Scuttlebutt

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).

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".

Water for immediate consumption on a sailing ship 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in a scuttled butt: a butt (cask or small barrel) which had been scuttled by making a hole in it so the water could be withdrawn.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 U.S. Navy slang for gossip or rumors.

[edit] See also

This article on military history is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../s/c/u/Scuttlebutt.html"