ring-a-ding

1. A ringing sound.

   Synonyms: ringaling, tingaling

alternative ringding · alternative ring-a-ding-ding

1. not comparableA rhyming phrase with no fixed meaning.

   And then he was totally unprepared for his ring-a-ding winner.

   1975, Forbes - Volume 116, Issues 7-12, page 17

   3 more examples

   So you didn't want to make a night of it with the ring-a-ding kid?

   1995, Amy Heckerling, Clueless, spoken by Josh (Paul Rudd)

   Then the midnight rap about arson with his ring-a-ding attorney.

   2001, Jim Moore, Island of Ashes, page 136

   The brittle bones grow colder now / And the wind begins to sting / As I grow old in the family / And it aint so ring-a-ding-ding.

   2004, Donald Cohen, Late Beginner, page 20

2. not comparableIn the style of the Rat Pack, especially Frank Sinatra.

   Drink played a large part in Sinatra's ring-a-ding arrogance.

   2002, John Lahr, Show and Tell: New Yorker Profiles, page 76

   2 more examples

   Swanning into a supper club/casino with a dame on his arm, Robinson is Sammy Paradise (“Old Two Eyes himself”), a ring-a-ding-ding Sinatra type who flaunts his wealth and generosity with true king-of-the-world largesse.

   2016 March 18, Dennis Perkins, “Tim Robinson’s The Characters thrives in the 10-to-1 spot”, in The AV Club

   The tumbler he [ Dean Martin ] was clutching was filled with apple juice, not whiskey, and the King of Cool was fully aware the sold-out crowd was there to see him and his pals create some ring-a-ding-ding musical magic.

   2024 March 8, “A ring-a-ding salute to the Rat Pack”, in Thousand Oaks Acorn