whistling

whistling
    n 1: the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam
         coming out of a small aperture [syn: {whistle},
         {whistling}]
    2: the act of whistling a tune; "his cheerful whistling
       indicated that he enjoyed his work"
    3: the act of signalling (e.g., summoning) by whistling or
       blowing a whistle; "the whistle signalled the end of the
       game" [syn: {whistle}, {whistling}]
    

Whistle \Whis"tle\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Whistled}; p. pr. & vb.
   n. {Whistling}.] [AS. hwistlian; akin to Sw. hvissla, Dan.
   hvisle, Icel. hv[imac]sla to whisper, and E. whisper.
   [root]43. See {Whisper}.]
   [1913 Webster]
   1. To make a kind of musical sound, or series of sounds, by
      forcing the breath through a small orifice formed by
      contracting the lips; also, to emit a similar sound, or
      series of notes, from the mouth or beak, as birds.
      [1913 Webster]

            The weary plowman leaves the task of day,
            And, trudging homeward, whistles on the way. --Gay.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To make a shrill sound with a wind or steam instrument,
      somewhat like that made with the lips; to blow a sharp,
      shrill tone.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. To sound shrill, or like a pipe; to make a sharp, shrill
      sound; as, a bullet whistles through the air.
      [1913 Webster]

            The wild winds whistle, and the billows roar.
                                                  --Pope.
      [1913 Webster]
    

Whistling \Whis"tling\,
   a. & n. from {Whistle}, v.
   [1913 Webster]

   {Whistling buoy}. (Naut.) See under {Buoy}.

   {Whistling coot} (Zool.), the American black scoter.

   {Whistling Dick}. (Zool.)
   (a) An Australian shrike thrush ({Colluricincla Selbii}).
   (b) The song thrush. [Prov. Eng.]

   {Whistling duck}. (Zool.)
   (a) The golden-eye.
   (b) A tree duck.

   {Whistling eagle} (Zool.), a small Australian eagle
      ({Haliastur sphenurus}); -- called also {whistling hawk},
      and {little swamp eagle}.

   {Whistling plover}. (Zool.)
   (a) The golden plover.
   (b) The black-bellied, or gray, plover.

   {Whistling snipe} (Zool.), the American woodcock.

   {Whistling swan}. (Zool.)
   (a) The European whooper swan; -- called also {wild swan},
       and {elk}.
   (b) An American swan ({Olor columbianus}). See under {Swan}.
       

   {Whistling teal} (Zool.), a tree duck, as {Dendrocygna
      awsuree} of India.

   {Whistling thrush}. (Zool.)
   (a) Any one of several species of singing birds of the genus
       {Myiophonus}, native of Asia, Australia, and the East
       Indies. They are generally black, glossed with blue, and
       have a patch of bright blue on each shoulder. Their note
       is a loud and clear whistle.
   (b) The song thrush. [Prov. Eng.]
       [1913 Webster]
    

74 Moby Thesaurus words for "whistling":
      acute, argute, assibilation, buzz, creaky, ear-piercing,
      effervescence, effervescing, fizz, fizzle, fizzling, frication,
      frictional rustling, hiss, hissing, howling, hush, hushing, keen,
      keening, lisp, penetrating, piercing, piping, reedy, rhonchus,
      screaky, screeching, screechy, sharp, shrieking, shrieky, shrill,
      shush, shushing, sibilance, sibilation, siffle, sigmatism, siss,
      sissing, sizz, sizzle, sizzling, sneeze, sneezing, sniff, sniffle,
      snore, snort, snuff, snuffle, spit, splutter, sputter, squash,
      squeaking, squeaky, squelch, squish, sternutation, stertor, swish,
      thin, ululant, wailing, wheeze, whining, whish, whistle,
      white noise, whiz, whoosh, zip