▪ I. tick-tack, n.
(ˈtɪkˌtæk)
Also 6 Sc. tik tak, 7 tic-tack, tick(e)-tacke, 7–9 tic-tac.
[Echoic: so Du., Norw. tiktak, Sw., Da., Ger. tick-tack, F. tic-tac. In sense 2 an adaptation or kind of translation of F. trictrac, a similar echoic word: see tric-trac.]
1. a. An imitation of a reduplicated or alternating ticking sound, esp. that made by a clock (see tick n.3 2); also that of the firing of small artillery. (Used as adv. or int., and hence as n. to denote the sound.)
| 1549 Compl. Scot. vi. 42 Than the smal artailȝe cryit, tik tak, tik tak, tik tak, tik tak. 17.. in Ritson's Gamm. Gurton's Garl. (1783) 53 Here a nail, there a nail, Tick, tack, too. 1840 P. Parley's Ann. 54, I am quite tired of your [a clock's] tick tack. 1858 O. W. Holmes Aut. Breakf.-t. viii, Our brains are seventy-year clocks... Tic-tac! tic-tac! go the wheels of thought. 1909 Daily Chron. 12 June 5/1 A Gatling gun..played upon the infantry..; one heard the ‘tick-tack’, ‘tick-tack’ of the spitting fire. |
b. In auscultation, The sound of the heart-beat. (Usually in Fr. form tic-tac.)
| 1853 Markham Skoda's Auscult. 175 The normal sounds of the heart are generally indicated by the expression ‘tic-tac’... This tic-tac I call the sounds (Töne) of the heart... By murmurs (Geräusche) I understand the abnormal sounds..blowing, sawing, rasping, etc. Ibid. 207, I have occasionally heard two sounds..in the place of the proper second sound: thus, instead of the ordinary ‘tic-tac’, a ‘tic-tac-tac’. 1860 J. M. Carnochan Operat. Surg. 136 (Cent. Dict.) The normal tick-tack of the heart beat with healthy precision. |
c. Chiefly N. Amer. A contrivance, such as a button on a piece of thread, spun to make a clattering sound against a window or door as a practical joke, esp. at Hallowe'en.
| 1884 I. M. Rittenhouse Jrnl. in Maud (1939) 288, I formed plan after plan to frighten them. Finally a ‘tick-tack’ was decided on. 1947 Sun (Baltimore) 7 Oct. 16/3 The Park has decided to have an old-time Hallowe'en, with the old boys puttin' tick-tacks on windows. |
d. transf.
| 1927 D. H. Lawrence Mornings in Mexico 63 Seeing the white monkeys for ever mechanically bossing, with their incessant tick-tack of work. 1934 S. Beckett More Pricks than Kicks 133 ‘God’ he exclaimed, executing a kind of passionate tick-tack through his pockets. |
† 2. An old variety of backgammon, played on a board with holes along the edge, in which pegs were placed for scoring. Also fig. Obs. (Also called tric-trac, in F. trictrac.)
| 1558 Forrest Grysilde Sec. i. xi. (Roxb.) 28 To pastyme at Tables, Tick-tacke or Gleeke. 1598 B. Jonson Ev. Man in Hum. iii. iii. c 1618 Moryson Itin. iv. iv. vi. (1903) 396 They play much at Tables, Commonly Tick Tack and lurch, but never at Irish. 1740 tr. De Mouhy's Fort. Country-Maid (1741) II. 188 Sometimes we plaid at Tick-tack. |
3. = tick-tacker.
| 1918 G. Frankau One of Them xxi. 159 Silent the tic-tac's tell-tale Semaphore: On thousand tracks, unridden,..Hay waves. |
4. attrib. † a. Belonging, or addicted, to the game of tick-tack (obs.). b. slang. Applied to a system of ‘telegraphy’ or signalling used by bookmakers at race-meetings, and hence to the men who practise this (cf. ticker3 b).
| 1583 Babington Commandm. ii. (1590) 104 If hee bee a drunken ale-stake, a ticktack tauerner. 1665 in Boston (Mass.) Transcript 17 Sept. (1910) ii. 8/1 Two tick tack tables. Ibid., A tick tack board with the pieces. 1899 Daily News 15 Mar. 5/5 Another class who are persecuted most absurdly, as it seems to me, are the ‘tick tack’ men. 1905 Daily Chron. 1 Feb. 3/6 A prisoner puzzled the Kingston Bench by describing himself as ‘a racecourse telegraphist’... A detective explained that the man practised what is known as ‘tick-tack telegraphy’—signalling by means of the arms to outside bookmakers. |
Hence tick-tacker, one who practises tick-tack telegraphy; tick-tacking ppl. a., making an alternating ticking sound.
| 1842 Father Oswald xii. 117 The death-watch..is a little tick-tacking noise. a 1847 Eliza Cook Old Mill-stream xxi, Thy pouring cascade, and the tic-tac-ing mill. 1912 Daily News 28 Mar. 4 Bookies, tipsters, tick-tackers, runners, welshers, backers, and all the great army who go racing. |
▪ II. tick-tack, v.
Also tic tac, tic-tac.
[f. the n.]
1. intr. = tick-tock v.
| 1842, a 1847 [implied at tick-tacking ppl. a.]. 1859 Mrs. Stowe Minister's Wooing ii. 17 The solemn old clock that tick-tacked in the corner. |
2. intr. and trans. To produce a whirring, clattering sound by spinning a tick-tack (sense 1 c) against a window, etc., as a practical joke. dial. and N. Amer.
| 1901 F. E. Taylor Folk-Speech S. Lancs. s.v. Tick-tackin', a boys' practical joke. See Window-tackin'. 1970 J. H. Gray Boy from Winnipeg 188 We got tired of the project and abandoned it in favour of ringing doorbells and tick-tacking windows. |
3. trans. and intr. To signal (information) by means of tick-tack telegraphy.
| 1907 Favourite 30 Nov. 9/3 Kilbeg was ‘tick-tacked’ out at 4 to 1 by the private clerk of one particular firm. 1908 Tatler 3 June 247 The above system of signalling, which is known as tick-tacking, may be seen on any racecourse. 1927 Observer 27 Mar. 18/6 A man in the body of the hall was detected tictacing to Labour supporters and guiding the uproar. 1937 L. Mann Murder in Sydney xxv. 273, I also noticed Leon Caspar ticktacking to the girl in response to which the girl challenged two of those called on the panel. 1972 Guardian 11 Aug. 8/6 The policeman tic-taced to the judge what the punishment should be. |