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  1. rataplan love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A tattoo, as of a drum, the hooves of a galloping horse, or machine-gun fire.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. The sound or music of the military drum; a tattoo or “rub-a-dub.”

Wiktionary

  1. n. A continuous, even drumming or rapping, as of the hooves of a galloping horse, or machine-gun fire.
  2. v. To drum repeatedly.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. The iterative sound of beating a drum, or of a galloping horse.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. the sound made by beating a drum

Etymologies

  1. From French ran tan plan, onomatopoeic. (Wiktionary)
  2. French, of imitative origin. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “Then comes the military réveille, and the deafening 'rataplan' of regimental drums, and the town is soon alive with people arriving and departing by the early trains; whilst others collect in the market-place in holiday attire with baskets of flowers, and commence the erection of an altar to the Virgin in the middle of the square.”

    Normandy Picturesque

  • “Cusins flourishes his drumsticks as if in the art of beating a lively rataplan, but makes no sound.”

    Major Barbara

  • “The child-actress was the prop of her mother and the donkey; her talent also kept the youth, who began to agitate the nerves of Beynac with his diabolical rataplan hours before each performance.”

    Two Summers in Guyenne

  • “Then on, with, the galloping even triplet of the house's hoofs beneath me, as they came down in quick succession, as if the earth were a muffled drum and we were beating an untiring rataplan on her breast.”

    Mr. Isaacs

  • “Mr. Gordon performed a surpassing rataplan upon his long-suffering thumb-joint and wondered if this queer and direct being might qualify among the redeemable ten per cent.”

    Success A Novel

  • “Then the quick, sharp roll of the rataplan sounded through the miserable streets of the old city, as with ever-increasing shouts of "Aux armes! aux armes!”

    Historic Boys Their Endeavours, Their Achievements, and Their Times

  • “A cool breeze went; the hoofs of the horses beat a rataplan on the hard surface; the great road, broad enough to make three of, was alive with smart gigs and trotters.”

    Australia Felix

  • “It affords endless amusement to listen to their endless variety of complaint; some are restless, some spiteful, and some angry, while others sound as merrily as a teakettle, or beat a jolly 'rub-a-dub,' 'rataplan,' that makes a man's soul merry to hear.”

    The Continental Monthly, Vol. 6, No 3, September 1864 Devoted To Literature And National Policy

  • “A rataplan on a side-drum feebly played in the street outside!”

    Pushed and the Return Push

  • “Most of the time it was far away, and it only made two daily promenades past the hotel, but whenever I listened for it I could hear it, beating the same unweary rataplan.”

    Schwartz: A History From "Schwartz" by David Christie Murray

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Lists

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Comments

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  • milosrdenstvi The centerpiece of an aria sung by Sergeant Bouncer of his days in the army in Cox & Box. Aug 20, 2008

  • whichbe I like this word, it's so scat-adelic. Jul 29, 2008

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‘rataplan’ has been looked up 1582 times, loved by 5 people, added to 22 lists, commented on 2 times, and has a Scrabble score of 10.