rintintintinnabulation

rintintintinnabulation rin•tin•tin•tin•ab•ul•a•tion): the rhythmic drum-like pattering made against the floor by the tail of a dog as the animal sits on its haunches, antic-p-ting the arrival of its keeper, or expecting an imminent treat.

etymology: a portmanteau of “rin tin tin” and “tintinnabulation”; from “rin tin tin”, the male german shepherd rescued from a wwi battlefield by a u.s. soldier, which became an internationally beloved motion picture star; “tintinnabulation” was coined by edgar allan poe in his poem the bells (c. 1848), with the original meaning of a rhythmic percussion of bells, and later used widely in the united states to describe the gentle rolling or quiet tapping of drums. e.g. “one found oneself immersed in the … tintinnabulations of clapping cymbal rhythms … in the barely audible, rain-like patter of drums…”
“the loud mechanical noise of the garage door closing on its metal chains brought the dog to attention, ‘sitting pretty’ while the rintintintinnabulation of its tail played a steady rhythmic tattoo against the floor of the front-door foyer.”