# pit-a-pat
## English
### Alternative forms

* pit a pat, pitapat, pit-pat, pitpat, pitter-pat, pitterpat

### Etymology

Imitative.

### 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.
** [1921], Aimee Semple McPherson, Divine Healing Sermons, [Los Angeles, Calif.], →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, [anonymous] […], chapter XXVII, in Splendid Follies. A Novel, […]. Founded on Facts., volume III, London: […] J[ames] F[letcher] 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 [Little Hannah]”, 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!

### Related terms

* pitter-patter

### References

* ↑ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “pit-a-pat (adv.)”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

### Anagrams

* apitpat