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Glite Dictionary
🤙 Betting hand signals ⏰ To make ticking
ticktack

ticktack

9.9
A set of hand signs that people who take bets use at horse races to share betting information quickly
  • noun
  • Archaic
translation icon : ticktack
  • The bookmakers on the far side of the track relied on ticktack to keep up with the rapidly changing odds.

Examples

  • Before modern technology, ticktack was the primary method for relaying information between betting stands.

  • She found the elaborate gestures of ticktack fascinating as she watched the race from the stands.

  • The ticktack signals are essential for efficient betting.

  • I learned the ticktack used at the racetrack.

  • Before modern technology, ticktack was used by bookmakers to discreetly communicate betting information at racetracks.

  • The bookmakers on the far side of the track relied on ticktack to exchange information about the rapidly changing odds.

  • As a newcomer, I quickly learned to understand the ticktack signals at the racetrack, which helped me place my bets accurately.

Surface Forms

ticktack singular
ticktacks plural

Morphology

ticktack = tick + tack (opaque) = tick + tack

Although built from the imitative elements 'tick' + 'tack', the specialized bookmaker meaning ('a system of hand signals') is jargon and not directly derivable from the sounds.

Etymology

Ticktack comes from the little sound words tick and tack, which suggest 'short, quick sounds'. Bookmakers used that idea for a fast system of hand signals at racetracks, so ticktack means a quick, secret way to send betting information.