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by LynfromNM on September 16th, 2007
The answer is as clear as mud. Some say Robert Burns originated the phrase in his poem "Earnest Cry", although he actually used "toom" instead of "clean" in the poem: "Paint Scotland greetan owre her thrissle; Her mutchkin stoup as toom's a whissle". "Toom", according to a Burns decoder ring I got from a professor of mine, means "empty". It's the same concept and apparently the earliest simile regarding whistles being "clean" or "empty" found in written form.
According to "Why We Say It" by Webb Garrison, whistles whittled from wood (say that five times fast!) are easily damaged, and their clear tone can be muddled by the smallest bits of debris, so it's necessary for them to be "toom" or "clean".
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Comments
I believe the proper Gaelic response is: "Mòran taing." (many thanks)
by Anonymous on September 16th, 2007
Thanks, that's lovely.
by LynfromNM on September 16th, 2007