fzzt.

n.  a crackle in a long-distance telephone connection, as in The Nirvana Blues: A Novel by John Nichols.


n.  the crackling and popping of a public address system, as described by Michael Bailey in “Story: Dreams” (jinxidoru.com).


n.  the sound of a firework’s lit fuse; see also fsst.

<Fzzt!  Bang!  Crackle!  “Ooooh!”  “Aaaaah!”  Fzzt!  BANG!  Crackle!  Repeat ad nauseum and that’s what we will all be hearing this weekend as the whole country celebrates Guy Fawkes’ failure to blow up Parliament.  —“Virtual Manchester Versus Fireworks,” Manchester.com>

n.  the sound of an “electrostunner” in Mundementia One: The Book of Going Forth by J. (Channing) Wells.


n.  the sound of an android or robot malfunctioning, as in The Metallic Touch; see vzzkt.


n.  the sound of something whizzing away.

<“Jim gets up nice and slow, then fzzt!  And he’s off after the thing.”  “Caught it, too,” said Virgil.  “Never seen nobody catch a rabbit with their bare hands.”  —Christian Cameron, Washington and Caesar.>

fzzt-fzzt.

n.  the sound of a radio turner skipping through stations.

<I spun the dial, heard the fzzt-fzzt of stations whirling by.  —David Adsit, “The Big Broadcast, Delayed.”>

- END OF PREVIEW - To read more, see the "Search Inside" feature at Amazon.com