whistlingn.
/ˈhwɪs(ə)lɪŋ/ The action of whistle v., in various senses.
1.
a. The action of producing a shrill note or notes by forcing the breath through the lips; the utterance of a tune, etc. in this way; †hissing: see whistle v. 1, 5.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > continuous or protracted sound > sibilant sound > [noun]
whistlingc897
hissinga1425
hiss1513
whissing1555
hizzing1582
sibilation1626
afflatus1753
siss1859
shish1881
sizzing1890
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > other vocal sounds > [noun] > whistling
whistlingc897
whistle1447
whew1513
whewing?1590
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > [noun] > whistling
whistlingc897
whistle1447
c897 K. Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care xxiii. 173 Sua sua mid liðre wisðlunga mon hors gestilleð, sua eac mid ð ære illcan wistlunga mon mæg hund astyrigean.
c1100 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 162/44 Sibilatio, hwistlung.
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xv. 456 Foules þat..folwed his whistellynge.
1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) 2 Chron. xxix. 8 He toke hem in to distourblynge, and into deth, and in to whistlyng [L. sibilum].
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum xviii. xiv. (Bodl.) lf. 255 b/2 An oxe heerde..pleseþ ham [sc. the oxen] wiþ whistelinge and wiþ songe.
1577 J. Grange Golden Aphroditis sig. Kiijv Vnmanned Haukes forsake the lure, all whistlyng brings them not to fiste.
1663 A. Cowley Agric. in Ess. in Verse & Prose in Wks. (1674) 106 Some swell up their sleight Sails with pop'lar fame, Charm'd with the foolish whistlings of a Name.
1787 F. Grose Superstitions 66 in Provinc. Gloss. Whistling at sea is supposed to cause an increase of wind, if not a storm.
1845 R. Ford Hand-bk. Travellers in Spain I. i. 45 The same absence of thought which is shown in England by whistling is displayed in Spain by singing.
1892 R. Kipling Lett. of Trav. (1920) 65 He continued an interrupted whistling of ‘I owe ten dollars to O'Grady’.
b. The action of sounding a whistle or pipe; piping.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > indication > signalling > audible signalling > signalling with other sounding instruments > [noun] > sounding of whistle
whistlingc950
whistle1447
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > playing instruments > playing wind instrument > [noun] > playing pipe or whistle
whistlingc950
pipingc1300
whistle1447
scrannel-piping1834
c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Luke xv. 25 Wæs ða sunu his ældra on lond & miððy gecuome & geneolecde to huse geherde huislung [L. simphoniam] & þæt song.
1576 R. Curteys Two Serm. sig. Bivv The Shephearde needeth a Whistle, and..a Dog and an hooke, that suche Sheep as wil not come in with whistling may be either baited in with a Dogge, or drawen in with a Hook.
1679 I. Bargrave tr. F. Micanzio Exact Discov. Myst. Iniquity 14 The Master of a Galley..with once whistling makes all the Galley Slaves fall to their Oars.
1884 Manch. Examiner 6 Oct. 5/6 The occasional whistling of an engine.
c. In phrases alluding to the act of whistling by way of a call or summons, as for the whistling (= quite easily, without any trouble), worth the whistling.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > easiness > easy, easily, or without difficulty [phrase]
with a wet finger1542
for the whistling1546
like a bird1825
as easy (or simple) as falling (or rolling) off a log1839
without tears1857
like a dream1882
as easy as winking1907
the world > action or operation > advantage > [phrase] > worthwhile
whilea1387
worth the whistling1546
1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue i. xi. sig. Eiii It is..a poore dogge. that is not worth the whistlyng.
1610 J. Robinson Justif. Separation from Church of Eng. 152 In England a man may haue a Priest for the whisteling.
1631 W. Cornwallis Ess. (ed. 2) ii. lii. 334 Magnanimitie, state, absolutenes, are qualities worth the whistling.
1655 in E. Nicholas Nicholas Papers (1892) II. 287 He may be had for whistlinge.
d. In figurative phrase whistling in the dark: see whistle v. 9b.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > courage > moral courage > making bold appearance > [noun] > making pretence of bravery
whistling in the dark1939
1939 Time 18 Dec. 21/3 Since precious little German trade can be sailed, submarined or flown overseas, writing about ‘new possibilities’..sounded like official whistling in the dark.
1968 J. M. White Nightclimber xix. 132 He, like me, hated and feared being carried in this ship, for all his whistling in the dark.
1977 Listener 10 Feb. 169/3 Lenin and his wife..were not above a little whistling in the dark to keep up their spirits.
2.
a. The utterance of a clear shrill note or notes, as the natural call of a bird or other animal; †also formerly, the hissing of serpents.In quots. 14872 apparently an error for questing = baying (of dogs).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > by noises > voice or sound made by animal > [noun] > whistle or chirp > whistling or chirping
whistlingc950
cheepinga1585
fritiniency1646
pipping1750
yeeping1945
the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Ophidia (snakes) > [noun] > hissing
whistlinga1400
c950 Prose Life Guthlac (1909) viii. 139 Mislice fugela hwistlunge.
a1400 K. Alis. (Laud) 5247 Grete Addren comen flynge And scorpions wiþ vile whistlynge.
1426 J. Lydgate tr. G. de Guileville Pilgrimage Life Man 14140 Whan I here ther..whystlynges, For verray Ioy I hoppe and daunce.
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) vi. 94 A hundis quhestlyng.
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) vi. 87 He herd..A hundis quhistlyng [1616 Hart whissilling; 1489 Adv. questionyng] apon fer.
1743 A. Pope Dunciad (rev. ed.) iii. 156 Each Cygnet sweet..Whose tuneful whistling makes the waters pass.
1847 F. W. L. Leichhardt Jrnl. Overland Exped. Austral. xiii. 461 The leatherhead with its constantly changing call and whistling.
1855 C. E. Norton Let. to Lowell 6 Apr. There is scarcely a sound but the whistling of the frogs.
b. A form of broken wind in horses: cf. whistler n. 2d.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of horses > [noun] > respiratory disorders
wind?1523
pursick1566
pursickness1610
roaring1813
heaves1828
broken wind1831
thick wind1831
whistling1856
1856 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Rural Sports ii. iii. ii. §1. 403 Roaring, whistling, and all defects of the wind, are easily discovered on the first smart gallop.
3. The production of any shrill sound of this kind, as by the wind, a missile, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > shrill quality > [noun] > whistle
whew1513
whistling1513
whiplinga1529
whist1579
whewing?1590
siffling1603
sifflement1607
whistlea1648
whutea1663
whiff1712
whoop1840
whiffle1972
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid i. ii. 6 Quhair Eolus..the wyndis lowde quhisling..by his power refrenis.
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 v. i. 5 The Southren winde..by his hollow whistling in the leaues Foretels a tempest. View more context for this quotation
1608 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iv. 107 Seas angry noise, lowd bellowing of the winde,..the tackles whisteling.
1609 Bible (Douay) I. 1 Kings xix. 12 And after the fire a wistling of a gentle winde.
1686 J. Scott Christian Life: Pt. II II. vii. 524 We regard what he saith no more than we do the whistling of the Wind.
1801 J. Strutt Glig-gamena Angel-ðeod ii. i. 58 The arrows made a loud whistling in their flight.
1841 J. F. Cooper Deerslayer I. iii. 52 At the report of the rifle, and the whistling of the bullet.
1844 W. Dufton Nature & Treatm. Deafness 77 If there is mucus, then various kinds of gurgling and whistling will be evident.
1895 J. G. Millais Breath from Veldt x. 229 Swishing their white tails..with such violence that the whistling caused by this movement can be heard nearly a quarter of a mile away.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
whistling match n.
ΚΠ
1837 D. Walker Games & Sports 344 Whistling Match. A match of this kind is recorded in a paper of Addison's.
whistling pipe n.
ΚΠ
1586 Praise of Musicke i. 18 The whistling pipes which were made, for the most part, of reedes.
C2.
whistling-post n. a post beside a railway-line, on passing which the engine-whistle is sounded.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > rail travel > railway system or organization > [noun] > post on passing which whistle is sounded
whistling-post1898
1898 H. E. Hamblen Gen. Manager's Story x. 140 I managed to see most of the whistling-posts,..and..I blew the crossing signal anyway.
whistling-shop n. slang a room in a prison in which spirits were secretly sold without a licence (a signal being given by whistling to escape detection).
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > punishment > imprisonment > prison > [noun] > a room in prison > in which alcohol was sold
whistling-shop1796
society > trade and finance > trading place > place where retail transactions made > [noun] > shop > shop selling liquor > unlicensed
shebeenc1787
whistling-shop1796
1796 Grose's Classical Dict. Vulgar Tongue (ed. 3) Whistling shop, rooms in the King's Bench prison where drams are privately sold.
1821 W. T. Moncrieff Tom & Jerry iii. v Scene V.—Interior of Whistling Shop.
1837 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers xliv. 489 A whistling-shop, Sir, is where they sell spirits.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1924; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
whistlingadj.
That whistles, in various senses.
1.
a. Of inanimate things: see whistle v. 3. whistling arrow, a toy arrow formerly in use, with a hollow head so constructed as to make a whistling sound in flying. whistling buoy, a buoy fitted with a whistle which is automatically sounded by the movement of the waves. whistling kettle, a kettle fitted with a device that emits a whistle as the water boils.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > shrill quality > [adjective] > whistling (of sound) > making whistling sound
whistlingc1405
whutingc1600
whiffling1834
siffling1866
whistly1907
society > leisure > entertainment > toy or plaything > toy weapons > [noun]
poop1489
pellet1553
trunk1553
elder-gun1600
popgun1649
spitter1688
pluff1695
whistling arrowa1718
pea-shooter1782
pea gun1812
detonating ball1814
pea-blower1821
pen-gun1821
pipegun1828
torpedo1831
spring gun1837
putty blower1861
tweaker1862
pluffera1866
bean-shooter1890
putty shooter1896
water pistol1897
stink bomb1915
cap-pistol1920
cap-gun1931
laser gun1961
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > buoys, marks, or lighthouses > [noun] > buoy > other types of buoy
can-buoy1626
mast-buoy1675
nun buoy1703
breakwater1769
under-buoy1793
light buoy1822
bell-buoy1838
spar-buoy1860
gas buoy1865
whistling buoy1880
puppy1890
singing-buoy1894
gas float1895
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > equipment for food preparation > cooking vessel or pot > [noun] > cauldron or kettle > types of
fish-kettle1681
braising-kettle1825
whistling kettle1928–9
c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 170 Men myghte his brydel heere Gyngle in a whistlynge wynd.
a1547 Earl of Surrey tr. Virgil Fourth Bk. Aeneas (1554) iv. sig. Civv The whystelyng ayre among the braunches rores.
a1593 C. Marlowe tr. Lucan First Bk. (1600) i. 240 Shrill cornets, whistling fifes.
1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream ii. i. 86 To daunce our ringlets to the whistling winde. View more context for this quotation
1668 J. Flavell Saint Indeed 71 To a guilty Conscience, the whistling leaves are Drums and Trumpets.
a1718 M. Prior Henry & Emma 333 Winged Deaths in whistling Arrows fly.
1785 W. Cowper Task vi. 941 The..haughty world..sweeps him with her whistling silks.
1785 W. Cowper Task iii. 802 The whistling ball Sent through the trav'ller's temples!
1842 Ld. Tennyson Sir Galahad v, in Poems (new ed.) II. 177 Blessed forms in whistling storms Fly o'er waste fens.
1880 Cassell's Family Mag. VI. 124/2 The Courtenay automatic whistling buoy.
1891 F. W. Farrar Darkness & Dawn I. xviii. 156 The whistling strokes of the scourge.
1897 R. Kipling Captains Courageous viii The We're Here crawled in on half-flood, and the whistling-buoy moaned and mourned behind her.
1928–9 Army & Navy Stores Catal. 173/4 The Whistling kettle. When the water boils the kettle whistles.
1961 J. Stroud Touch & Go iv. 43 The whistling kettle..burst into an unnerving shriek.
1974 R. Ingham Yoris xx. 63 She put a small whistling kettle on the gas ring.
b. transferred of a time or place: Characterized by or full of whistling.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > shrill quality > [adjective] > whistling (of sound) > characterized by whistling
whistling1623
1623 J. Wodroephe Spared Houres Souldier 475/2 A Whistling March, that makes the Plough Man blithe.
1638 T. Herbert Some Yeares Trav. (rev. ed.) 167 Our..journey..through whistling dales; in..which we were..weather-beaten with a raging storme.
1806 R. Forsyth Beauties Scotl. III. 227 The English Chapel [in Glasgow]..the common people,..on account of its organ, stigmatize it with the contemptuous epithet of the whistling kirk.
c. Military. Designating a missile which makes a whistling sound in flight, or a gun from which such missiles are fired. Frequently in the nicknames of these.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > missile > ammunition for firearms > [adjective] > types of bullet or shell
armour-piercinga1686
rifled1797
high-velocity1854
smooth-bore1859
subcalibre1863
whistling1864
full-metal-jacketed1896
full-metal-jacket1898
pipsqueak1916
1864 J. Brobst Let. 28 May in M. B. Roth Well, Mary: Civil War Lett. Wisconsin Volunteer (1960) iv. 67 We dare not show our heads unless we want them to send one of their whistling jimmies at us.
1902 J. Milne Epist. Atkins iv. 67 At Ladysmith ‘Sighing Sarah’ and ‘Whistling Willie’ proclaim their own shots from Umbalwana.
1926 T. E. Lawrence Seven Pillars (subscribers' ed.) xcv. 507 The aeroplanes circled round in their cold-blooded way, to drop whistling bombs into its trenches.
1948 W. White Man called White 256 Three heavy German guns which the Americans nicknamed ‘The Anzio Express’ and ‘Whistling Willies’.
2.
a. Of a sound: Of the nature of a whistle; such as is produced by a whistle or shrill pipe.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > shrill quality > [adjective] > whistling (of sound)
whistling1662
1662 R. Boyle Examen Mr. T. Hobbs iii. 16 The external Air rushing in with a whistling noise at the..Orifice.
1668 Bp. J. Wilkins Ess. Real Char. 363 The u Gallicum, or whistling u,..cannot be denied to be a distinct simple vowel.
1750 G. Hughes Nat. Hist. Barbados iv. 119 The Wind, blowing into the Cavities of these Husks, makes a very sonorous whistling Noise.
1831 W. Scott Count Robert ii, in Tales of my Landlord 4th Ser. I. 49 They..beheld the barbarian..brandish high his formidable weapon, the whistling sound of which made the old arch ring.
1851 W. H. Walshe Dis. Lungs & Heart 97 Sibilant rhonchus..two varieties, the short and the prolonged, or the clicking and the whistling.
b. whistling atmospheric n. = whistler n. 3b.
ΚΠ
1953 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) A. 246 128 The main facts of observation concerning the whistling atmospherics..are summarized above.
1959 R. D. Davies & H. P. Palmer Radio Stud. Universe ix. 174 Storey at Cambridge in 1952..was investigating a phenomenon known as whistling atmospherics or simply ‘whistlers’ which are groups of radio waves at audio frequencies (15 kc/s).
1963 G. M. B. Dobson Exploring Atmosphere viii. 141 It is also possible to get some information about the ionization at very great heights above the earth from the curious phenomenon of ‘whistlers’ or ‘whistling atmospherics’.
3.
a. Of a person: see whistle v. 1, 4.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > singing > [adjective] > whistling
whistling1631
1631 B. Jonson New Inne i. i. 23 I must ha'..whistling boyes to bring my haruest home.
1721 J. Kelly Compl. Coll. Scotish Prov. 33 A crooning Cow, a crowing Hen, and a whistling Maid boded never luck to a House.
1741 S. Richardson Pamela III. xii. 55 Jackey..was the most thoughtless, whistling, sauntering Fellow.
1820 W. Wordsworth Sonnets dedicated to Liberty (new ed.) i. viii, in Misc. Poems III. 212 Whether the whistling Rustic tend his plough Within thy hearing.
1850 Notes & Queries 1st Ser. 2 164/1 A whistling woman and a crowing hen Is neither fit for God nor men.
b. That keeps a ‘whistling-shop’ (see whistling-shop n. at whistling n. Compounds 2).
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > selling > selling or sale of specific things > [adjective] > selling liquor
tippling?a1500
whistling1837
1837 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers xliv. 490 ‘Any more?’ said the whistling gentleman.
Compounds
C1. Of a bird or other animal: see whistle v. 2. Chiefly as a descriptive epithet of particular species.
whistling dick n. a name for various species of thrush, esp. of the Australian genus Colluricincla.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > order Passeriformes (singing) > family Muscicapidae (thrushes, etc.) > [noun] > subfamily Pachycephalinae > genus Colluricincla or shrike thrush
whistling dick1848
shrike-thrush1898
1848 J. Gould Birds Austral. II. pl. 77 Colluricincla Selbii,..Whistling Dick, of the Colonists of Van Diemen's Land.
whistling duck n. various species of duck, as the golden-eye and the widgeon (cf. whistler n. 2a).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > freshwater birds > order Anseriformes (geese, etc.) > subfamily Merginae (duck) > [noun] > member of genus Anas (miscellaneous) > anas penelope (Eurasian widgeon)
wigeon1508
winder1542
atteal1600
smeath1622
smee1668
whistling duck1699
whima1705
white-face1709
poacher1888
the world > animals > birds > freshwater birds > order Anseriformes (geese, etc.) > subfamily Merginae (duck) > [noun] > genus Bucephala > bucephala clangula (golden-eye)
cur1621
goldeneye1622
shelden1674
whistling duck1699
four-eyes1755
garrot1829
jingler1829
great-head1843
musselcracker1845
whistle-wing1872
ironhead1888
whiffler1888
1699 W. Dampier Voy. & Descr. ii. ii. 69 Whistling Ducks are somewhat less than our Common Duck... In flying, their Wings make a pretty sort of loud whistling Noise.
1863 H. W. Bates Naturalist on River Amazons I. vii. 273 Flocks of whistling ducks (Anas autumnalis), parrots, and..macaws..flew over.
Categories »
whistling eagle n.
whistling field bird n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > order Charadriiformes > [noun] > family Charadriidae > genus Pluvialis > pluvialis squatarola (grey plover)
sea plover1634
whistling plover1668
strand plover1772
squatarole1819
whistling field bird1819
grey plover1838
whistling field plover1872
Swiss plover1874
pilot1880
1819 J. F. Stephens Shaw's Gen. Zool. XI. ii. 467 [The Alwargrim Plover] is called in America the Large Whistling Field Bird, from its note, which is very shrill.
whistling field plover n. the grey plover ( Squatarola helvetica).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > order Charadriiformes > [noun] > family Charadriidae > genus Pluvialis > pluvialis squatarola (grey plover)
sea plover1634
whistling plover1668
strand plover1772
squatarole1819
whistling field bird1819
grey plover1838
whistling field plover1872
Swiss plover1874
pilot1880
1872 E. Coues Key to N. Amer. Birds 243 Whistling Field Plover. Bull-head. Ox-eye.
whistling fish n. = whistle-fish n. at whistle n. Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > fish > class Osteichthyes or Teleostomi > superorder Paracanthopterygii > order Gadiformes (cod) > [noun] > family Gadidae > rocklings > motella vulgaris (three-bearded rockling)
rockling1602
weasel-linga1682
sea-loach1686
whistle-fish1686
whistling fish1766
weasel-fish1773
whistler1864
the world > animals > fish > class Osteichthyes or Teleostomi > superorder Paracanthopterygii > order Gadiformes (cod) > [noun] > family Gadidae > rocklings > rhinonemus cimbrius (four-bearded rockling)
rockling1602
weasel-linga1682
sea-loach1686
whistle-fish1686
whistling fish1766
weasel-fish1773
whistler1864
the world > animals > fish > class Osteichthyes or Teleostomi > superorder Paracanthopterygii > order Gadiformes (cod) > [noun] > family Gadidae > rocklings > ciliata mustela (five-bearded rockling)
rockling1602
weasel-linga1682
sea-loach1686
whistle-fish1686
whistling fish1766
weasel-fish1773
whistler1864
1766 T. Pennant Brit. Zool. i. 36 The seals..are seen searching for their prey near shore; where the whistling fish, wraws, and polacks resort.
Categories »
whistling hawk n. a small eagle or large hawk ( Haliastur sphenurus) of Australia and New Caledonia.
Categories »
whistling marmot n. = whistler n. 2b.
whistling moth n. (see quot.).
ΚΠ
1907 Nature 19 Sept. 516/1 The ‘whistling (stridulating) moths’ of the genus Hecatesia..emit sounds like the call of a Cicada.
whistling plover n. (a) the European golden plover, Pluvialis apricaria; (b) the grey plover, Pluvialis squatarola (Swainson); (c) the stone curlew, Burhinus oedicnemus.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > order Charadriiformes > [noun] > genus Burhinus (thick-knees) > burhinus oedicnemus (stone curlew)
caladriea1425
whistling plover1668
stone curlew1678
stone plover1678
great plovera1705
Norfolk plover1766
stone-snipe1785
the world > animals > birds > order Charadriiformes > [noun] > family Charadriidae > genus Pluvialis > pluvialis squatarola (grey plover)
sea plover1634
whistling plover1668
strand plover1772
squatarole1819
whistling field bird1819
grey plover1838
whistling field plover1872
Swiss plover1874
pilot1880
the world > animals > birds > order Charadriiformes > [noun] > family Charadriidae > genus Pluvialis > pluvialis dominica (American golden plover)
green plover1550
whistling plover1668
golden plover1766
frost bird1803
greenback1843
prairie plover1851
prairie snipe1851
prairie pigeon1874
kolea1888
squealer1888
1668 W. Charleton Onomasticon Zoicon 109 Pluvialis Flavovirescens, the green Plover, & whistling Plover.
1682 S. Wilson Acct. Province Carolina 12 On the grassy plaines the whistling Plover and Cranes.
1725 D. Defoe New Voy. round World i. 158 We..found..a great many of the Whistling Plover the same with Ours.
whistling swan n. (see swan n. 1a).
ΚΠ
1785 T. Pennant Arctic Zool. II. ii. 542 The Whistling Swan carries its neck quite erect.
1803 W. Bingley Animal Biogr. II. 504 The Whistling or Wild Swan..is an inhabitant of the northern regions.
1896 R. B. Sharpe Hand-bk. Birds Great Brit. II. 246 The Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator) and the Whistling Swan (C. americanus).
Categories »
whistling thrush n. a local name for the song-thrush.
whistling widgeon n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > freshwater birds > order Anseriformes (geese, etc.) > subfamily Merginae (duck) > [noun] > member of genus Anas (miscellaneous) > anas penelope (Eurasian widgeon) > female
whewer1634
whistling widgeon1668
whew-duck1804
1668 W. Charleton Onomasticon Zoicon 100 Boscas, aliis Anas Fistularis,..the Whewer, or Whistling Widgeon.
C2.
whistling thorn n. a small prickly tree, Acacia drepanolobium or A. zanzibarica, found in East Africa.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > non-British trees or shrubs > acacia trees > [noun]
acacia1542
babul1696
marblewood1753
black wattle1802
popinac1809
wattlec1810
wattle-treec1810
giraffe tree1815
haakdoring1822
hookthorn1822
kameeldoorn1822
camel-thorn1824
catechu-tree1829
silver wattle1832
blackthorn1833
thorny acacia1834
boobyalla1835
seyal1844
mulga1848
thorn-wood1850
hackthorn1857
mimosa1857
poison tree1857
Port Jackson1857
talha1857
golden wattle1859
whitethorn acacia1860
buffalo thorn1866
nelia1867
siris1874
cassie1876
couba1878
needlebush1884
sallow wattle1884
sally1884
giddea1885
prickly Moses1887
yarran1888
opopanax tree1889
wait-a-while1889
fever tree1893
giraffe acacia1896
stay-a-while1898
brigalow1901
wirra1904
cootamundra1909
Sydney golden wattle1909
witchetty bush1911
rooikrans1917
jam-tree1934
whistling thorn1949
blackthorn1966
1949 R. O. Williams Useful & Ornamental Plants in Zanzibar 102 Acacia zanzibarica..Coast Whistling Thorn. A thorny tree..bearing balls of bright yellow flowers.
1966 C. A. W. Guggisberg S.O.S. Rhino iii. 53 The rapid spread of the whistling thorn over vast areas..is probably a result of the reduction..of this animal!
1976 K. Thackeray Crownbird i. 9 The cab was full of whistling thorn, and swarming with red ants.
Derivatives
ˈwhistlingly adv. with a whistle or whistling.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > shrill quality > [adverb] > whistle
whistlingly1851
1851 H. Melville Moby-Dick lxxxiv. 410 Stubb whistlingly gathers up the coil of the warp.
1891 Illustr. Sporting & Dramatic News Christmas No., 36/2 A wind got up, suddenly, whistlingly.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1924; most recently modified version published online June 2021).
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n.c897adj.c1405