Whistles aren’t exactly the epitome of cleanliness. Imagine the sooty whistle of a train engine, or a football referee’s whistle filled with saliva. Most whistles are probably in need of a good scrub down. So why is it that we say things are as “clean as a whistle” when there are better proverbial examples of cleanliness we could use instead?
First off, it’s important to note that “clean as a whistle” doesn’t always mean something is devoid of dirt and grime. The phrase could be used in the context of something being done “completely, entirely, thoroughly.” For example, “She sailed over the hurdles, clean as a whistle, and won the race.” While the idiom can be used in the context of cleaning up dirt (“The house was as clean as a whistle and ready for their guests”), it isn’t necessarily the case in every instance.
The origins of this phrase are murky enough that we can’t describe them as clean as a whistle either. But there are still several prevailing theories as to how the phrase was coined. In The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, author Robert Hendrickson suggests that “clean as a whistle” likely comes from a variation of a phrase found in The Author’s Earnest Cry and Prayer (1786) by poet Robert Burns: “Her mutchkin stowp as toom’s a whissle.” If you don’t speak Scots, a “mutchkin stowp” is a small drinking vessel, and “toom” means “empty,” suggesting that the “whissle” was as clean as could be.
Hendrickson raises some other theories, including that the phrase may be related to the crisp sound of a whistle rather than the instrument itself. He also suggests that it may be an evolution of the phrase “clean as a whittle,” referring to a piece of smooth wood that’s been freshly whittled down. In any context, it has to do with an action that’s been thoroughly accomplished.
Author Webb Garrison proposes the most literal interpretation of the phrase in Why You Say It, writing that “clean as a whistle” has to do with keeping whistles devoid of any debris that could alter the sound of the instrument. So let the debate rage (blow?) on as to whether you believe Garrison or Hendrickson, or have a theory of your own.
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