Blat

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A loud and harsh sound typically associated with the cries of certain animals or vocal expressions
2. It can also refer to talking or communicating in an uninhibited or noisy manner
3. To emit a loud, piercing noise often resembling the call of an animal; to converse in a brash or unrestrained fashion; the act of producing a raucous sound that draws attention in social contexts

Etymology: Its origin is in the sound itself. The verb is imitative, formed by copying the bleat of a sheep or goat. Its earliest recorded sense, from 1846, is simply "to bleat," and it is related to the Old English "blǣtan," which meant the same thing. The jump to loud, careless talk likely draws on the image of a noisy, unguarded voice. Other words spelled "blat" have different histories. One comes from German "Blatt," meaning newspaper, and another from a Russian term for useful connections, borrowed through Polish or Yiddish, with a sense of "cover" or "leaf" behind it. Both are doublets of "blade," meaning they share a common ancestor with it.

Synonyms: bleat, caterwaul