blip

 
Pronunciation: /blɪp/

noun

  • 1an unexpected, minor, and typically temporary deviation from a general trend: the Chancellor dismissed rising inflation as a blip
  • 2a very short high-pitched sound made by an electronic device: computer games can drive you crazy with their blips and bleeps
  • a small flashing point of light on a radar screen representing an object: air traffic controllers watching the blips on their radars

verb (blips, blipping, blipped)

  • 1 [no object] (of an electronic device) make a very short high-pitched sound or succession of sounds: big boxes of esoteric electronics hummed and blipped
  • 2 [with object] open (the throttle of a motor vehicle) momentarily: he straddled the bike and blipped the throttle

Origin:

late 19th century (denoting a sudden rap or tap): imitative; the noun sense 'unexpected deviation' dates from the 1970s