Whistle

5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Whistle \Whis"tle\, v. t.
     [1913 Webster]
     1. To form, utter, or modulate by whistling; as, to whistle a
        tune or an air.
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     2. To send, signal, or call by a whistle.
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              He chanced to miss his dog; we stood still till he
              had whistled him up.                  --Addison.
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     {To whistle off}.
        (a) To dismiss by a whistle; -- a term in hawking. "AS a
            long-winged hawk when he is first whistled off the
            fist, mounts aloft." --Burton.
        (b) Hence, in general, to turn loose; to abandon; to
            dismiss.
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                  I 'ld whistle her off, and let her down the wind
                  To prey at fortune.               --Shak.
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     Note: "A hawk seems to have been usually sent off in this
           way, against the wind when sent in search of prey; with
           or down the wind, when turned loose, and abandoned."
           --Nares.
           [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Whistle \Whis"tle\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Whistled}; p. pr. & vb.
     n. {Whistling}.] [AS. hwistlian; akin to Sw. hvissla, Dan.
     hvisle, Icel. hv[imac]sla to whisper, and E. whisper.
     [root]43. See {Whisper}.]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. To make a kind of musical sound, or series of sounds, by
        forcing the breath through a small orifice formed by
        contracting the lips; also, to emit a similar sound, or
        series of notes, from the mouth or beak, as birds.
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              The weary plowman leaves the task of day,
              And, trudging homeward, whistles on the way. --Gay.
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     2. To make a shrill sound with a wind or steam instrument,
        somewhat like that made with the lips; to blow a sharp,
        shrill tone.
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     3. To sound shrill, or like a pipe; to make a sharp, shrill
        sound; as, a bullet whistles through the air.
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              The wild winds whistle, and the billows roar.
                                                    --Pope.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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 sound; the
        sound used by a sportsman in calling his dogs; the shrill
        note of a bird; as, the sharp whistle of a boy, or of a
        boatswain's pipe; the blackbird's mellow whistle.
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              Might we but hear
              The folded flocks, penned in their wattled cotes, .
              . .
              Or whistle from the lodge.            --Milton.
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              The countryman could not forbear smiling, . . . and
              by that means lost his whistle.       --Spectator.
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              They fear his whistle, and forsake the seas.
                                                    --Dryden.
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     2. The shrill sound made by wind passing among trees or
        through crevices, or that made by bullet, or the like,
        passing rapidly through the air; the shrill noise (much
        used as a signal, etc.) made by steam or gas escaping
        through a small orifice, or impinging against the edge of
        a metallic bell or cup.
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     3. An instrument in which gas or steam forced into a cavity,
        or against a thin edge, produces a sound more or less like
        that made by one who whistles through the compressed lips;
        as, a child's whistle; a boatswain's whistle; a steam
        whistle (see {Steam whistle}, under {Steam}).
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The bells she jingled, and the whistle blew. --Pope.
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     4. The mouth and throat; -- so called as being the organs of
        whistling. [Colloq.]
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              So was her jolly whistle well ywet.   --Chaucer.
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              Let's drink the other cup to wet our whistles.
                                                    --Walton.
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     {Whistle duck} (Zool.), the American golden-eye.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  whistle
       n 1: the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam
            coming out of a small aperture [syn: {whistling}]
       2: the act of signalling (e.g., summoning) by whistling or
          blowing a whistle; "the whistle signalled the end of the
          game" [syn: {whistling}]
       3: acoustic device that forces air or steam against an edge or
          into a cavity and so produces a loud shrill sound
       4: an inexpensive fipple flute [syn: {pennywhistle}, {tin
          whistle}]
       v 1: make whistling sounds; "He lay there, snoring and whistling"
       2: move with, or as with, a whistling sound; "The bullets
          whistled past him"
       3: utter or express by whistling; "She whistled a melody"
       4: move, send, or bring as if by whistling; "Her optimism
          whistled away these worries"
       5: make a whining, ringing, or whistling sound; "the kettle was
          singing"; "the bullet sang past his ear" [syn: {sing}]
       6: give a signal by whistling; "She whistled for her maid"

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  356 Moby Thesaurus words for "whistle":
     Angelus, Angelus bell, English horn, Klaxon, Mayday, Pandean pipe,
     SOS, air-raid alarm, alarm, alarm bell, alarm clock, alarm signal,
     alarum, alert, all clear, anthem, assibilation, aulos, bagpipe,
     ballad, basset horn, basset oboe, bassoon, battle cry, bay, beacon,
     beam, beep, bell, birdcall, birdies, blare, blast, blat,
     blinking light, blooping, blow, blow a horn, blow the horn,
     blurping, boiler factory, boiler room, bombard, boo, bray, bugle,
     bugle call, bull-roarer, burglar alarm, buzz, buzzer, cackle, call,
     caper, caracole, carillon, carol, catcall, caterwaul, caw, chant,
     chatter, cheep, cherry bomb, chirk, chirp, chirr, chirrup, chitter,
     choir, chorus, chuck, clack, clacker, clap hands, clapper,
     clarinet, clarion, cluck, cock-a-doodle-doo, contrabassoon,
     contrafagotto, coo, cracker, creak, cricket, croak, cromorne,
     cronk, croon, crostarie, crow, cuckoo, dance, delight, descant,
     distortion, do-re-mi, doodle, double bassoon, double reed,
     double-tongue, drum, effervesce, effervescence, effervescing,
     exult, fanfare, feedback, fiery cross, fife, fipple flute,
     fire alarm, fire bell, fire flag, firecracker, five-minute gun,
     fizz, fizzle, fizzling, flageolet, flashing light,
     flourish of trumpets, flute, flutter, fluttering, fog bell,
     fog signal, foghorn, frication, frictional rustling, frisk, frolic,
     gabble, gaggle, gale warning, gambol, give the bird,
     give the raspberry, glory, glow, gobble, groan, growl, guggle,
     hautboy, heckelphone, hiss, hissing, honk, hoo, hoot, hooter, horn,
     hornpipe, howl, howling, hue and cry, hum, hurricane warning, hush,
     hushing, hymn, intonate, intone, joy, jubilate, keen, last post,
     laugh, licorice stick, lighthouse, lilt, lip, lisp, minstrel, moan,
     moose call, motorboating, murmur, musette, mutter, noisemaker,
     note of alarm, oaten reed, oboe, oboe da caccia, ocarina,
     occulting light, panpipe, peal, peep, penny-whistle, piccolo, pip,
     pipe, police whistle, pommer, psalm, quack, quaver, radiate cheer,
     rallying cry, rattle, rattlebox, rebel yell, recorder, reed,
     reed instrument, rejoice, reveille, revel, rhonchus, roar, roll,
     rollick, romp, roulade, rumble, sax, saxophone, scold, scratching,
     screak, scream, screech, serenade, shake, shawm, shredding, shriek,
     shrill, shush, shushing, sibilance, sibilate, sibilation, siffle,
     sigh, sigmatism, signal of distress, sing, sing in chorus,
     single reed, single-reed instrument, siren, siss, sissing, sizz,
     sizzle, sizzling, skip, skip for joy, skirl, skreigh,
     small-craft warning, smile, snapper, snarl, sneeze, sneezing,
     sniff, sniffle, snore, snort, snuff, snuffle, sob, sol-fa,
     solmizate, sonorophone, sough, sound, sound a tattoo, sound taps,
     sparkle, spit, splutter, sputter, squash, squawk, squeak, squeal,
     squeals, squelch, squish, static, steam whistle, sternutation,
     stertor, still alarm, storm cone, storm flag, storm warning,
     summons, sweet potato, swish, syrinx, tabor pipe, tantara,
     tantarara, taps, tarantara, tattoo, tenoroon, ticktack,
     tin-whistle, tocsin, tongue, toot, tootle, tremolo, trill,
     triple-tongue, troll, trumpet, trumpet blast, trumpet call,
     tweedle, tweedledee, tweet, twit, twitter, two-minute gun, ululate,
     ululation, upside-down flag, vocalize, wail, war cry, warble,
     wheeze, whine, whish, whisper, whistle at, whistles, whistling,
     white noise, whiz, whizgig, whizzer, whoosh, wind, wind the horn,
     woods, woodwind, woodwind choir, woodwind instrument, woomping,
     wow, wowwows, wrawl, yammer, yodel, zip