Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

flutter the dovecote

/ˌflʌtɚ ðə ˈdʌvkɑt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.78 in modern English

Syllables
flut-ter the dove-cote
IPA
/ˌflʌtɚ ðə ˈdʌvkɑt/
30
Scrabble Score
18
Letters
3
Syllables
11
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To create a disturbance, usually within a group of people who are generally placid and unexcited.

Etymology

Possibly from Coriolanus (written c. 1608–1609; published 1623) by the English playwright William Shakespeare (1564–1616), Act V, scene vi (spelling modernized): “[L]ike an eagle in a dovecote, I / Fluttered your Volcians in Corioles.”

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌflʌtɚ ðə ˈdʌvkɑt/
  • British English: /ˌflʌtə ðə ˈdʌvkɒt/

Inflected Forms

flutters the dovecote (present, singular) fluttering the dovecote (participle, present) fluttered the dovecote (participle, past) fluttered the dovecote (past) flutter the dovecot (alternative) flutter the dovecotes (alternative)

Phrases

flutter in the dovecote put the cat among the pigeons

Frequently Paired Words

put the cat among the pigeons

Questions

How do you pronounce flutter the dovecote?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌflʌtɚ ðə ˈdʌvkɑt/.
What does flutter the dovecote mean?
To create a disturbance, usually within a group of people who are generally placid and unexcited.
Where does flutter the dovecote come from?
Possibly from Coriolanus (written c. 1608–1609; published 1623) by the English playwright William Shakespeare (1564–1616), Act V, scene vi (spelling modernized): “[L]ike an eagle in a dovecote, I / Fluttered your Volcians in Corioles.”

How to pronounce flutter the dovecote

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “flutter the dovecote”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌflʌtɚ ðə ˈdʌvkɑt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “flutter the dovecote”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “flutter the dovecote” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.