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My mother tells me of when I was 10 or 11 and I'd wear really tight, short skirts and crop tops. All the local men would wolf whistle and stop and stare, but I didn't realise why at the time.
Lara Stone

Meaning of "wolf whistle" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF WOLF WHISTLE

wolf whistle play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF WOLF WHISTLE

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Wolf whistle is a verb and can also act as a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

WHAT DOES WOLF WHISTLE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

wolf whistle

Wolf-whistling

Wolf-whistling or finger whistling is a type of whistling in which fingers are inserted in the mouth to produce a louder and more penetrating tone. A wolf-whistle is a two-toned sound commonly made using the above technique to show approval of something or someone. fingerless wolf whistle The wolf-whistle originates from the navy General Call made with a boatswain's pipe. The general call is made on a ship to get the attention of all hands for an announcement. Sailors in harbour would whistle the general call when seeing a pretty woman to draw fellow sailors' attention to her. It was eventually picked up by passers-by, not knowing the real meaning of the whistle, and passed on. Over time, the precise tones of the general call were flattened somewhat into the wolf whistle common today.

Definition of wolf whistle in the English dictionary

The definition of wolf whistle in the dictionary is a whistle made by a man to express admiration of a woman's appearance. Other definition of wolf whistle is when intr, sometimes foll by at to make such a whistle.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE WOLF WHISTLE

wolf
wolf call
Wolf Cub
wolf in sheep´s clothing
wolf note
wolf pack
wolf spider
Wolf-Ferrari
Wolf-Rayet star
wolf-whistle
wolfberry
Wolfe
Wolfenden Report
Wolfensohn
wolfer
Wolffian body
wolffish
wolfhound
wolfish
wolfishly

WORDS THAT END LIKE WOLF WHISTLE

Birtwistle
blow the whistle
bristle
Canada thistle
castle
dog-whistle
epistle
final whistle
gristle
istle
milk thistle
Order of the Thistle
penny whistle
sow thistle
star thistle
steam whistle
the Thistle
thistle
tin whistle
whistle
wolf-whistle

Synonyms and antonyms of wolf whistle in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «wolf whistle» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF WOLF WHISTLE

Find out the translation of wolf whistle to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of wolf whistle from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «wolf whistle» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

狼哨
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

lobo silbato
570 millions of speakers

English

wolf whistle
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

वुल्फ सीटी
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

الذئب صافرة
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

свист
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

assovio
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

নেকড়ে হুইসল
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

sifflement de loup
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Serigala serigala
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Pfiff
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

狼の笛
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

늑대 휘파람
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Wolf whistle
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

sói tiếng còi
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

ஓநாய் விசில்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

लांडगा शीळ घालणे
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Kurt ıslığı
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

wolf whistle
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

wolf whistle
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

свист
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

lup fluier
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

λύκος σφύριγμα
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

wolf fluit
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

busvissling
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

plystre
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of wolf whistle

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «WOLF WHISTLE»

The term «wolf whistle» is regularly used and occupies the 96.265 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
55
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «wolf whistle» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of wolf whistle
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «wolf whistle».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «WOLF WHISTLE» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «wolf whistle» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «wolf whistle» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about wolf whistle

EXAMPLES

QUOTES WITH «WOLF WHISTLE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word wolf whistle.
1
Lara Stone
My mother tells me of when I was 10 or 11 and I'd wear really tight, short skirts and crop tops. All the local men would wolf whistle and stop and stare, but I didn't realise why at the time.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «WOLF WHISTLE»

Discover the use of wolf whistle in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to wolf whistle and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Wolf Whistle
In WOLF WHISTLE, Lewis Nordan unleashes the hellhounds of his prodigious imagination on one of the most notorious racial killings of the century, the Emmett Till murder.
Lewis Nordan, 2003
2
The Wolf's Whistle
Was the Big Bad Wolf really so bad? The Wolf's Whistle looks at the traditional folk tale with superhero-tinted glasses.
Alex Spiro, Scott James Donaldson, 2012
3
Wolf Whistle
Five slave women have been murdered on Market Day, so it wasn`t a safe time for Claudia to be chased by dogs into the darkest streets of Rome, where she finds an abandoned little boy, Jovi, and takes him home with her.
Marilyn Todd, 1999
4
A Different Path
While we were still in Panama, Loro had somehow learned to imitate a wolf whistle, the kind that young men would make when they saw an attractive young lady pass by. This capability must be innate in all parrots; he couldn't have learned it ...
Neal Creighton, Jr., 2008
5
The Wolf Whistle
In the fantasy tales the moonpeople run out of cheese in Moon Cheese, brave Aleel faces great dangers on a very adventurous journey in The Wolf Whistle, and an old man and old woman's dream comes true in The Magic Puppet.
Mal Peet, 2000
6
A Death in the Delta: The Story of Emmett Till
It was excerpted in the April 1956 edition of Reader's Digest and was later enlarged and published as a chapter in Wolf Whistle (1959), a short paperback that was destined for the drugstore racks and has long been out of print. No historian of ...
Stephen J. Whitfield, 1988
7
Memoirs of a Trumpet Teacher
Can a bird make a wolf whistle? Depends on the wolf! I guess a bird can make a wolf whistle sound...what else would you call it? Susie and I begin her lesson, and Sparky gradually falls asleep on her shoulder, even with two blaring trumpets ...
Sam Bennett, 2011
8
Emmett Till in Literary Memory and Imagination
The eleven essays in Emmett Till in Literary Memory and Imagination examine how the narrative of the Till lynching continues to haunt racial consciousness and to resonate in our collective imagination.
Harriet Pollack, Christopher Metress, 2008
9
No Future: Queer Theory and the Death Drive
He saw a commercial featuring an attractive, elegant blond who passed across the screen and smiled, turning amiably in response to a little boy's wolf- whistle That morning, he told his agents to find out who she was, and that afternoon an ...
Lee Edelman, 2004
10
"In a Roundabout Way": Evasive, Oblique and Indirect ...
These conventions paradoxically distance the reader from the text, at times neglecting important matters and yet, at others, offering ambiguous spaces where contemplation of otherwise unspeakable concerns may occur.
Bethany Perkins, 2007

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «WOLF WHISTLE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term wolf whistle is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Carolyn Bointon: Enjoy the wolf whistles, you'll miss them when you …
I CAN'T believe all the fuss that's been made about men wolf-whistling at women as they walk by. ... It was a wolf whistle and a few suggestive comments. «Derby Telegraph, May 15»
2
Mary O'Leary: A wolf whistle is no reason to get upset
When I heard the distinct pierce of wolf whistles, my head still snapped around searching to see who the noise was directed at, despite the extra high heels ... «Western Morning News, May 15»
3
Watch Susanna Reid get coy when she's asked if people wolf
... lost for words when she was asked whether she's been wolf-whistled at in the past. ... past a building site you may have heard the odd wolf whistle," Kate said. «mirror.co.uk, Apr 15»
4
Police called after builders wolf whistle Ms Smart
Police called after builders wolf whistle Ms Smart. Police were called to investigate after builders wolf whistle 23-year-old Poppy Smart as she walked to work. «Daily Mail, Apr 15»
5
Wolf whistling. Now the kids are doing it too
Then came the wolf whistle. A simple act but it was shocking. When I rotated my head, I could see they were aiming it at my daughter, with a whiff of a snigger ... «The Daily Telegraph, Mar 15»
6
Celia Imrie: 'Annoyed by wolf whistles? Lighten up'
Women should stop moaning about being wolf-whistled and “lighten up”, according to the actress Celia Imrie. The star of Calendar Girls, Acorn Antiques and the ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Mar 15»
7
Cookery writer Prue Leith says menopausal women miss wolf whistles
Speaking to London Live, Miss Leith said: 'Any woman will tell you after the menopause, nobody whistle at her well - that's just the beginning. As you get older ... «Daily Mail, Nov 14»
8
Stephanie Hirst: 'Now I'm openly transgender, men wolf whistle me'
“I've had some wolf whistles,” she says. “When I was male I never did that because I instinctively knew how it would make women feel. It is a little strange. At the ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Nov 14»
9
Silencing the Wolf Whistles
Send your workplace conundrums to workologist@nytimes.com including your name and contact information (even if you want it withheld for publication). «New York Times, Oct 14»
10
These days, when men wolf-whistle at me, I thank them
Incredible as it seems to me now, there was a time when a wolf whistle was annoying. A man would shout something approving from a scaffold and I would ... «Spectator.co.uk, Sep 14»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Wolf whistle [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/wolf-whistle>. Apr 2024 ».
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