2007-07-25 12:53:04 · 5 answers · asked by Larry P 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
It is an old Navy term.
According to Wikipdeida: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scuttlebutt
"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in a scuttled butt: a butt (cask or small barrel) which had been scuttled by making a hole in it so the water could be withdrawn.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."
2007-07-25 12:56:26 · answer #1 · answered by Dan S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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in a scuttled butt: a butt (cask or small barrel) which had been scuttled by making a hole in it so the water could be withdrawn.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.
2007-07-25 20:00:30 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Scuttlebutt is an early 19th century nautical term for an open cask of water kept on deck for use by the crew. The term comes from scuttle (to cut a hole in) + butt (a large cask). Sailors would gather about the cask and trade stories and gossip, much like modern office workers do at the water cooler or coffee pot. By the turn of the 20th century, American sailors began using the term scuttlebutt to refer to these sea stories and gossip. And eventually the term became associated with any gossip or rumor and divorced from its nautical origins.
2007-07-25 20:02:57 · answer #3 · answered by TitoBob 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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in a scuttled butt: a butt (cask or small barrel) which had been scuttled by making a hole in it so the water could be withdrawn.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.
2007-07-25 19:56:41 · answer #4 · answered by Diane B 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
South Park...why?
2007-07-25 20:00:41 · answer #5 · answered by booda2009 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋