The nautical term scuttlebutt means a rumor.  A scuttlebutt is literally a drinking fountain, but originally it referred to a cask that held drinking water.  This comes from a combination of “scuttle” (to make a hole) and “butt” (a cask or hogshead used in the days of wooden ships to hold drinking water). The crew would congregate around the “scuttlebutt” and trade rumors about the ship or voyage.  The name for the water cask was transferred to modern drinking fountains, and so was the gossiping.  Eventually, “scuttlebutt” became the rumor itself.