whistle

英 ['w?s(?)l] 美['w?sl]

GRECET4TEM4IELTS考研CET6中低頻詞常用詞匯

復數:?whistles;第三人稱單數:?whistles;過去式:?whistled;過去分詞:?whistled;現在分詞:?whistling;

whistle 哨子

擬聲詞。

whistle: whistle: [OE] Like whisper, whistle goes back ultimately to the prehistoric Germanic base *khwis-, which denoted a ‘hissing’ sound. Related forms include Swedish vissla ‘whistle’ and Danish hvisle ‘hiss’.
=> whisper
whistle (v.): Old English hwistlian "to whistle," from Proto-Germanic *hwis-, of imitative origin (cognates: Old Norse hvisla "to whisper," Danish hvisle "to hiss;" see whisper (v.)). Used also in Middle English of the hissing of serpents; in 17c. it also could mean "whisper." Transitive use from late 15c. Related: Whistled; whistling. At public events, often an expression of support or encouragement in U.S., but often derisive in Britain. To whistle for (with small prospect of getting) is perhaps from nautical whistling for a wind, an old sailor's superstition during a calm. "Such men will not whistle during a storm" [Century Dictionary]. To whistle "Dixie" is from 1940.
whistle (n.): "tubular musical instrument sounded by blowing," Old English hwistle (see whistle (v.)). Meaning "sound formed by pursing the lips and blowing" is from mid-15c. To wet one's whistle "take a drink" (late 14c.) originally may have referred to pipes, or be an allusion to the throat as a sort of pipe. 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.

1. It took internal whistle-blowing and investigative journalism to uncover the rot.: 是內部檢舉和調查性報道揭露了這一腐敗事實。

2. "His private life is as clean as a whistle," says McSmith.: “他的私生活沒有任何污點，”麥克史密斯說。

3. "He wants a police escort." — "Well, he can whistle for that.": “他希望有警衛護送。”——“那他是指望不上了。”