Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!

In my Cincinnati version of Words to the Wise last week on WMKV-fm, someone asked about the word rumble, as in “Let’s get ready to rumble!”

The Oxford English Dictionary reveals that a similar word shows up in many allied languages: Dutch, German, Frisian, Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian. In all cases, the word in its many forms is credited to onomatopoeia. This means that the word is spelled in imitation of a sound—in this case, a rumbling sound.

The first meaning given for the noun [1405] is “a low, continuous, murmuring, grumbling, or growling sound, as that of thunder, distant cannon, heavy vehicles, etc.” From the very start, a parallel figurative meaning arose: any uproar, commotion, or tumult. By 1946, it had evolved into American slang for a street fight between rival gangs. A classic example is presented in West Side Story.

In the centuries between, a number of other meanings developed for rumble.

• A severe blow [1434].
• The hind part of a carriage that contains seating accommodations or is used to carry luggage [1808]. In cars, it was called a rumble seat.
• A rotating box or cask in which iron articles are shaken and cleaned by friction [1843].
• Criminal slang for an alarm or tip-off [1911].
• In sound reproduction, low-frequency noise originating as mechanical vibration in a turntable [1949].
• Colloquially, a rumor [1961].

In the 1960s, many towns and municipalities began to install rumble strips, tiny ridges on a road that produce a whining sound when a car passes over them. They signal a crossroad ahead or some other approaching hazard.

SIDEBAR: Michael Buffer

Available from McFarland & Co.: Word Parts Dictionary, 2nd edition

Check out Mike's program-based books here:
Arbutus Press
or at Amazon.com

Listen to Mike’s program in real time every Tuesday morning, 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. EST, by going to wtcmradio.com and clicking on Listen Now.

There is a collection of podcasts. Go to wtcmradio.com and click on Podcasts. Scroll down The Ron Jolly Show to find the Words to the Wise audio button.

Visit The Senior Corner at seniors.tcnet.org