whistle

whistle
noun
1》 a clear, high-pitched sound made by forcing breath through a small hole between partly closed lips, or between one's teeth.
    ↘any similar sound.
2》 an instrument used to produce such a sound, especially for giving a signal.
3》 Brit. informal a suit. [from rhyming sl. whistle and flute.]
verb
1》 emit or produce a whistle.
    ↘produce (a tune) by whistling.
    ↘move rapidly through the air or a narrow opening with a whistling sound.
2》 blow a whistle.
3》 (whistle for) wish for or expect (something) in vain.
Phrases
blow the whistle on informal bring (an illicit activity) to an end by informing on the person responsible.
(as) clean as a whistle extremely clean or clear.
whistle something down the wind
1》 let go or abandon something.
2》 archaic turn a trained hawk loose by casting it off with the wind.
whistle in the dark pretend to be unafraid.
Derivatives
whistler noun
Origin
OE (h)wistlian (v.), (h)wistle (n.), of Gmc origin; imitative.

English new terms 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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