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paradiddle

American  
[par-uh-did-l] / ˈpær əˌdɪd l /

noun

  1. an exercise or sequence performed typically on the snare drum, marked by four basic beats with alternation of the right hand and left hand on successive strong beats, and begun and ended slowly with a dramatic increase in tempo in the middle.

paradiddle British  
/ ˈpærəˌdɪdəl /

noun

  1. a group of four drum beats produced by using alternate sticks in the pattern right-left-right-right or left-right-left-left

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of paradiddle

1925–30; staccato syllables partly imitative; diddle 2; perhaps with para- 1 facetiously representing the alternation

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.