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blow the whistle

 - 3 dictionary results
Epic Salon
A Paul Mitchell Signature Salon Located on Ventura Blvd. Encino Ca.
www.epicsalon.com
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whis⋅tle

  [hwis-uhl, wis-] verb, -tled, -tling, noun
Use blow the whistle in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to make a clear musical sound, a series of such sounds, or a high-pitched, warbling sound by the forcible expulsion of the breath through a small opening formed by contracting the lips, or through the teeth, with the aid of the tongue.
2. to make such a sound or series of sounds otherwise, as by blowing on some device.
3. to emit similar sounds from the mouth, as birds do.
4. (of a device) to produce a similar sound when actuated by steam or the like: This teakettle whistles when it boils.
5. to move, go, pass, etc., with a whistling or whizzing sound, as a bullet or the wind.
–verb (used with object)
6. to produce by whistling: to whistle a tune.
7. to call, direct, or signal by or as by whistling: He whistled his dog over.
8. to send with a whistling or whizzing sound.
–noun
9. an instrument for producing whistling sounds by means of the breath, steam, etc., as a small wooden or tin tube, a pipe, or a similar device with an air chamber containing a small ball that oscillates when air is forced through an opening, producing a high-pitched, warbling tone.
10. a sound produced by whistling: a prolonged whistle of astonishment.
11. a simple fipple flute.
—Verb phrase
12. whistle for, to demand or expect without success: After promising to pay, he told us we could whistle for our money.
—Idioms
13. blow the whistle, to expose the existence of mischief or wrongdoing: The agent was taking bribes until someone finally blew the whistle.
14. blow the whistle on,
a. to bring a stop to; halt: Congress has blown the whistle on all unnecessary expenditures for the program.
b. to expose (wrongdoing or wrongdoers): to blow the whistle on corruption in high places.
15. wet one's whistle, Informal. to take a drink.
16. whistle in the dark, to attempt to summon up one's courage or optimism in a difficult situation: He says his business will improve next year, but he's probably just whistling in the dark.
Origin:
bef. 950; (v.) ME whistlen, OE hwistlian; akin to ON hvīsla to whistle, hviskra to whisper; see whine; (n.) ME; OE hwistle instrument, akin to the v.

Related forms:
whis⋅tle⋅a⋅ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To blow the whistle
Epic Salon
A Paul Mitchell Signature Salon Located on Ventura Blvd. Encino Ca.
www.epicsalon.com
Blowing the whistle
Whistle-Blower Specialists. Free consultation. Take action now.
ShegerianLaw.com
whis·tle   (hwĭs'əl, wĭs'-)   
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.

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

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

    2. 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.


[Middle English whistlen, from Old English hwistlian.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

whistle  (v.)
O.E. hwistlian, from P.Gmc. *khwis-, of imitative origin. Used also in M.E. of the hissing of serpents. The noun meaning "tubular musical instrument" is from O.E. hwistle. To wet one's whistle "take a drink" (c.1386) originally may have referred to pipes, or be an allusion to the throat as a sort of pipe. To whistle for (with small prospect of getting) is probably from nautical whistling for a wind. Figurative use of whistle-blower first attested 1970. To whistle "Dixie" is from 1940. Phrase clean as a whistle is recorded from 1878; railroad whistle stop (at which trains stop only if the engineer hears a signal from the station) is recorded from 1934.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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