rat-a-tat

Thân thiện

A drummer plays a lively rat-a-tat on his snare drum.

Definition

Noun: A quick, repeated, sharp, tapping sound. This sound is often used to imitate the noise made by rapid knocking on a door, the striking of a drumstick, or similar percussive actions.

Usage

The word "rat-a-tat" is an onomatopoeia, meaning it phonetically imitates the sound it describes. It is typically used to vividly evoke the specific rhythm and quality of a rapid, hard tapping noise.

Examples

• We heard a sudden rat-a-tat on the front door.
• The drummer practiced a steady rat-a-tat on the snare.
• The rat-a-tat of hail on the metal roof was deafening.

Advanced Usage

• "rat-a-tat-tat": An extended variant, often used to describe a longer or more intense series of taps, such as from a machine gun.
  • The rat-a-tat-tat of the typewriter keys filled the office.

Variants and Related Words

• Rat-tat (noun): A less common, shortened variant with the same meaning.
• Tap (noun/verb): A single light blow or the sound it makes.
• Rap (noun/verb): A quick, sharp blow or knock.

Synonyms

• Tattoo (a rapid, rhythmic drumming)
• Patter (a rapid succession of light taps)
• Drumming

Related Idioms and Phrases

• (Sound) like a rat-a-tat: Used to compare a sound to this specific rhythmic tapping.
  • The woodpecker's beak hit the tree like a rat-a-tat.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a series of short sharp taps (as made by strokes on a drum or knocks on a door)

Từ đồng nghĩa

• rat-a-tat-tat
• rat-tat