penny whistle

noun

variants or less commonly pennywhistle
plural penny whistles also pennywhistles
1
2
: a toy whistle

Examples of penny whistle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Cosmo Sheldrake took out a pennywhistle and played. New York Times, 27 July 2022 His act often features other instruments, as well, including the pennywhistle or the violin. oregonlive, 23 Feb. 2022 Ms. Sankoff and Mr. Hein, who wrote the music as well as the book and lyrics, know that there’s nothing like a steady Gaelic drumbeat and a lilting pennywhistle to turn a skeptical audience into Pavlov’s slobbering dogs. Ben Brantley, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2017 But as Mr. de Blasio begins his campaign for re-election this year, his tone has become markedly more modest, and his trumpet more of a pennywhistle. J. David Goodman and William Neuman, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'penny whistle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1730, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of penny whistle was in 1730

Dictionary Entries Near penny whistle

Cite this Entry

“Penny whistle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penny%20whistle. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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