whistle

whistle
{{11}}whistle (n.) "tubular musical instrument," O.E. hwistle (see WHISTLE (Cf. whistle) (v.)). To wet one's whistle "take a drink" (late 14c.) originally may have referred to pipes, or be an allusion to the throat as a sort of pipe. Phrase clean as a whistle is recorded from 1878. Railroad whistle stop (at which trains stop only if the engineer hears a signal from the station) is recorded from 1934.
{{12}}whistle (v.) O.E. hwistlian, from P.Gmc. *khwis-, of imitative origin. Used also in Middle English of the hissing of serpents. Related: Whistled; whistling. To whistle for (with small prospect of getting) is probably from nautical whistling for a wind. To whistle "Dixie" is from 1940.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Whistle — Whis tle, n. [AS. hwistle a pipe, flute, whistle. See {Whistle}, v. i.] [1913 Webster] 1. A sharp, shrill, more or less musical sound, made by forcing the breath through a small orifice of the lips, or through or instrument which gives a similar… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Whistle! — ホイッスル! (Hoissuru!) …   Википедия

  • whistle — ► NOUN 1) a clear, high pitched sound made by forcing breath through pursed lips, or between one s teeth. 2) any similar sound. 3) an instrument used to produce such a sound. ► VERB 1) emit or produce a whistle. 2) produce (a tune) in such a way …   English terms dictionary

  • whistle — [hwis′əl, wis′əl] vi. whistled, whistling [ME whistlen < OE hwistlian: for IE base see WHISPER] 1. a) to make a clear, shrill sound or note, or a series of these, by forcing breath between the teeth or through a narrow opening made by… …   English World dictionary

  • Whistle — Whis tle, v. t. [1913 Webster] 1. To form, utter, or modulate by whistling; as, to whistle a tune or an air. [1913 Webster] 2. To send, signal, or call by a whistle. [1913 Webster] He chanced to miss his dog; we stood still till he had whistled… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Whistle ! — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Whistle. Whistle ! Type Shōnen Thèmes Football Manga Type Shōnen A …   Wikipédia en Français

  • whistle at — ˈwhistle at [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they whistle at he/she/it whistles at present participle whistling at past tense whistled at …   Useful english dictionary

  • Whistle — Whis tle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Whistled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Whistling}.] [AS. hwistlian; akin to Sw. hvissla, Dan. hvisle, Icel. hv[=i]sla to whisper, and E. whisper. [root]43. See {Whisper}.] [1913 Webster] 1. To make a kind of musical sound, or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Whistle In — is a song written by Brian Wilson for the American pop band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1967 album Smiley Smile . Details * Written by: Brian Wilson * Album: Smiley Smile * Time: 1 min 04 sec * Produced by: The Beach Boys Performers… …   Wikipedia

  • Whistle —   [englisch, wɪsl], 1) Flöte; Pennywhistle;   2) (Triller )Pfeife, z. B. Sambawhistle (auch portugiesisch Apito), bei den Samba Umzügen verwendete, oft mehrtönige Holz oder Metallpfeife, die der Leiter des Ensembles benutzt, um Einsätze neuer… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • whistle — [v] make sharp, shrill sound blare, blast, fife, flute, hiss, pipe, shriek, signal, skirl, sound, toot, tootle, trill, warble, wheeze, whine, whiz*; concepts 65,77 …   New thesaurus

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