As is often said at the beginning of the TV show Law & Order: The following story is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event. “Did you hear the scuttlebutt about the neighbour down the street?” Fred replied, “I haven’t heard any details, but yesterday afternoon the police were at the house with their lights flashing.” “I heard that there was a 911 call about a possible heart attack.” “I know that Joyce was wondering about an abusive relationship in that marriage.”
Scuttlebutt is defined as rumour or gossip. Have you heard any scuttlebutt about the new boss? Do you believe that scuttlebutt about Helen having an affair with her therapist? After he retired, Bob regularly stopped by his old office to visit his buddies and catch up on the latest scuttlebutt.
Scuttlebutt originally came from a naval term for a cask of fresh water on ships. In the navy a “butt” was a large cask or barrel, often containing fresh water or rum for the voyage on the high seas. The term “scuttle” meant to make a hole in something. Scuttle came from the French word escoutilles, meaning the hatch on a ship, then a hole or hatchway. Later it was used to describe an attempt to sink a ship by making holes through the bottom. When a cask of fresh water was placed on deck for sailors to have a drink on the salty ocean the barrel had an opening to draw the water. Such a cask with a hole in it was referred to as a “scuttled butt.”
Nineteenth century sailors would gather around the scuttlebutt to have a drink, exchange news, and share gossip. Eventually, scuttlebutt became associated with casual conversation and the spread of information. In offices, employees gather around a water cooler to share the results of sports events, listen to the latest rumours and gossip, and disclose opinions about the news of the day. These conversations are labelled scuttlebutt.
Synonyms for scuttlebutt include buzz, gossip, hearsay, noise, rumour, talk, and tattle.
Buzz means speculative or excited talk or attention relating especially to a new or forthcoming product or event. There is a lot of buzz about the new crime show on Netflix this summer. Those of a certain vintage will recall this line from Jesus Christ Superstar, “What's the buzz
Tell me what's a happening. What's the buzz...” Jesus responds, “Why should you want to know? Don't you mind about the future. Don't you try to think ahead. Save tomorrow for tomorrow. Think about today instead.”
Gossip implies a report of an intimate nature. Gossiping often involves discussing the personal details of other people’s lives. Western civilization has made an industry of the latest news and gossip from the entertainment world.
Hearsay is information received from other people that one cannot adequately substantiate. According to hearsay, Bob did not show up to work today because he slept in after a late night. In the courtroom hearsay is the report of another person's words by a witness, which is usually disallowed as evidence. Everything they had told him would have been ruled out as hearsay anyways.
Noise means indirect, casual, or unofficial comments. The owner is making noise again about moving the team if a new stadium is not approved quickly.
Rumour suggests a statement or report without known authority for its truth. There is a rumour going around the school that the board is going to axe the music program to save money.
Talk mentions or reports a topic of interest which may or may not be factual. She is the talk of the town because of her purchase of the old library building.
Tattle implies secretive information about what someone else has done. He claims to have picked up some juicy tattle about the celebrity couple.
After our morning round of golf, we usually gather in the clubhouse to share scuttlebutt. Some of what is discussed on the 19th hole is often pooled ignorance, but it is always interesting.
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to [email protected]. Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
