Whistle

Whistle, hwis′l, v.i. to make a shrill sound by forcing the breath through the lips contracted: to make a like sound with an instrument: to sound shrill: to inform by whistling, to become informer.—v.t. to form or utter by whistling: to call by a whistle.—n. the sound made in whistling: a small wind instrument: an instrument sounded by escaping steam, used for signalling on railway-engines, steamships, &c.—adj. Whis′tle-drunk (obs.), too drunk to whistle.—ns. Whis′tle-fish, a rockling; Whis′tler, one who, or that which, whistles: a kind of marmot: a broken-winded horse; Whis′tling.—adv. Whis′tlingly.—n. Whis′tling-shop (slang), a shebeen, the keeper being called a whistler.—Whistle down the wind, to talk to no purpose; Whistle for, to summon by whistling; Whistle for a wind, a superstitious practice of old sailors during a calm; Whistle off, to send off by a whistle: (Shak.) turn loose.—Go whistle (Shak.), to go to the deuce; Pay for one's whistle, to pay highly for one's caprice; Pigs and whistles, an exclamation equivalent to 'The deuce!' or the like—also in phrase, 'To make pigs and whistles of anything'=to make a sad mess of it; Wet one's whistle (coll.), to take a drink of liquor; Worth the whistle, worth the trouble of calling for. [A.S. hwistlian; Sw. hvissla; cf. Whisper.]