scuttlebutt

[ skuht-l-buht ]

/ ˈskʌt lˌbʌt /

Nautical.

Informal. rumor or gossip.

Origin of scuttlebutt

1795–1805; 1900–05 for def 2; scuttle³ + butt⁴

scutellation, scutellum, scutiform, scutter, scuttle, scuttlebutt, scutular, scutulum, scutum, scutwork, scuzz

That brought a response from John Rutledge, who ran a Florida-based newsletter, The Scuttlebutt.

Pearl Harbor’s Anniversary Sparks Memories of a Long-Ago Dance Contest |Michael Daly |December 7, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
Rutledge ran a story in The Scuttlebutt, and Patsy got a phone call from man saying he was her sailor.

Pearl Harbor’s Anniversary Sparks Memories of a Long-Ago Dance Contest |Michael Daly |December 7, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
"Just understand that I don't give a hoot in a scuttlebutt if you do turn me over to the police," pursued the man.

Blow The Man Down |Holman Day
What was the scuttlebutt about that particular incident, if any?

Warren Commission (8 of 26): Hearings Vol. VIII (of 15) |The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy

I was about to lead him aft, but his eye caught sight of a scuttlebutt, and the tin-pot on its head.

Afloat And Ashore |James Fenimore Cooper
Every now and again one or another of them, choked with the dust, went to get a draft of lukewarm water from the scuttlebutt.

A Master of Fortune |Cutcliffe Hyne
Was there any scuttlebutt or rumor that he shot himself to get out of the service?

Warren Commission (8 of 26): Hearings Vol. VIII (of 15) |The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy

scuttlebutt

/ (ˈskʌtəlˌbʌt) /

a drinking fountain

(formerly) a cask of drinking water aboard a ship

mainly US slang rumour or gossip

C19: from scuttle ³ + butt 4