rattle about
When something shakes around making a noise inside a container; or when a person is alone in a house or space that feels much too big.
Meanings
To move around loosely inside a container, making a rattling noise.
"There's a coin rattling about in the tumble dryer — I should take it out."
To live alone or move around in a space that feels far too large, giving a sense of emptiness or loneliness.
"After the children left home, she found herself rattling about in a five-bedroom house."
Primarily British English. The sense of a person 'rattling about' in a large house is particularly common in British usage, often with a sympathetic or slightly sad tone (implying loneliness). The literal sense of an object making noise is self-explanatory.
Commonly used with
Forms
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