whistle (redirected from as clean as a whistle)

whis·tle  (hwsl, ws-)

v. whis·tled, whis·tling, whis·tles

v.intr.

1. To produce a clear musical sound by forcing air through the teeth or through an aperture formed by pursing the lips.

2. To produce a clear, shrill, sharp musical sound by blowing on or through a device.

3.

a. To produce a high-pitched sound when moving swiftly through the air: The stone whistled past my head.

b. To produce a high-pitched sound by the rapid movement of air through an opening or past an obstruction: Wind whistled through the cracks in the windows.

4. To emit a shrill, sharp, high-pitched cry, as some birds and other animals.

v.tr.

1. To produce by whistling: whistle a tune.

2. To summon, signal, or direct by whistling.

3. To cause to move with a whistling noise.

n.

1.

a. A small wind instrument for making whistling sounds by means of the breath.

b. A device for making whistling sounds by means of forced air or steam: a factory whistle.

2. A sound produced by a whistling device or by whistling through the lips.

3. A whistling sound, as of an animal or a projectile.

4. The act of whistling.

5. A whistling sound used to summon or command.

Idioms:

blow the whistle Slang

To expose a wrongdoing in the hope of bringing it to a halt: an attorney who blew the whistle on governmental corruption.

whistle in the dark

To attempt to keep one's courage up.

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[Middle English whistlen, from Old English hwistlian.]

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whistle [ˈwɪs^əl]

vb

1. (Linguistics / Phonetics & Phonology) to produce (shrill or flutelike musical sounds), as by passing breath through a narrow constriction most easily formed by the pursed lips he whistled a melody

2. (tr) to signal, summon, or command by whistling or blowing a whistle the referee whistled the end of the game

3. (Engineering / General Engineering) (of a kettle, train, etc.) to produce (a shrill sound) caused by the emission of steam through a small aperture

4. (intr) to move with a whistling sound caused by rapid passage through the air

5. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Zoology) (of animals, esp birds) to emit (a shrill sound) resembling human whistling

whistle in the dark to try to keep up one's confidence in spite of fear

n

1. (Engineering / Tools) a device for making a shrill high-pitched sound by means of air or steam under pressure

2. a shrill sound effected by whistling

3. a whistling sound, as of a bird, bullet, the wind, etc.

4. a signal, warning, command, etc., transmitted by or as if by a whistle

5. the act of whistling

6. (Music / Instruments) Music any pipe that is blown down its end and produces sounds on the principle of a flue pipe, usually having as a mouthpiece a fipple cut in the side

(Miscellaneous Technologies / Brewing)

wet one's whistle Informal to take an alcoholic drink

blow the whistle (usually foll by on) Informal

a.  to inform (on)

b.  to bring a stop (to) See also whistle for, whistle up

[Old English hwistlian; related to Old Norse hvīsla]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	whistle - the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperture whistling sound - the sudden occurrence of an audible event; "the sound awakened them"
	2.	whistle - the act of signalling (e.g., summoning) by whistling or blowing a whistle; "the whistle signalled the end of the game" whistling signal, signaling, sign - any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message; "signals from the boat suddenly stopped"
	3.	whistle - a small wind instrument that produces a whistling sound by blowing into it wind instrument, wind - a musical instrument in which the sound is produced by an enclosed column of air that is moved by the breath
	4.	whistle - acoustic device that forces air or steam against an edge or into a cavity and so produces a loud shrill sound acoustic device - a device for amplifying or transmitting sound boat whistle - a whistle on a boat that is sounded as a warning factory whistle - a whistle at a factory that is sounded to announce times for starting or stopping work signaling device - a device used to send signals steam whistle - a whistle in which the sound is produced by steam; usually attached to a steam boiler
	5.	whistle - an inexpensive fipple flute           pennywhistle, tin whistle fipple flute, fipple pipe, vertical flute, recorder - a tubular wind instrument with 8 finger holes and a fipple mouthpiece
Verb	1.	whistle - make whistling sounds; "He lay there, snoring and whistling" sound, go - make a certain noise or sound; "She went `Mmmmm'"; "The gun went `bang'"
	2.	whistle - move with, or as with, a whistling sound; "The bullets whistled past him" go, locomote, move, travel - change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically; "How fast does your new car go?"; "We travelled from Rome to Naples by bus"; "The policemen went from door to door looking for the suspect"; "The soldiers moved towards the city in an attempt to take it before night fell"; "news travelled fast"
	3.	whistle - utter or express by whistling; "She whistled a melody" communicate, intercommunicate - transmit thoughts or feelings; "He communicated his anxieties to the psychiatrist"
	4.	whistle - move, send, or bring as if by whistling; "Her optimism whistled away these worries" move, displace - cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense; "Move those boxes into the corner, please"; "I'm moving my money to another bank"; "The director moved more responsibilities onto his new assistant"
	5.	whistle - make a whining, ringing, or whistling sound; "the kettle was singing"; "the bullet sang past his ear" sing sound, go - make a certain noise or sound; "She went `Mmmmm'"; "The gun went `bang'"
	6.	whistle - give a signal by whistling; "She whistled for her maid" signal, signalise, signalize, sign - communicate silently and non-verbally by signals or signs; "He signed his disapproval with a dismissive hand gesture"; "The diner signaled the waiters to bring the menu"

Translations

whistle [ˈwɪsl]

A. N

1. (= sound) → silbido m, chiflido m (esp LAm)
final whistle → pitido m final

2. (= instrument) → silbato m, pito m
blast on the whistle → pitido m
the referee blew his whistle → el árbitro pitó
to blow the whistle on sb (= denounce) → delatar a algn; (= put a stop to) → poner fin a las actividades de algn

B. VT → silbar
to whistle a tune → silbar una melodía
I'm not just whistling Dixie (US) → no hablo en broma, no me estoy marcando ningún farol

C. VI → silbar, chiflar(esp LAm) (Sport) → pitar, silbar
the boys whistle at the girls → los chicos silban a las chicas
the crowd whistled at the referee → el público silbó al árbitro
he whistled for his dog → llamó a su perro con un silbido
the referee whistled for a foul → el árbitro pitó una falta
the bullet whistled past my ear → la bala pasó silbando muy cerca de mi oreja
he can whistle for it → lo pedirá en vano

whistle up VT + ADV

1. to whistle up one's dog → llamar a su perro con un silbido

2. (= find) → encontrar, hacer aparecer

3. (= rustle up) [+ meal] → preparar, servir

4. (= get together) [+ people] → reunir

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whistle [ˈ^hwɪs^əl]

n

(= sound) → sifflement m
to give a whistle → pousser un sifflement
a whistle of surprise → un sifflement de surprise

(= object) → sifflet m
to blow the whistle → donner un coup de sifflet
to blow one's whistle → siffler
The referee blew his whistle → L'arbitre a sifflé.

to blow the whistle on sb/sth (= report wrongdoing) → dénoncer qn/qch

clean as a whistle → propre comme un sou neuf

vi

[person] → siffler

[kettle, train] → siffler
to whistle past sth/sb → siffler au-dessus de qch/qn
Bullets whistled past his head → Les balles sifflaient au-dessus de sa tête.

vt → siffler, siffloter
He whistled a tune → Il sifflota un air.
whistle-blower whistleblower [ˈ^hwɪs^əlbləʊə^r] n → dénonciateur/trice m/f
whistle-blowing whistleblowing [^hwɪs^əlˌbləʊɪŋ] n → dénonciation f
whistle-stop [^hwɪs^əlstɒp] adj
to make a whistle-stop tour of sth [politician] → faire la tournée électorale des petits patelins de qch

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whistle

n

(= sound) → Pfiff m; (of wind) → Pfeifen nt; (of kettle) → Pfeifton m; the whistle of the escaping steam → das Pfeifen des ausströmenden Dampfes; to give a whistle → einen Pfiff ausstoßen

(= instrument) → Pfeife f; to blow a/one’s whistle → pfeifen; to blow the whistle on somebody/something (fig inf) → über jdn/etw auspacken (inf); to be as clean as a whistle (= clean) → blitzsauber sein; (fig also) → eine schneeweiße Weste haben ? wet VT

vt → pfeifen; to whistle (to) somebody to stop → jdn durch einen Pfiff stoppen; to whistle somebody back/over etc → jdn zurück-/herüberpfeifen etc

vi → pfeifen; the boys whistled at her → die Jungen pfiffen ihr nach; the crowd whistled at the referee → die Menge pfiff den Schiedsrichter aus; he whistled for a taxi → er pfiff ein Taxi heran, er pfiff nach einem Taxi; the referee whistled for a foul → der Schiedsrichter pfiff ein Foul; the referee whistled for play to stop → der Schiedsrichter pfiff eine Spielunterbrechung; (at the end) → der Schiedsrichter pfiff das Spiel ab; he can whistle for it (inf) → da kann er lange warten, da kann er warten, bis er schwarz wird (inf)

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whistle [ˈwɪsl]

1. n (sound) → fischio; (instrument) → fischietto
the referee blew his whistle → l'arbitro fischiò
the police searched him, but he was as clean as a whistle → la polizia lo ha perquisito ma lui era pulito
the handle broke off as clean as a whistle → il manico si è staccato di netto
to blow the whistle on (inform on) → fare una soffiata su

2. vt to whistle a tune → fischiettare un motivetto

3. vi (gen) → fischiare; (in low tone) → fischiettare
he whistled for a taxi → fischiò per fermare un taxi
the referee whistled for a foul → l'arbitro fischiò un fallo
the bullet whistled past my ear → la pallottola mi fischiò vicino all'orecchio
he's whistling in the dark (fig) → lo fa (or dice) per darsi coraggio
he can whistle for it! (fig) (fam) → se lo può sognare!

whistle up vt + adv (taxi, dog) → fare un fischio a

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whistle [ˈwɪsl]

1. n (sound) → fischio; (instrument) → fischietto
the referee blew his whistle → l'arbitro fischiò
the police searched him, but he was as clean as a whistle → la polizia lo ha perquisito ma lui era pulito
the handle broke off as clean as a whistle → il manico si è staccato di netto
to blow the whistle on (inform on) → fare una soffiata su

2. vt to whistle a tune → fischiettare un motivetto

3. vi (gen) → fischiare; (in low tone) → fischiettare
he whistled for a taxi → fischiò per fermare un taxi
the referee whistled for a foul → l'arbitro fischiò un fallo
the bullet whistled past my ear → la pallottola mi fischiò vicino all'orecchio
he's whistling in the dark (fig) → lo fa (or dice) per darsi coraggio
he can whistle for it! (fig) (fam) → se lo può sognare!

whistle up vt + adv (taxi, dog) → fare un fischio a

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whistle

v whistle [ˈwisl]

1 to make a shrill, often musical, sound by forcing one's breath between the lips or teeth Can you whistle?; He whistled to attract my attention; He whistled a happy tune. fluit يَصْفُر свиря hvízdat fløjte pfeifen σφυρίζω silbar vilistama سوت زدن viheltää siffler לִשרוֹק सीटी बजाना zviždati (el)fütyül bersiul blístra fischiare 口笛を吹く 휘파람을 불다 švilpti svilpt; svilpot bersiul fluiten plystre (za)gwizdać assobiar a fluiera свистеть pískať (si) žvižgati zviždati vissla ผิวปาก ıslık çalmak 吹口哨 свистіти; насвистувати منھ سے سیٹی کی آواز نکالنا thổi sáo 吹口哨

2 to make such a sound with a device designed for this The electric kettle's whistling; The referee whistled for half-time. fluit, blaas fluitjie يُسْمِعُ صَوْتا كالصَّفير свиря (za)pískat fløjte pfeifen σφυρίζω silbar, pitar vilistama سوت viheltää siffler לִשרוֹק सीटी बजाना zviždati sípol meniup peluit blístra, flauta fischiare ぴゅーと鳴らす 휘파람 같은 소리를 내다 švilpti svilpt membunyikan peluit fluiten plystre, fløyte, pipe (za)gwizdać, odgwizdać assobiar a fluiera давать свисток (za)pískať (za)piskati zviždati vissla, pipa, blåsa ทำให้เกิดเสียงหวีดหวิว düdük çalmak 吹哨子 свистіти سیٹی بجانا thổi còi 吹哨子

3 to make a shrill sound in passing through the air The bullet whistled past his head. fluit يَئِزُّ الرَّصاص свистя hvízdnout suse pfeifen σφυρίζω pasar silbando vihisema صفیر viheltää passer en sifflant לִשרוֹק गुजरते वक्त तीखी आवाज निकालना prozujati, prozviždati (el)fütyül mendesing hvína fischiare ひゅーと飛ぶ 핑 하고 소리내며 날아가다 zvimbti []svilpt berdesing fluiten hvine, pipe gwizdnąć assobiar a şu­iera проноситься со свистом (za)hvižďať, (za)svišťať žvižgati fijukati vissla, vina ทำให้เกิดเสียงหวีดหวิว ıslık/vınn sesi çıkarmak 呼嘯而過 пролітати зі свистом ہوا میں تیزی سے گزرنے سے نکلنے والی آواز réo (đạn) （子弹）呼啸而过

4 (of the wind) to blow with a shrill sound. fluit تَصْفُر الرّيح свиря hvízdat suse pfeifen σφυρίζω (για αέρα) silbar lõõtsuma زوزه ulvoa siffler לִשרוֹק तीखी आवाज के साथ बहना hujati fütyül melengking hvína fischiare ぴゅーと吹く 윙윙[쉿쉿] 소리를 내다 švilpti svilpot menderu kuat gieren ule, pipe gwizdać assobiar a sufla свистеть hvízdať žvižgati fijukati vina พัดให้เกิดเสียงหวีดหวิว vınlayarak esmek 風嘯 свистіти ہوا کا تیز آواز کے ساتھ بہنا rít (gió) 风啸

n

1 the sound made by whistling He gave a loud whistle to his friend across the road. fluit صَفير، صَفْرَه свирване hvizd fløjten; piften der Pfiff σφύριγμα silbido, pitido vile صدای سوت vihellys (coup de) sifflet שְׁרִיקָה सीटी zvižduk fütyülés siulan blístur fischio 口笛の音 휘파람 švilpimas svilpiens siulan gefluit plystring; fløyting, pip(ing) gwizd assobio fluierat свист hvizd žvižg zvižduk vissling เสียงผิวปาก ıslık 口哨聲 свист سیٹی کی آواز tiếng sáo 口哨

2 a musical pipe designed to make a whistling noise. fluit صَفير الآلَةِ الموسيقيَّه свирка píšťala fløjte die Pfeife σφυρίχτρα (μουσικό πνευστό όργανο) silbato, pito vilepill فلوت pilli pipeau מַשרוּקִית सीटी zviždaljka síp suling flauta zufolo 笛 피리 švilpukas, švilpynė, birbynė svilpe peluit fluit fløyte fujarka assobio fluier свисток píšťala piščal zviždaljka flöjt ขลุ่ย düdük 哨笛 свисток ایک پاءپ جس سے سیٹی کی آواز نکلتی ہے cái sáo 哨笛

3 an instrument used by policemen, referees etc to make a whistling noise The referee blew his whistle at the end of the game. fluitjie صُفّارة الشُّرْطي أو الحَكَم الرِّياضي свирка píšťalka fløjte die Pfeife σφυρίχτρα silbato, pito vile سوت pilli sifflet מַשרוּקִית सीटी zviždaljka síp peluit flauta fischietto 呼び子 호각 švilpukas svilpe wisel fluitje fløyte gwizdek apito fluierat свисток píšťalka piščalka zviždaljka visselpipa นกหวีด düdük 哨子 свисток سیٹی cái còi 警笛

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whistle → صُفَّارة, يُصَفِر pískání, zapískat fløjte pfeifen, Pfiff σφυρίζω, σφυρίχτρα silbar, silbato vihellys, viheltää sifflement, siffler zviždati, zvižduk fischiare, fischietto 口笛, 口笛を吹く 휘파람, 휘파람을 불다 fluiten, fluitje fløyte, plystre gwizdek, gwizdnąć assobiar, assobio свист, свистеть vissla, vissling เสียงผิวปาก, การผิวปาก ıslık, ıslık çalmak huýt sáo, tiếng huýt sáo 口哨, 吹口哨