The dictionary of sounds

ABATVOIX–CYMBAL • DEAD-BELL–GUPP • HACKLE–LURE • MADDLE–QUOBBLE • RAIRD–SWIR • TAGHAIRM–YOWF

Raird. A loud noise or clamour; the act of lowing or bleating; to make a loud noise, to shout, roar. (Northum. & Scot.)

Raising. The noise made in crying or sobbing. (N. Eng.)

Rake. Of the sea: to break on the shore with a long, grating sound. (Suss.)

Rale. An adventitious sound, usually of morbid origin, accompanying the normal respiratory sounds.

Ramp. To eat with a gnashing sound. (Northum.)

Ran-tan. A loud knocking; a noise, din. (Lancs. & Ches.)

Randivoose. A noise; an uproar. (Dev. & Corn.)

Rantacket. A noise; an uproar. (Corn.)

Rap-tapping. A rough amusement which consists in rousing people from sleep by a tap on their windows, and rapping their heads when they look out. (Yorks.)

Rash-whish. A whizzing sound. (Scot.)

Rasp. To belch. (E. Eng.)

Rataplan. The iterative sound of beating a drum, or of a galloping horse.

Rattle. One of the changes of a linnet's song. (Lond.)

Rattle-bag. Anything that makes a rattling noise; a loud clatter; a noisy, bustling person, one who excites alarm. (Scot.)

Rattlebox. An American herb, Crotalaria sagittalis, the seeds of which, when ripe, rattle in the inflated pod.

Rattle-can. A noisy child or person. (Lancs. & Cumb.)

Rattle-trap. A clattering noise. (Dev.)

Rattock. A great noise; racket. (E. Eng.)

Rave. Of the wind: to make a wild, rushing sound. (Scot.)

Reach. Of pigs: to make a noise of complaint. (Worcs.)

Ream. To shout, cry aloud, bawl; to weep, bewail, moan; to talk wildly. (N. Eng. & Scot.)

Reboant. Rebellowing, resounding loudly.

Reek. A shriek; noise. (Yorks. & Lancs.)

Reel. The grasshopper warbler, Locustella naevia; so called from the resemblance of its song to the noise of the reel used by hand spinners of wool. (Norf.)

Reemish. A loud, rumbling noise, esp. the sound caused by a body falling. (Scot.)

Reemle rammle. To make a great deal of noise; to behave in a noisy, frolicking manner. (Scot.)

Reen. The sound made by a pig. (Shet.)

Reeshle. To rustle; to make a clattering, cracking sound. (Northum. & Scot.)

Rhonchisonant. Making a snorting noise; snorting.

Rhonchus. An adventitious whistling or snoring sound heard on auscultation of the chest when the air channels are partially obstructed.

Rick. To rattle, jingle, make a noise; to chatter. (Yorks. & Lancs.)

Rimple. The sound produced by a ripple of water. (Yorks.)

Risp. A harsh, grating sound. (Northum. & Scot.)

Rittle. To wheeze, snore; to make a rattling noise in the throat. (Dev.)

Rolly. To resound, re-echo. (Worcs.)

Rote. The noise produced by the surf of the sea dashing upon the shore.

Rounge. A great noise. (Northum. & Cumb.)

Rouser. Anything resounding; a loud explosion. (Prov. Eng.)

Row-dow. The sparrow; so denominated probably from some peculiar habit of the bird, imitating the sound of drum. (Northants.)

Rucksel. A noise, clatter. (Dev. & Corn.)

Ruddy. To make a loud, reiterated noise; to roar like thunder; to rumble. (Scot.)

Ruff. To applaud by making noise with the hands or feet. (Scot.)

Rumble seat. A seat for servants behind a carriage.

Rumbler. An octagonal box in which castings are put to be cleanred, this being effected by the revolution of the box. (Yorks.)

Rummling-kirn. A gully on the shore into which the tide flows with a loud noise. (Scot.)

Ruttle. A rattling sound in the throat arising from difficulty of breathing.

Saum. To make a singing noise. (Lincs.)

Scale. The sound of waves breaking upon the shore. (Ork.)

Scart. A scraping or rasping sound.

Scat. The sound of a rent; a sharp sound as of a bullet. (Corn.)

Scatter-basket. A clattering noise, as of a wheel when it requires tightening. (Dev.)

Scavel-an-gow. The noise of confused talking; chatter. (Corn.)

Scissor-grinder. The nightjar, Caprimulgus europaeus; so called from the strange whirring, jarring noise uttered by the bird on summer evenings. (Norf. & Suff.)

Scolder. The oyster-catcher, Haematopus ostralegus; so called perhaps from the loud and shrill noise made when any one approaches its young. (Ork.)

Scolding wife. A watchman's rattle. (Lincs.)

Scour. A noise, tumult. (Somer.)

Scrame. To make a rasping noise, as a cart or harness which needs oiling. (Ess.)

Scranch. To grind with the teeth, and with a crackling sound.

Scrannel. Producing a weak, screeching noise; thin; squeaking.

Scratchback. A toy which imitates the sound of tearing cloth, used by drawing it across the back of unsuspecting persons.

Scrate. To make a scratching noise as with a slate pencil. (Yorks.)

Screek, screet. To utter suddenly a sharp, shrill sound; to screech; to creak, as a door or wheel.

Scrive. To make a harsh sound by scratching metal. (Yorks.)

Scroinoch. A shrill cry; a yell; a noisy person. (Scot.)

Scroop. To creak, squeak; to make a grating, scraping sound. (S. & W. Eng.)

Scrooch. To emit a harsh sound; to creak. (N. Eng.)

Scrump. To emit a crisp, crackling sound; to scrunch underfoot. (Warw.)

Scrunt. To produce a harsh noise by running or scraping. (Yorks.)

Scrupetty. To creake, grate, make a grinding noise. (Wilts.)

Sea canary. The beluga, or white whale; so called from a whistling sound which it makes.

Sea-roarer. Any large whelk-shell; so called from the sound when placed on the ear. (Northum.)

Seraphine. A wind instrument whose sounding parts are reeds, consisting of a thin tongue of brass playing freely through a slot in a plate. It has a case, like a piano, and is played by means of a similar keybord, the bellows being worked by the foot.

Sensitive flames. Flames easily affected by sounds.

Shallal. A serenade of kettles and pans given to a notorious wedding couple; a great noise. (Corn.)

Shandy-foo. To make a great noise. (Wilts.)

Shill. Of the wind: to howl, to whistle with a shrill sound. (Yorks.)

Shirl. A metathesized form of 'shrill'. (N. Eng.)

Shork. To make a gurgling noise. (Northum.)

Shuck-shack. The noise caused by walking in wet stockings. (Pemb.)

Shud. A low, continuous sound; a din; generally used of a noise in the distance. (Shet.)

Sife. To make a sighing noise as of the wind. (W. Eng.)

Sifflement. The act of whistling or hissing; a whistling sound; sibilation.

Singing flame. A flame, as of hydrogen or coal gas, burning within a tube and so adjusted as to set the air within the tube in vibration, causing sound. The apparatus is called also chemical harmonicon.

Sirdon. A low, murmuring, plaintive cry; to emit a plaintive cry, as some birds do. (Scot.)

Siss. To make a hissing sound; as, a flatiron hot enough to siss when touched with a wet finger. (Prov. Eng.)

Skelp. The sound of a heavy fall. (Scot.)

Skerry-kabbish. A great noise; a racket. (Corn.)

Skeyld. The sound of gentle wavelets or ripples breaking on the beach. (Shet.)

Skirlcock. The missel thrush; so called from its harsh alarm note.

Skirl-in-the-pan. The frizzling sound made by butter when frying in a pan. (Scot.)

Slarg. To make a noise by rubbing with the feet. (Lincs.)

Slammock. With a loud noise or heavy bump. (Lincs.)

Slatter. A clatter, the sound of hoofs upon hard ground. (Westmor.)

Sledge. To make a noise by rubbing the boot soles on a hard floor. (Yorks.)

Sleep. Of a churn: to make no sound when the cream is agitated. (Mids. & N. Eng.)

Sligerin. A great noise of fighting and tumbling. (Corn.)

Slippetin. Going along quickly and without noise in treading. (Berks.)

Slop. The sound made by a blow. (Notts.)

Slosh. A muddy wash of water which makes a loud noise when splashed about. (Kent)

Slowp. To make a noise with the lips whilst eating or drinking. (Yorks.)

Slump. The noise made by anything falling into a hole, or into a soft, miry place. (Scot.)

Slut. A noise; a loud sound. (Hamps.)

Smack. Of an eel: to utter a peculiar sound when feeding by night on the surface. (Norf.)

Smucksin. A clattering noise. (Shet.)

Snack. The crack of a whip or any similar loud noise. (Somer.)

Snagger. To snore with a harsh, grating sound. (Scot.)

Snapper. To crackle; to make a sharp, short sound. (Berks.)

Snicker. The low noise made by a mare to call her foal to her side. (E. Eng.)

Snifting valve. A small valve opening into the atmosphere from the cylinder or condenser of a steam engine, to allow the escape of air when the piston makes a stroke; so called from the noise made by its action.

Snoach. To make a snuffling noise; to speak or breathe through the nose; to snore. (Dors. & Somer.)

Snook. The peculiar sneezing sound made by dogs burrowing in search of rats, etc. (Northum.)

Snorick. A child's toy made from the larger bone of a pig's foot and two worsted strings. By twisting this round and then alternately straining and slackening the strings the bone is made to revolve rapidly, giving a snoring sound. (Scot.)

Snush. To sniff at with a snorting sound. (Shet.)

Soam. To make a humming or buzzing noise. (Notts.)

Sob. Of the wind: to make the sighing sound which announces that calmer weather is superseding a blast. (Northum. & Yorks.)

Soddering. The bubbling noise made by boiling porridge, etc. (N. Eng.)

Soitl. To make a noise in drinking. (Shet.)

Solch. To fall heavily; to drop down with a dull sound. (Lancs. & Ches.)

Sonifer. A kind of ear trumpet for the deaf, or the partially deaf.

Sonorous tumor. A tumor which emits a clear, resonant sound on percussion.

Soo. A whirring, as of machinery. (Ches.)

Soom. To drink hastily, and make a noise with the lips in so doing. (Westmor.)

Sottle. Expressive of the sound made by any soft substance, as porridge, broth, etc., when boiling. (Scot.)

Souffle. A murmuring or blowing sound; as, the uterine souffle heard over the pregnant uterus.

Sough. To whistle or sigh, as the wind.

Speawker. A toy consisting of a tube made of the gollow bark of a wicken-twig, removed intact from the wood by means of light hammering. It produces a shrill, shrieking noise when blown through. (Lancs.)

Sphygmophone. An instrument by means of which a pulse-beat makes a sound.

Splorroch. The sound made by walking in the wet or mud. (Scot.)

Spurre. The common tern, Sterna flaviatilis; so called from the sound of its cry. (Pemb. & Corn.)

Squacket. To quack as a duck; to make any disagreeable sound with the mouth. (Suss. & Somer.)

Squashle. To make a splashing noise. (Kent)

Squatch. To make a slight noise. (Oxf. & Berks.)

Squean. Of swine: to make a restless, fretful noise. (Mids.)

Squeapity. To squeak, as an ungreased wheel. (Dors.)

Squilker. To make a noise indicative of having liquid inside. (Notts. & Leics.)

Squit. To make a very short, slight sound. (Dors.)

Staupings. The sound of footsteps. (N. Eng.)

Steinkle. The wheatear, Saxicola oenanthe; so called from the similarity of its note to the sound of two pebbles struck together. (Shet.)

Stentorophonic. Speaking or sounding very loud; stentorian.

Stound. To beat a drum. (N. Eng.)

Stram. To slam, bang; to put down or close violently and noisily. (W. Eng.)

Strammer. Any loud sound. (Dev.)

Strepent. Noisy.

Stridulation. The act of stridulating. Specifically: the act of making shrill sounds or musical notes by rubbing together certain hard parts, as is done by the males of many insects, especially by Orthoptera, such as crickets, grasshoppers, and locusts; the noise itself.

Suilk. To make a sucking noise with the mouth. (Shet.)

Sussle. A noise, disturbance. (Kent & Suss.)

Suther. To sigh, esp. used of the wind among trees. (Mids. & N. Eng.)

Swankle. To sound as a liquid in a half-filled receptacle. (Shet.)

Swee. The sound made by a young bird. (Corn.)

Swittle. A murmuring sound made by a stream. (Shet.)

Swimbel. A moaning or sighing sound or noise; a sough.

Swir. To whirl about so fast as to make a whizzing noise. (Somer. & Dev.)