tattoo

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The Word of the Day for November 18 is:

tattoo   \ta-TOO\    noun
    *1 : a rapid rhythmic rapping 
     2  a : a call sounded shortly before taps as notice to go to quarters  b : 
outdoor military exercise given by troops as evening entertainment

Example sentence:
     I was awakened by a woodpecker beating a tattoo against the drainpipe 
outside my window -- alerting other woodpeckers, and me, to his presence. 

Did you know?
     Today's word has nothing to do with skin markings. That other "tattoo" 
comes from the Tahitian word "tatau." Today's "tattoo" comes from the Dutch 
colloquialism "tap toe," which can be translated as "turn off the tap," though 
it was most often used to mean something like "Shut up! Cease!" The Dutch began 
using "taptoe" for a drum beat, and then English speakers borrowed the term 
(changing it slightly, to "taptoo"). It was used especially by the military to 
name a drum beat (or possibly a bugle call) that signaled the day's end. This 
"taptoo" most likely led to our "taps," a term for the final bugle call at 
night in the military.

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.





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