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Nov 19, 2008
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Dictionary of Phrase and Fable—T

Tattoo

A beat on the drum at night to recall the soldiers to their barracks. It sounded at nine in summer and eight in winter. (French, tapoter or tapotez tous.)

The devil's tattoo.
Drumming with one's finger on the furniture, or with one's toe on the ground - a monotonous sound, which gives the listener the “blue devils.”

Tattoo

(To). To mark the skin, especially the face, with indelible pigments rubbed into small punctures. (Tahitan, tatu, from ta, mark.)

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
Tau
Tatterdemalion
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More on Tattoo from Infoplease:

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