rat-a-tat-tat

Noun

rat-a-tat-tat (plural rat-a-tat-tats)

1. A series of short, sharp taps, especially made by knocking on a door, beating a drum, or firing an automatic weapon.
   • A man, the source of the lamentation, appears and as he walks across the stage, his cries transmute into song, and the slow snare drum rat-a-tat-tat of Ravel’s composition begins.2023 April 14, Rosyln Sulcas, “Review: Grief and Mourning, Delivered With Ecstatic Vitality”, in The New York Times

Interjection

1. A series of short, sharp taps, especially made by knocking on a door, beating a drum, or firing an automatic weapon.