pitter-patter of little feet
Meaning: the sound of children running; anticipation of having babies.
Language: English
Literally: pitter-patter of little feet
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: Two separate things are at work. "Pitter-patter" is ablaut reduplication — a repeated word with the vowel changed — and it follows a rule English speakers apply without ever being taught it: the high front vowel comes first, which is why tick-tock, zigzag, and flip-flop are fixed in that order and sound wrong reversed. Attested from the 1500s, it imitates light, rapid tapping, originally of rain quite as much as of footsteps. The sentimental use for a coming child is Victorian, and Longfellow's poem "The Children's Hour" (1860) helped fix it, opening with the sound of little feet heard from the room overhead. The phrase now works almost entirely as a euphemism for pregnancy, announcing a baby by way of a sound it will not actually make for a good while yet.
More idioms — Body & Senses
- be in someone's shoes — to understand someone's perspective; to experience their situation.
- white as a sheet — extremely pale; shocked or frightened.
- sharp as a tack — intelligent; quick-witted; keen-minded.
- pull someone's leg — To joke or tease someone by telling them something untrue.
- Avoir la gueule de bois — To be hungover.
- To turn a blind eye — To deliberately ignore something you know is wrong.
More English idioms
- the real McCoy — the genuine article; something authentic and high quality.
- cry over spilled milk — to regret something past; useless to grieve over unchangeable events.
- go pear-shaped — to go wrong; to develop badly; to become misshapen.
- hard pill to swallow — difficult to accept; unpleasant truth or reality.
- be on cloud nine — to be extremely happy; in a state of bliss.
- get a kick out of something — to enjoy something greatly; to find something amusing.
From our untranslatable words
- Forelsket — The overwhelming, almost dizzy euphoria of falling in love — that specific state of early…
- Friluftsliv — The philosophy and practice of spending time outdoors — not as exercise or sport, but as…
- Utepils — The specific pleasure of sitting outside in the sun and drinking a beer — a ritual that f…