scuttlebutt

Short definition from Wiktionary

Noun

1. 1
   Originally (now chiefly historical), a cask with a hole cut into its top, used to provide drinking water on board a ship; now (by extension, informal), a drinking fountain on a modern ship.
2. 2
   Gossip, idle chatter; also, rumour.

Verb

1. 1
   To spread (information) by way of gossip or rumour.
2. 2
   To chat idly or gossip; also, to spread rumours.