Word of the Day

: June 25, 2010

scuttlebutt

noun SKUTT-ul-butt

What It Means

: rumor, gossip

scuttlebutt in Context

After he retired, Bob regularly stopped by his old office to visit his buddies and catch up on the latest scuttlebutt.

Did You Know?

Nowadays, office workers catch up on the latest scuttlebutt around the water cooler, and when they do, they are continuing a long-standing (although not necessarily honorable) tradition. That kind of gossip sharing probably also occurred on the sailing ships of yore. Back in the early 1800s, the cask containing a ship's daily supply of freshwater was called a "scuttlebutt"; that name was later applied to a drinking fountain on a ship or at a naval installation. By the early 20th century, 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.