Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

flutter in the dovecote

/ˌflʌtɚ ɪn‿ðə ˈdʌvkɑt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.78 in modern English

Syllables: flut-ter in the dove-cote
IPA: /ˌflʌtɚ ɪn‿ðə ˈdʌvkɑt/

32

Scrabble Score

20

Letters

3

Syllables

13

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A disturbance, usually one caused within a group of people who are generally placid and unexcited.

Example Sentences

"I further argued that the principal cause for the political deadlock that persisted for thirty years after the guns fell silent was Israeli intransigence rather than Arab intransigence. The appearance of the first wave of revisionist studies excited a great deal of interest and controversy in the media and more than a flutter in the academic dovecote."

Etymology

Probably from flutter the dovecote, 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 ɪn‿ðə ˈdʌvkɑt/
British English: /ˌflʌtə ɪn‿ðə ˈdʌvkɒt/

Phrases

flutter the dovecot flutter the dovecote flutter the dovecotes put the cat among the pigeons

Frequently Paired Words

flutter the dovecot flutter the dovecote flutter the dovecotes put the cat among the pigeons kerfuffle

Questions

How do you pronounce flutter in the dovecote?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌflʌtɚ ɪn‿ðə ˈdʌvkɑt/.
What does flutter in the dovecote mean?: A disturbance, usually one caused within a group of people who are generally placid and unexcited.
Where does flutter in the dovecote come from?: Probably from flutter the dovecote, 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 in the dovecote

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “flutter in the dovecote”.
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