lytton Alice v. v, I rattle on thus to keep up your spirits. Ibid. vi. iv, Vargrave thus rattled away in order to give the good banker to understand [etc.]. 1887Hall Caine Son of Hagar ii. xi, Paul Ritson rattled along with cheerful talk.
†c. to rattle it out, to declaim vigorously.
1709Swift Advancem. Relig. Wks. 1755 II. i. 118 He rattles it out against popery and arbitrary power.
4. a. To move, fall, etc. rapidly and with a rattling noise. Usually with advbs. as along, by, in, out, or prep. phrases, and const. with † it. Also with about, around, esp. transf. and fig., implying the occupation of an area or space larger than that which is comfortable, necessary, or desirable.
1555[see rattling vbl. n.]. c1610Cooke Green's Tu quoque C iv, In silkes I'l rattle it of every colour. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. i. 161 Huge Torrents..ratling down the Rocks, large moisture yield. 1750Gray Long Story 60 Upstairs in a whirlwind rattle. 1795–7Southey Widow iii, Fast o'er the heath a chariot rattled by her. 1816Byron Ch. Har. iii. xxii, The car rattling o'er the stony street. 1830Lytton P. Clifford i, A violent gush of wind..rattling along the housetops. 1869L. M. Alcott Little Women II. iii. 43, I saw you two girls rattling about in the what-you-call-it [sc. charabanc], like two little kernels in a very big nutshell. 1871L. Stephen Playgr. Eur. (1894) vii. 159 A violent hailstorm rattled down. 1926M. J. Atkinson in J. F. Dobie Rainbow in Morning (1965) 81 He rattles around in his office like one pea in a pod. 1967T. Stoppard Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead iii. 95 We can move,..change direction, rattle about, but our movement is contained within a larger one that carries us along. 1973Washington Post 13 Jan. a23/6, I don't want that kind of power rattling around inside the bureaucracy.
b. To drive in a rapid rattling fashion.
1838Stephen Trav. Greece 32/1 The pope and his cardinals, with their gaudy equipages and multitudes of footmen rattling to the Vatican. 1840Thackeray Catherine iv, All..entered the coach, and rattled off. 1874M. A. Barker Station Life N. Zealand iii. 20 We were soon rattling along the Sumner Road by the sea-shore.
c. dial. and slang. To make haste, to hurry off, to work briskly.
a1700B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, To Rattle, to move off, or be gone. 1821Clare Vill. Minstr. I. 33 Milkmaids and clowns..rattle off, like hogs to London mart. 1877Holderness Gloss., Rattle-away, to hasten along; to go quickly. 1883Gresley Gloss. Coal-mining 200 Rattle, to work (drive into or sink through) with great vigour and energy.
II. trans.
5. a. To make (a thing or things) rattle.
1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 232 b, Whan a man doeth rattle or shake together a nomber of dead mens bones. 1593G. Harvey New Lett. Wks. (Grosart) I. 283 Yet I may chaunce rattle him, like a baby of pachment. 1785Burns Jolly Beggars Air ii, To rattle the thundering drum was his trade. 1828Carlyle Misc. (1857) I. 81 To rattle his chains by way of lullaby. 1881Rita My Lady Coquette i, She begins with nervous haste to rattle the teacups and arrange the plates.
†b. To assail with a rattling noise. rare—1.
1595Shakes. John v. ii. 172 Sound but another [drum] and another shall (As lowd as thine), rattle the Welkins eare.
c. To drive away or out with rattling. rare.
1622Bacon Henry VII 31 Hee should bee well enough able to..rattle away this Swarme of Bees, with their King. 1711Brit. Apollo IV. No. 3. 1/2 Another Peal will rattle all my Brains out of my Head.
d. Cricket. To bowl down the opposing team's wickets speedily and cheaply; to skittle out batsmen in a similar manner.
a1842B. Aislabie in P. Norman Scores & Ann. W. Kent Cricket Club (1897) 370 M was a Morgan, who rattled them down. 1862Baily's Mag. Apr. 259 Caffyn and Bennett rattled down their wickets..for 20 runs. 1873Ibid., July 409 In the second innings the two fast bowlers..rattled out the Marylebone men in grand style. 1898G. Giffen With Bat & Ball vii. 94 On the sticky wicket..Hearne and Poughet ‘rattled’ us out. 1926H. S. Altham Hist. Cricket xviii. 207 He..saw Kent rattled out by Painter and Roberts for 76.
6. a. To say or utter in a rapid or lively manner. Also with off, out advbs., on prep.
c1380Wyclif Wks. (1880) 274 Þerfore þei ratellen þat it is aȝenst charite to tellen opynly here cursed disceitis & synnes. 1401Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 64 Thou ratelist many thinges, bot grounde hast thou non. 1553T. Wilson Rhet. (1580) 223 An other rattles his woordes. 1685Cotton tr. Montaigne (1877) I. 75 It amuses me to rattle in their ears this word. 1785Burns Death & Dr. Hornbook xx, Their Latin names as fast he rattles As ABC. 1808Southey Let. 20 May, Rhyme must be rattled upon rhyme, till the reader is half dizzy with the thundering echo. 1858Lytton What will He do ii. xi, Lionel rattled out gay anecdotes of his schooldays. 1890‘R. Boldrewood’ Col. Reformer (1891) 321 In his revulsion of feeling [he] rattled off these greetings.
†b. To give out (a rattling sound). rare—1.
1582Stanyhurst æneis ii. (Arb.) 53 Thee towns men roared, thee trump taratantara ratled.
c. To play (music) in a rattling fashion. Also with away, off.
1848Thackeray Van. Fair xlviii, Sitting down to the piano, she rattled away a triumphant voluntary on the keys. 1852Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. xvi. 149 He sat down to the piano, and rattled a lively piece of music. 1852Dickens Bleak Ho. II. vii. 101 [She] sat down at a little jingling square piano, and really rattled off a quadrille.
d. To fire (bullets) rapidly; to carry off (a person) by firing.
1890Kipling in Scots Observer 12 July 200/2 If a beggar can't march, why, we [sc. machine-guns] kills 'im an' rattles 'im into 'is grave. 1916‘Boyd Cable’ Action Front 198 He rattled off burst after burst of fire.
7. a. To scold, rate, or rail at, volubly.
Common c 1580–1730.
1542N. Udall Erasmus's Apophthegmes sig. K5, How Diogenes ratleed & shooke vp couetous persones. 1577Hanmer Anc. Eccl. Hist. (1619) 373 For which doctrine..yet was he ratled of Sisimus the Novatian bishop. 1600Abbot Exp. Jonah 68 He so rebuketh Jonas, and ratleth him for his drowsiness. 1667Pepys Diary 9 Aug., I did soundly rattle him for neglecting her so much as he has done. 1710S. Palmer Proverbs 70 A man's own friends will..reprove, catechise, and rattle him at so severe a rate. 1736[Chetwood] Voy. Vaughan (1760) I. 132 My Uncle perceiving his Behaviour, rattled him, in his merry Way. 1931S. W. Ryder Blue Water Ventures xvi. 217 He should have rattled his officer-of-the-watch for slackness.
†b. So with up or off. Obs.
1547Latimer in Foxe A. & M. (1563) 1349/2 Peraduenture ye wyll set penne to paper, and al to rattle me vp in a letter. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 202 b, The diuines of Collon assailed Bucer sore, and rattled hym vp with manye opprobrious wordes. c1650Heylin Laud (1668) 263 The King so rattled up the Bishop, that he was glad to make his peace. 1709Hearne Collect. 4 Apr. (O.H.S.) II. 182 He..rattled him off for Printing the Book. 1712Arbuthnot John Bull iii. viii, She, that would sometime rattle off her servants pretty sharply.
†c. With complement. Obs.
1624Massinger Parl. Love ii. ii, Ser. Madam, I rattled him, Rattled him home. Le. Rattle him hence, you rascal. 1669Pepys Diary 25 Mar., I did lay the law open to them, and rattle the master-attendants out of their wits almost. 1722De Foe Relig. Courtsh. i. iii. (1840) 89, I believe I rattled her out of it when I came away.
8. a. To stir up, rouse; to make lively.
1781D. Williams tr. Voltaire's Dram. Wks. II. 119 Come, let us away, to hasten his scrawling redundancies, and rattle the old, plump gentlemen. 1879McCarthy Own Times I. xvi. 397 A timely philippic rattling up an exhausted and disappointed House.
b. Sporting. To beat up or chase vigorously.
1829Sporting Mag. XXIII. 303 A small covert close by the kennel, being well rattled, the varmint broke away in gallant style. 1860G. J. Whyte-Melville Mkt. Harb. 88 A fox well rattled, up to the first check, huntsmen tell us, is as good as half killed. 1878E. W. L. Davies Mem. Rev. J. Russell xi. 259 To rattle..every stronghold visited by the foxes.
9. to rattle away, to lose by dicing; to rattle off, to dispose of in a rapid manner; also spec. Cricket: to score or ‘knock off’ with ease (the runs necessary for victory); to rattle up (chiefly Cricket): to score rapidly, within a certain time, or before enforced retirement.
1808E. S. Barrett Miss-led General 161 Another considerable estate, called Wheatlands, was rattled away in one night. 1822Blackw. Mag. XII. 47 Currently rattled off at the Edinburgh book auctions. 1860Baily's Mag. Sept. 427 Captain Bathurst, in the fine old family style, rattled up 10 and 21. 1875Ibid. June 108 Ultimately the South were left with about 40 to get to win, and Mr. W. G. Grace and Jupp rattled off these without difficulty. 1896G. B. Shaw Let. 15 Feb. (1965) I. 597, I do not make a third of the income expected by men who rattle off their copy at anything from 20/- to 40/- a thousand. 1926H. S. Altham Hist. Cricket xviii. 208 Jackson and Sellars rattled up 24 in a quarter of an hour. 1973Advocate-News (Barbados) 20 Feb. 14/5 Such an ‘uncertainty’ would take the form of a dramatic batting collapse, giving the Australians enough time to rattle up a good second innings score. 19760–10 Cricket Scene (Austral.) 30/2 And to show he has lost none of his zest for runs, he rattled off scores of 171 not out, 12, 114 not out and 36 in the World Cup series in England.
10. To impel, drive, drag, bring, etc., in a rapid rattling manner. Freq. in recent use, esp. with advbs. or preps.
1825–8Croker Fairy Legends 342 As bold a rider as any Mallow boy that ever rattled a four-year-old upon Drumrue race course. 1840J. Devlin Shoemaker 10 The sweep ascends to his task, rattles down the soot about our feet. 1867J. Macgregor Voy. Alone (1868) 81 The anchor was rattled up in a minute. 1880McCarthy Own Times III. 184 A Bill..was rattled, if we may use such an expression, through both Houses. 1977J. Laker One-Day Cricket 66 The Sri Lankans rattled the score along. 1977Sunday Times 9 Jan. 28/6 They rattled their reply of 240 for four to the Bangladesh score of 266 for nine declared, at more than four runs an over.
11. orig. U.S. To shake the system of (a person), to agitate, frighten, scare. Also, to irritate, to ‘nettle’.
1869J. R. Browne Adventures Apache Country xxviii. 282, I think he was slightly rattled by the formidable appearance of our escort. 1887Sci. Amer. 12 Feb. 106 Girls of good physique..are much less liable to irritation and impatience, much less liable to ‘get rattled’, than those who are weak and ill. 1895Outing (U.S.) XXVI. 67/2 The previous long, uncertain stalk had rattled me, but things were now all right. 1897W. D. Howells Landlord Lion's Head 212, ‘I wonder if you'd really have the courage’. ‘I don't think I'm easily rattled’. ‘You mean that I'm trying to rattle you’. 1904F. Lynde Grafters xxviii. 360 For once in a way the ex-district attorney was too nearly rattled to be fully alert to his surroundings. 1905Pall Mall Mag. Nov. 546/1, I don't see you need be rattled. 1927M. de la Roche Jalna xxii. 276 Don't be a duffer... The more Piers sees he can rattle you the more he'll do it. 1928E. Wallace Double iv. 52 Why the devil are they bothering me? There's something about this business that is rattling me. 1936P. Fleming News from Tartary 65 But I had the empty satisfaction of seeing that I had (slightly) rattled Pai. 1959E. H. Clements High Tension v. 82 Trust a woman to put her oar in! That's got Alister nicely rattled! 1977J. F. Fixx Compl. Bk. Running p. xviii, I was less easily rattled by unexpected frustrations.
▪ V. rattle, v.2 Naut.|ˈræt(ə)l|
[Back-formation from rattling ratline, taken as a vbl. n.]
trans. To furnish with ratlines. Usually with down.
1729Capt. W. Wriglesworth MS. Log-bk. of the ‘Lyell’ 1 Sept., Set up the Shrouds in order for Rattling, and Rattled the Mizon and part of the Fore Shrouds. 1829Marryat F. Mildmay xvii, The men were ordered to rattle the rigging down. 1840R. H. Dana Bef. Mast viii. 17 Everything was set up taut, the lower rigging rattled down, or rather rattled up, (according to the modern fashion). |