scuttlebutt
noun
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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.
Synonyms
Examples of scuttlebutt in a Sentence
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
That means the last missing piece in the Oscar puzzle is a host — there’s been a lot of scuttlebutt but no formal movement on a potential emcee for the show after Jimmy Kimmel last held the job earlier this year.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Oct. 2023
With that attitude in mind, here are my projections for who and what will be nominated in the Oscars’ top six races, informed by industry scuttlebutt as well as recent nominations from the Screen Actors Guild, Producers Guild of America and Directors Guild of America.
—New York Times, 2 Feb. 2022
Is the scuttlebutt around league circles suggesting that the scouting department couldn’t find a star with a telescope?
—Greg Moore, The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2023
Amid this turmoil, markets understandably loved the BOE’s intervention, and the scuttlebutt is that the central bank moved in part because big British pension funds and financial institutions were caught on the wrong side of these rapid shifts in market prices.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 28 Sep. 2022
Such was the scuttlebutt ahead of Tuesday’s 80th annual Golden Globes.
—Vulture, 11 Jan. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scuttlebutt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near scuttlebutt
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“Scuttlebutt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scuttlebutt. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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scuttlebutt
noun
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