castanets

/ ˌkæstəˈnɛts /

plural noun

curved pieces of hollow wood, usually held between the fingers and thumb and made to click together: used esp by Spanish dancers

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C17 castanet, from Spanish castañeta, diminutive of castaña chestnut

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The young knights to prove their hardihood danced in the armor worn all day,—chain mail jingling in time to the castanets.

The castanets are made of ebony, and are generally decorated with bunches of smart ribbons, which play a great part in the dance.

I expected to hear your teeth chattering together like castanets.

Carmen was squatting down near me, and every now and then she would rattle her castanets and hum a tune.

The Wasp laughed a little hard laugh, clear and inhuman as the snap and rattle of Spanish castanets.

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