Word of the Day

: May 31, 2010

callithump

noun KAL-uh-thump

What It Means

: a noisy boisterous band or parade

callithump in Context

Energized with cookies, cake, ice cream, fruit punch, and other sugary treats, the children erupted into a callithump, blowing noisemakers and banging pails.

Did You Know?

"Callithump" and the related adjective "callithumpian" are Americanisms, but their roots stretch back to England. In the 19th century, the noun "callithumpian" was used in the U.S. of boisterous roisterers who had their own makeshift New Year's parade. Their band instruments consisted of crude noisemakers such as pots, tin horns, and cowbells. The antecedent of "callithumpians" is an 18th-century British dialect term for another noisy group, the "Gallithumpians," who made a rumpus on election days in southern England. Today, the words "callithump" and "callithumpian" see occasional use, especially in the names of specific bands and parades. The callithumpian bands and parades of today are more organized than those of the past, but they retain an association with noise and boisterous fun.