wet your whistle

[Paul Farrar]

where did this expression originate

[Quizmonster]

'Whistle' has been used as a joke name for the mouth or throat for centuries, perhaps on the basis that these are the organs through which wind (ie breath) blows, just as happens with a real whistle. The earliest recorded use of the concept of a 'wet whistle', meaning taking a drink, appears in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales from the 14th century.

[heart braker]

wrong quizmonster. beer cups used to have whistles in them so when u finish drink blow whistle get refill. ie wet whistle.

[Quizmonster]

Heart Braker, the questioner asked about the phrase's origin. As I said in my first response, the earliest recorded use of the idea comes from the Reeve's story in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The actual quote reads: "So was hir joly whistle wel y-wet", clearly referring to the lady's throat.
That dates back to the late 1300s. If - and only if - you can provide evidence of whistle-laden beer-cups from earlier times than that, I'll concede I've got it wrong! Over to you.

[heart braker]

no cameras then. you only say. you never admit wrong.

[Quizmonster]

Oops! Where's he gone? Wouldn't it make sense for the powers that be here to remove "replies to replies" when they remove the first of them?
My second reply was in response to an odd claim by the now disappeared'!

[redcrx]

hes been banned, seemingly a troll, but caught within record time, perhaps the ED is back at work today :)

[baremission]

i thought it was whet your whistle

[Quizmonster]

I'm afraid not, Baremission. Yes, we speak of 'whetting' our appetite, but that means 'sharpening' it...ie making it more acute...just as we use a whetstone to sharpen knives. You can't sharpen your throat.

[steandtracey]

there used to be a sort of private members club near to me where you went in the cellar to pour your own drink , to make sure you were not drinking as you poured you had to whistle until you returned to your seat , does it not have anything to do with this??

[Quizmonster]

No, Steandtracey, it doesn't...at least not unless the club was around before 1387!

[fjd777]

Quizmonster, I understand you can't 'sharpen your throat' but you can surely sharpen your thirst. Is the phrase intended to be more literal in translation?

My English grandmother would excessively pronounce 'wet my whistle' as 'whet' but perhaps she was just playing on the alliteration?