Comments (1)Hate to all Safire on you, but its scuttlebutt, which refers to a barrel of water that served on an 18th-century sea-going ship as both ballast and a source of fresh water for the crew. From which the term descends to a reference to a water fountain or water cooler, around which gossip may be exchanged.
You might want to send that to the author, Abminder at Atlantic.
Ah, something useful in the thread.