[f. TING v.: cf. DING sb.2] The sound emitted by a small bell, or other resonant body, as a thin glass vessel, as the result of a single stroke; a thinner or sharper sound than that expressed by TANG. Also advb., or without grammatical construction, esp. when repeated.
1602. Middleton, Blurt, IV. ii. Midnight’s bell goes ting, ting, ting.
1611. Cotgr., Tinton,… the ting of a bell.
1677. Wallis, in Phil. Trans., XII. 842. A thin … Venice-glass, cracked with the … sound of a Trompet … sounding an Unison or a Consonant note to that of the Tone or Ting of the Glass.
1859. Cornwallis, Panorama New World, I. 178. The liquid ting—ting—ting of the bell-bird.
1895. Zangwill, The Master, II. ix. His own turn came, announced by the sharp ting of a hand-bell.
1898. G. W. E. Russell, Collect. & Recoll., xxxiv. 473. He is suddenly summoned by the shrill ting-ting of the division-bell.
1906. Daily Chron., 14 Feb., 6/7. ‘Ting’ went the bell.
b. Ting-a-ling, ting-a-ring, the sound of the continued ringing of a small bell, or the like. Also advb.
1833. Mrs. Marcet, Seasons, II. Spring, iv. 54. The great dinner-bell went ting a ring a ring a ring.
1862. C. C. Robinson, Leeds Gloss., 436. ‘Ting-elin, all in.’… ‘Its ommast ting-elin now.’
1879. Macdonald, Sir Gibbie, xix. I hae naething till acquaint yer honour wi’, sir, but the ting-a-ling o’ tongues.
1906. Westm. Gaz., 20 Jan., 5/1. Ting-a-ling. Telephone again. ‘Who’s there?’
