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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

ring-a-ding en · ADJ

Etymology

Imitative.

Meanings

  1. (not-comparable) A rhyming phrase with no fixed meaning.
    • And then he was totally unprepared for his ring-a-ding winner. 1975, Forbes - Volume 116, Issues 7-12, page 17:
    • The brittle bones grow colder now / And the wind begins to sting / As I grow old in the family / And it aint so ring-a-ding-ding. 2004, Donald Cohen, Late Beginner, page 20:
    • So you didn't want to make a night of it with the ring-a-ding kid? 1995, Amy Heckerling, Clueless, spoken by Josh (Paul Rudd):
    • Then the midnight rap about arson with his ring-a-ding attorney. 2001, Jim Moore, Island of Ashes, page 136:
  2. (not-comparable) In the style of the Rat Pack, especially Frank Sinatra.
    • Swanning into a supper club/casino with a dame on his arm, Robinson is Sammy Paradise (“Old Two Eyes himself”), a ring-a-ding-ding Sinatra type who flaunts his wealth and generosity with true king-of-the-world largesse. 2016 March 18, Dennis Perkins, “Tim Robinson’s The Characters thrives in the 10-to-1 spot”, in The AV Club:
    • The tumbler he [ Dean Martin ] was clutching was filled with apple juice, not whiskey, and the King of Cool was fully aware the sold-out crowd was there to see him and his pals create some ring-a-ding-ding musical magic. 2024 March 8, “A ring-a-ding salute to the Rat Pack”, in Thousand Oaks Acorn:
    • Drink played a large part in Sinatra's ring-a-ding arrogance. 2002, John Lahr, Show and Tell: New Yorker Profiles, page 76:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
ringding alternative lexicographic
ring-a-ding-ding alternative lexicographic