scat

Instead he looks for scat and footprints, which were harder to spot in the winter because of the frozen ground.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026

Newly christened, she became known for scat singing, a vocal style that originated with ragtime - which enabled her to improvise melodies using her voice as an instrument.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2025

He took out his gun and burst into the house, where he was greeted by a giant pile of bear scat.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2025

For music, the show has an original score by the veteran trombonist Craig Harris, played by a jazz band that includes three vocalists who do sometimes scat.

From New York Times ● Jun. 17, 2024

Piles of bear scat on the trail and, at one point, a set of fresh grizzly tracks—each print half again as long as a size- nine boot print—put me on edge.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

She sang open-throated declarations, recited broken poetic verses, scatted with the authority of a jazz singer, moaned with bluesy intent, and occasionally let loose an unbridled shriek or giggle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026

On “Bebop,” by his mentor Dizzy Gillespie, El’Zabar scatted the melody along with the horns.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 17, 2022

After they climbed off Parker, the Sparks scatted about the court. 

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2016

The beautiful public baths, just off Twenty-third Street on Asser Levy Place, across from Peter Cooper Village, are like a pun on the defeat of the rebel forces that scatted here, headed north.

From The New Yorker ● Dec. 25, 2015

So they scatted out the back, Lizzie still dripping now and again.

From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt

By rephrasing melodies, throwing in slang, using nonsense syllables, embracing scatting, and making it seem as if he was speaking directly to you, he changed the way people sang and thought about vocal performances.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026

The first rule of ZAZ-style comedy is that you can’t ever appear like you’re in on the joke, which Anderson edges close to once when she breaks into a scatting jazz number.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2025

A guest appearance by the actor and clown Bill Irwin brought out the vaudevillian side of the show with scatting wordplay that involved layering syllables and some hat choreography, too.

From New York Times ● Oct. 6, 2021

Scooby-Doo’s name came from Silverman, who had heard Frank Sinatra scatting “doo-be-doo-be-doo” on a recording of “Strangers in the Night,” and whose own name was used for Fred, the group’s ascot-wearing leader.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 13, 2020

His grandmother stamps her foot as if she were scatting an animal.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez