The best encounter reports are specific about everything except the culprit. A chair scraped back at 12:16. Somebody set down a cup. The room listened to itself for a moment. We publish these little domestic mysteries for their texture as much as their conclusions.
Short bark
A brief, rounded interruption with a soft finish.
Illustrative fart sound effect · Mike Koenig, CC BY 3.0 · Recording and edit credits
Listening notes and recording details →Rolling call
A longer, uneven phrase with several closely spaced pulses.
Illustrative fart sound effect · Mike Koenig, CC BY 3.0 · Recording and edit credits
Listening notes and recording details →Room echo
A short source followed by a small-room reverberation.
Illustrative fart sound effect · Mike Koenig, CC BY 3.0 · Recording and edit credits
Listening notes and recording details →How to compare the recordings
Listen for the first attack, the number of pulses, and how long the sound remains after the source stops. A room echo can make a short source seem much longer. Describing those features is more useful than turning the volume up.
For the expression’s background, read the meaning of barking spider.