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English
Etymology
Imitative.[1]
Interjection
pit-a-pat
- Representing a series of quick tapping sounds.
1900 May, Frederic Villiers, “Twenty Years on the War Path. VII.—“My Friend Corporal Tonbar.””, in The Canadian Magazine of Politics, Science, Art and Literature, volume XV, number 1, Toronto, Ont.: The Ontario Publishing Co., Ltd., page 40, column 2:Pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, the bullets kept falling and stirring up little puffs of dust on the open ground in front of the zeriba.
, Aimee Semple McPherson, Divine Healing Sermons, , →OCLC, page thirteen:“Pit-a-pat! Pit-a-pat!”—On go the thousands of feet; on to the movie and on to the dance; on to the office, the club and the bank.
2004, Julia Donaldson, “The Mouse and the Lion”, in Crazy Mayonnaisy Mum, Macmillan Children’s Books, published 2005, →ISBN, page 4:Pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, / He danced on the whiskery nose.
Verb
pit-a-pat (third-person singular simple present pit-a-pats, present participle pit-a-patting, simple past and past participle pit-a-patted)
- To make a series of quick tapping sounds; to palpitate
Noun
pit-a-pat (plural pit-a-pats)
- A series of quick tapping sounds
Adverb
pit-a-pat (not comparable)
- With a quick tapping sound
1842–1845, Robert Browning, “[Dramatic Romances and Lyrics.] The Pied Piper of Hamelin; a Child’s Story. .”, in Poems , new edition, volume II, London: Chapman & Hall, , published 1849, →OCLC, stanza IV, page 308:“Only a scraping of shoes on the mat? / “Anything like the sound of a rat / “Makes my heart go pit-a-pat!”
Adjective
pit-a-pat
- Characterized by quick tapping sounds; palpitating.
1810, , chapter XXVII, in Splendid Follies. A Novel, . Founded on Facts., volume III, London: J F Hughes, , →OCLC, page 109:The chesnut ringlets were speedily twitched from the confining paper, her Sunday hat, gown, and neckerchief bustled on in a moment, and wondering what he would say, and how she should feel and behave on the trying occasion, she descended with a pit-a-pat heart, and a cheek covered with burning blushes.
1830 February 4, The Maryland Gazette, volume LXXXV, number 5, Annapolis, Md.:The pit-a-pat heart of a susceptible girl of sixteen, tells her that a gentleman is a tall fellow with a fine military cap on his head; […]
a. 1856, Henry Anderton, “To the same ”, in The Temperance and Other Poems of the Late Henry Anderton, , Preston, Lancs: W. and J. Dobson, , published 1863, page 97:Dear Hannah—you learn from your aunt to conceal / The things that your parents do bid you reveal— / ’Tis true, I am Henry, and Anderton, too, / But that’s not an answer expected from you— / You, yesterday, called me a very dear name, / Which set my poor pit-a-pat heart in a flame: / Speak! am I your “uncle?” The truth I would know; / I wonder who taught you to speak to me so!
References
Anagrams