watchman's rattle

noun

An instrument, with a vibrating tongue fixed in a frame, which slips over the teeth of a ratchet wheel and produces a loud raucous sound when whirled around, once used by watchmen to warn of danger

Similar
fiddle
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounwatchman's rattle (plural watchman's rattles or watchmen's rattles)

plural watchman's rattles · plural watchmen's rattles

  1. An instrument, with a vibrating tongue fixed in a frame, which slips over the teeth of a ratchet wheel and produces a loud raucous sound when whirled around, once used by watchmen to warn of danger

    Synonyms: fiddle

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn instrument, with a vibrating tongue fixed in a frame, which slips over the teeth of a ratchet wheel and produces a loud raucous sound when whirled around, once used by watchmen to warn of danger

Similar
fiddle
Cite this entry
APA

watchman's rattle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/watchman's%20rattle

MLA

“watchman's rattle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/watchman's%20rattle. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “watchman's rattle,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/watchman's%20rattle.

Source: watchman's rattle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.