scuttlebutt

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable) Originally (now chiefly historical), a cask with a hole cut into its top, used to provide drinking water on board a ship; now (by extension, informal), a drinking fountain on a modern ship.
2. (slang, uncountable) Gossip, idle chatter; also, rumour.

Verb

1. (rare, slang, transitive) To spread (information) by way of gossip or rumour.
2. (intransitive, slang) To chat idly or gossip; also, to spread rumours.

Synonyms

gossip

rumor

comment

rumour

hearsay

tittle-tattle

scuttle-butt

chat

goss

grapevine

pipeline

talk

🗣️

tattle

whispering

Translations

dedikodu

ragot

fofoca

commérage

Wasserfass

bisbolhetice

Klatsch

roddel

pettegolezzo

κουτσομπολιό

comentari

Tratsch

Klatscherei

Schwatz

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈskʌtəlbʌt/

Etymology

The noun is derived from scuttle (“to cut a hole through (something)”) + butt (“wooden cask”). Sense 2 (“gossip, idle chatter; rumour”) refers to the fact that sailors would gather around the scuttlebutt to drink and exchange gossip; compare furphy and water cooler.
The verb is derived from the noun.