sound the drum

verb

To knock or ring at the door of a house to determine whether it is empty, with a view to burglary if so.

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Meanings

verb
  1. obsoletethieves' cantTo knock or ring at the door of a house to determine whether it is empty, with a view to burglary if so.

    Chief Inspector Horwell had his men make house-to-house inquiries to find out if any burglar had been 'sounding the drum' in the neighbourhood.

    2014, Jan Bondeson, Murder Houses of London
Cite this entry
APA

sound the drum. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sound%20the%20drum

MLA

“sound the drum.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sound%20the%20drum. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sound the drum,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sound%20the%20drum.

Source: sound the drum on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.