▪ I. rattling, vbl. n.
(ˈrætlɪŋ)
[f. rattle v.1 + -ing1.]
The action of the vb., in various senses.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. v. xxi. (Bodl. MS.), Rateling men beþ mosste ytake, for to moche moisture of suche men..is cause of rateling. 1508 Dunbar Flyting 230 Ffor rerd of the, and rattling of thy butis. 1555 W. Watreman Fardle Facions ii. viii. 180 There is no glittering apparell, no rattelinge in sylkes, no rusteling in veluettes. 1656 Artif. Handsom. 126 What is this but like the ratling of haile upon tiles? a 1677 Barrow Serm. Wks. 1716 III. 32 The ratlings of clamorous obloquy. 1753 Richardson Grandison (ed. 7) I. 2 My Grandmother Selby..is always pleased with his rattling. 1779 Burke Let. to Thomas Burgh Wks. 1826 IX. 231 An obscure and feeble rattling in their throat. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xxii. IV. 774 The rattling of dice..never ceased during the whole night. |
▪ II. rattling, ppl. a.
(ˈrætlɪŋ)
[f. as prec. + -ing2.]
1. That rattles, or makes a rattle. † rattling baby = rattle-baby (see rattle n.1 11).
| 1398 [see rattling vbl. n.]. a 1400–50 Alexander 4531 A ratland niȝt ravyn is him to rent ȝolden. c 1586 C'tess Pembroke Ps. lxxvii. xi, Thy voices thundring crash..Did..rattling horror rore. 1592 G. Harvey Foure Lett. Wks. (Grosart) I. 225 Yet neuer childe so delighted in his rattling baby. 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. ii. v. §9 Many sorts there are of this ratling Stone, beside the Geodes. 1667 Milton P.L. vi. 546 Ratling storm of Arrows barbd with fire. 1784 Cowper Task iv. 144 No rattling wheels stop short before these gates. 1842 Lever J. Hinton vi, The infantry poured in a rattling roar of small arms. |
2. a. Characterized by a rapid flow of words or liveliness of manner.
| 1560 Rolland Crt. Venus iii. 129 The ratland Rollis was red vnto the end. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. v. 102 The ratling tongue Of saucy and audacious eloquence. 1709 Pope Ess. Crit. 628 Rattling nonsense in full vollies breaks. 1774 F. Burney Early Diary 29 Sept., I have returned to all my old original rattling spirits. 1883 F. M. Crawford Dr. Claudius viii. 137 Glad of the rattling talk that delivered them from the burden of saying anything especial. |
† b. Full of scolding or reproof. Obs.
| a 1700 Dryden Iliad i. 724 Thus turbulent in rattling tone she spoke. 1874 Green Short Hist. vii. §2. 359 ‘Rattling letters’ from the council roused the lagging prelates. |
3. Of persons: Extremely lively in manners or speech.
| 1727 Swift To a Young Lady, A tribe of bold, swaggering, rattling ladies. 1780 F. Burney Diary May (1842) I. 365 He seemed a mighty rattling, harem-scarem gentleman, but talked so fluently [etc.]. 1862 Thackeray Philip xl, She gives excellent dinners which jolly fogeys, rattling bachelors..frequent. 1880 M{supc}Carthy Own Times IV. xlviii. 21 A powerful speaker of the rattling declamatory kind. |
4. a. Remarkably good, fine, fast, etc. (freq. with more or less suggestion of the literal sense).
| 1690 Dryden Amphitryon ii. ii, If Jupiter ever let thee set foot in heaven, Juno will have a rattling second of thee. 1768 Sterne Sent. Journ. (1778) I. 131 Postillion, A good rattling gallop would have been of real service to me. 1831 E. J. Trelawny Adv. Younger Son II. 209 Running down with a rattling trade-wind. 1851 Thackeray Eng. Hum. iii. (1876) 212 A gentleman of military appearance, who..has a rattling grey mare in the stables. 1874 M. E. Herbert tr. Hübner's Ramble ii. ii. (1878) 258 Off we went at a rattling pace. |
b. Extremely severe.
| 1861 G. J. Whyte-Melville Mkt. Harb. 16 The limp..had been earned in a rattling fall over a turnpike-gate. |
c. Adverbially with adjs. (esp. good): Remarkably, extremely. Also with vbs.: Extremely well.
| 1829 T. C. Croker Legends (1862) 242 A rattling fine dinner we had of it. 1851 Mayhew Lond. Lab. I. 223/2 We had a fine ‘fake’,..it sold rattling. 1877 Black Green Past. i. (1878) 6 A rattling good sort of a girl. 1885 Punch 4 July 4/1 You do see some rattling pretty, fresh faces. 1930 A. G. Hays in W. E. Weeks All in Racket 13 This is a rattling good story. 1978 Jrnl. R. Soc. Arts CXXVI. 636/1 Herkomer's The Last Muster is a rattling good picture. |
† 5. slang or Cant (see quots.).
| a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Rattling-cove, a Coachman. Rattling Mumpers, such Beggars as Ply Coaches. [1725 New Cant. Dict., Such as run after, or ply Coaches.] 1754 Scoundrel's Dict. 21 The rattling mumper broke the rattling peeper [= ‘coach-glass’]. |
6. Comb., as rattling-boned adj.
| 1933 E. Sitwell Eng. Eccentrics ii. 42, I am afraid the ancient and rattling-boned gallant rather gloried in this fall from grace. |
Hence ˈrattlingly adv.; ˈrattlingness.
| 1824 Blackw. Mag. XV. 101 [They] shake in skin as rattlingly as they ere shook the castor. 1855 Wiseman Fabiola 220 The old capsararius, as he had had himself rattlingly called in his anteposthumous inscription. 1869 Contemp. Rev. XI. 18 The general rattlingness of the rhythmic movement. |
▪ III. rattling
variant of ratline.