n. the sound of teeth “chattering uncontrollably,” as in the novel Slightly Married by Mary Balogh.
ch-ch-ch-ch.
n. a squirrel’s chatter, as in Ribsy by Beverly Cleary.
n. the call of the Dark-backed Goldfinch “when disturbed or in flight,” as described in Finches and Sparrows by Peter Clement.
n. the fire of antiaircraft guns, as described in The USS Arizona by James P. Delgado.
n. the mechanical annoyance call of the Forest Batis bird, as described in Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania by Dale A. Zimmerman; the throaty chatter of the Moriche Oriole, as described in New World Blackbirds by Alvaro Jaramillo.
n. the soft clicking of a telephone connection being re-routed, as in the novel Tooth and Nail by Ian Rankin.
n. the sound of people muttering to one another.
<I felt someone’s heavy movement in the room and a head bent over my face. The smell of sterile muslin and toothpaste filled my nose. Two people were speaking to each other. All I heard them saying was “ch-ch-ch-ch.” —Heshmat Moayyad, Stories from Iran: A Chicago Anthology 1921-1991.>
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