E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
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 tapoteztous.)
1
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.”
