Scuttlebutt...isn't that a fun one?
According to Dictionary.com
1. Nautical. a. an open cask of drinking water.
b. a drinking fountain for use by the crew of a vessel.
2. Informal. rumor or gossip.
Wikipedia says: Scuttlebutt in nautical terminology is a water fountain or water cask on a ship. It is now more commonly used as slang for "information" or "gossip". It also is the name of a competitive event at many Sea Scout regattas.
On sailing ships, water for immediate consumption was conventionally stored in a scuttled butt: a butt (cask or small barrel) which had been scuttled by making a hole in it so the water could be withdrawn. Since sailors exchanged gossip when they gathered at the scuttlebutt for a drink of water, scuttlebutt became Navy slang for gossip or rumors.
Some things never change do they? Then it was called a scuttlebutt, now it's called a water cooler. Tomato, TomAto.
1 comment:
that just sounds like a bunch of scuttlebutt to me.
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