callithump

English

Etymology

Uncertain. Perhaps from calli- +‎ thump.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkæ.lɪ.θʌmp/

Noun

callithump (plural callithumps)

1. (US, colloquial, dated) A somewhat riotous parade, accompanied with the blowing of tin horns and other discordant noises.
   • 1919, Albert Bigelow Paine, Dwellers in Arcady: The Story of an Abandoned Farm‎^[1]:

     You probably don't know what callithump is, but you will find out if you undertake to hoe sod-ground potatoes in July. It has something to do with brazen trumpets and violence. I became acquainted with callithump when I straightened out the asparagus-bed.

2. (US, colloquial, dated) A burlesque serenade; a charivari.

Derived terms

• callithumpian

References

• “callithump”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.