clickety-clack

[ klik-i-tee-klak ]

noun

1. a rhythmic, swiftly paced succession of alternating clicks and clacks, as the sound produced by the wheels of a train moving over tracks.

Word History and Origins

Origin of clickety-clack¹

First recorded in 1875–80; metrical compound from click ¹, clack

Example Sentences

I was plunged on the first day—not into “clickety-clack,” but “slippety-slip.”

From Project Gutenberg

Clickety clack, clickety clack, sang the loom; but you never saw such a tangle as the tangle made by the thin black cat.

From Project Gutenberg

Tony was able to read, “over to school,” such excerpts as the following: “The gingerbreadboy went clickety-clack down the road.”

From Project Gutenberg

Clickety clack, clickety clack; the loom never stopped for a moment.

From Project Gutenberg

“Those bright things that go clickety-clack,” said the bear.

From Project Gutenberg