rattle v.
1. to send away.
Parliament of Love II i: leonora: Slaue, beate him back [...] servant: Madam I rattled him, Rattled him home. leonora: Rattle him hence you rascall Or never see me more. | ||
Love’s Cure III iii: He was here [...] but I ratled him; I told him here was no Companions For such debauch’d, and poor-condition’d Fellows. |
2. to unnerve, to frighten; thus rattling adj.; also vtr. to lose one’s nerve, composure.
To Strafford in Hallam Const. Hist. II, 89: The king hath so rattled my lord-keeper that he is the most pliable man in England [F&H]. | ||
Diary 25 Mar. n.p.: So I did lay the law open to them, and rattle the Master-Attendants out of their wits almost. | ||
Double-Dealer II i: I’ll rattle him up, I warrant you, I’ll firk him with a certiorari! | ||
Reliquiae (1857) 331: Townshend, one of the secretaries of state, hath sent rattling letters to Dr. Charlett . | ||
Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: To rattle one off; to rate or scold him. | ||
Adventures in Apache Country 282: I think he was slightly rattled by the formidable appearance of our escort. | ||
Kansas Cowboy 23 Aug. in Why the West was Wild 614: The city marshal brought up a six-footer of monstrous proportions, who got into a dive, and was rattling up the establishment. | ||
Student Sl. in Cohen (1997) 21: rattle v. To confuse, embarrass. | ||
Voice of the City (1915) 195: Kind of rattles you, doesn’t it, to have the mysterious villain call up [...] and tell you what a helpless old gas-bag you are? | ‘The Clarion Call’ in||
Sun. Times (Perth) 12 June 2nd sect. 10/2: He says his game of talk helped win the fight, as it got Nelson ‘rattled’. | ||
Smile A Minute 135: I got up amidst the wildest applause and four shells from the German trenches. Neither of ’em rattled me. | ||
Carry on, Jeeves 37: He took it without blinking. You can’t rattle Jeeves. | ||
Right Ho, Jeeves 175: This little spot of friction had rattled the bearded bloke a bit. | ||
Shearer’s Colt 67: It takes much to rattle a Chinaman. | ||
Amboy Dukes 65: If he became rattled they were goners. | ||
Big Smoke 153: Don’t let it rattle you, Jacky. | ||
Family Arsenal 99: Mayo shrugged, but the talk had rattled her. | ||
Minder [TV script] 51: You really think he doesn’t know who rattled Harrison? | ‘Get Daley!’||
Lucky You 180: She slipped behind the wheel of a giant Ford sedan, which momentarily rattled Shiner. | ||
Guardian Guide 5–11 Feb. 52: We can only hope that part two sees him grasp the chance to rattle him into defending his essentially Thatcherite ideas. | ||
Last Kind Words 33: [H]e couldn’t meet my eyes. He rattled way too easy. |
3. to have sexual intercourse.
Parliament of Women B4: After spake Mistris Rachel Rattle a pace [etc]. | ||
[ | in Merry Drollery Compleat (1875) 77: If Venus and Mars so stout / Had joined together in battle, / There could not have been more claps and more bangs, / For he made her old buttocks rattle]. | |
View of London & Westminster (2nd part) 44: [in a list of prostitutes] Miss Rattle [Is Visited] By Lord Belisarius. | ||
5000 Adult Sex Words and Phrases. | ||
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightdress 4: Rattling his sister was payback. | ||
Dead Man’s Trousers [15]: I never rattled as many women in my life as I did when I was married. |
4. (also rattle along, rattle off, rattle one’s ass, ...hocks) to leave, to move off, usu. quickly and noisily.
Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Rattle c. to move off, or be gone. | ||
New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698]. | ||
, , , | Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698]. | |
, , | Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue. | |
Sporting Mag. May IV 124/1: Lud, Sur, I’ve been every where, / Round the globe have rattled. | ||
Lex. Balatronicum. | ||
‘Epistle from Joe Muggins’s Dog’ in Era (London) 24 Jan. 4/2: Away they rattled, right and left. | ||
Digby Grand (1890) 20: We rattled along by moonlight on our way to the barracks. | ||
Ticket-Of-Leave Man Act III: I’ll drive to the bank — cash this — settle with those counter-skippers, and rattle back in time to see you turned off. | ||
Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 70/2: In a minute we were on our way to Edinburgh. As we rattled along we turned out the ‘poke’. | ||
Record-union (Sacramento, CA) 30 Nov. 6/4: They come off the train [...] ready to rattle their hocks for the hotel. | ||
Keowee Courier (SC) 13 Apr. 2/2: Everybody rattle your hocks. | ||
Lonely Plough (1931) 144: Lup said, ‘Like enough! Good-night to you, sir!’ and rattled off. | ||
Tramp-Royal on the Toby 58: Along I rattled at a great pace. | ||
(con. 1880s) Triggernometry (1957) 209: Nor was it so simple as ‘rattling their hocks’ out of the American Valley. | ||
(con. 1916) Tin Lizzie Troop (1978) 196: Was he, Dinkle, rattling his ass, and theirs, into a trap. |
5. to move about, to act with energy, thus rattling, noisly energetic.
Honest Yorkshire-Man 18: O Bartledom [i.e. Bartholemew] Fair / [...] / Such Pork, Such Pig, / Such Game, Such Rig, / Such Rattling there. | ||
Wicklow Mountains 16: In town I was gay; I rattled, swore, guzzled and gambled. | ||
London Mag. Feb. 14/2: The kingdom of Kerry had the honour of giving birth to this excellent specimen of a ‘rattling, roaring Irishman;’. | ||
Handy Andy 83: It’s I that’ll rattle you there in no time, your honour. | ||
Era (London) 6 June 5/1: Werattled into Windsor to have breakfast. | ||
Boss 98: Shadow him: swing and rattle with him no matter where he goes. | ||
Black Mask Aug. III 49: The cops [...] hurried out to the Street as a patrol came rattling up. | ||
Inside Daisy Clover (1966) 220: I could get up right this moment, and rattle around the house for a while. | ||
Slanguage. |
6. (Ulster) to work energetically.
Slanguage. |
7. to hit someone; thus rattle the ivories v., to hit someone in the teeth.
Trail of the Serpent 315: The gentlemen of the prize-ring were prepared to fight as long as they had a bunch of fives to rattle upon the knowledge-box of the foe. | ||
DN III:iii 248: rattle one’s slats, v.phr. To give a blow or blows in the ribs. ‘He rattled his slats.’. | ‘Word-List From Eastern Maine’ in||
Marvel 3 Mar. 5: Hammer him! Go it, Bodder! Rattle it into the pig! Lam him! | ||
Blow Your House Down 5: You want to rattle her chops a bit. That’d sharp cure her. | ||
Dead Man’s Trousers [13]: [Y]ou’re no getting rattled. Or even hurt. |
8. (US Und.) to blackmail.
Criminal Sl. (rev. edn). | ||
DAUL 175/1: Rattle. To extort money from. | et al.
9. (drugs) to tremble, from heroin addiction.
Scotland on Sun. Mag. 7 Nov. 16: 95% of Glasgow’s prostitutes are injecting drug addicts. That’s why they sway [...] That’s why they tremble. Rattling they call it. They need a hit. | ||
(con. 1980s) Skagboys 168: Ah’m a wee bit sick. —Rattlin? [Ibid.] 238: There’ still a bit of a drought up the road, skag-wise [...] I called Matty the other day. he was rattling like as pandas in a Chinese takeaway. |
In compounds
(Aus.) a ricketty, rattling vehicle.
Eve. News (Sydney) 24 Oct. 6/4: [T]axpayers are of necessity compelled to travel by rattle-waggon, bone-box, or brakevan, on business or pleasure, wholly destitute of seating accommodation. |
In phrases
see sense 4 above.
1. (also rattle up) to scold, to tell off.
(trans.) Erasmus Praise of Folie (1509) 103: I toke not vpon me to boult out the maner of bishops and priestes liuyng now a daies: lest any man shoulde deme how I rather entended to ratle vp theyr vices, than to spredde myne owne praise. | ||
Double-Dealer II i: Sir Paul, have patience; let me alone to rattle him up. | ||
Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: I Rattled him, I Rate [i.e. rated] him roundly, and told him his own. | ||
New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698]. | ||
Chickens Feed Capons 13: She [...] sate up for me her self, out of mere Spight and pure Intention to rattle me off. | ||
, | Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (2nd, 3rd edn). | |
Lex. Balatronicum. | ||
Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue. |
2. see sense 4 above.
see also under relevant n.
see sense 4 above.
1. to effect emotionally, e.g. annoy, irritate, nag, intimdate.
Blind Ambition 249: I think it’s time I rattled the cage a little bit and let them know the cover-up is really over. | ||
Down by the River 208: ‘I just like to rattle that redneck’s cage a little bit, that’s all’. | ||
Prayers for Rain 186: I’ve had my cage rattled by pros, though--wiseguys, cops, gang-bangers. | ||
Sun. Times (Johannesburg) 30 Nov. 🌐 [headline] Nando’s rattling Robert Mugabe’s Cage [...] Nando’s, whose latest advertisement depicts the ageing authoritarian president. | ||
Bobby March Will Live Forever 239: ‘Tried to rattle his cage but he was having none of it. Stayed ice cold’. |
2. to make a fuss.
Hell on Hoe Street 60: Teach them some fucking manners, throw a fucking wobbly soon as they rattle their cage. |
see sense 4 above.
(orig. US) to annoy, to distract forcefully, to taunt.
Way Past Cool 7: Just make it shoot again an stop rattlin my goddam chain, huh! |
(US) to betray, to inform against.
Und. Speaks n.p.: Rattle the cup, an inmate making a noise on cell bars to attract attention of guard, often to give information about another prisoner. | ||
Criminal Sl. (rev. edn). | ||
Getaway in Four Novels (1983) 74: Doc couldn’t split with her or let her split with him. She’d be too apt to rattle the cup on him. Buy herself a deal at his expense. |
see rattle off