Making light repeated strikes or blows, extracting liquid from a container or tree, or secretly listening to private communications. The action of accessing or utilizing a resource.
Middle English 'tappen', from Old French 'taper' (to strike lightly). The surveillance meaning developed in the telegraph era (1890s), when investigators literally tapped into telegraph wires. Tree tapping is much older, from the same root meaning of making a small opening.
Maple syrup tapping inspired the telephone wiretapping metaphor - both involve inserting a small device to extract something valuable flowing through a channel. The rhythm of finger tapping actually helps some people think, as the repetitive motion can stimulate creative brain networks.
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