Can You Whistle???

[-SharonA-]

If so, can you whistle a tune or do different whistles?
I cannot whistle to save my life. :-(

[Robertt]

Nooo i can't

[woofgang]

Cloverjo, do you know why its unlucky to whistle in a theatre? Its because the scenery that is stored in the rafters and lowered at need, and the weights that counterbalance the scenery ropes, are all traditionallty (or used to be, I guess its all done with electricity now) operated by the stage hands using whistle codes....so whistling could result in a heavy flat or a sandbag landing on some unsuspecting person's head.
Retro, you don't whistle up a storm, you whistle up the wind....if you are in a sailing ship and becalmed, you may well want to whistle for some wind. I am guessing that the prohibition comes from the same source as the theatre. The bosun would use his whistle for commands and you wouldn't want any confusion.

[Pyxis]

I've never been able to whistle, and it annoys me.

I've just tried whistling by varying the position of my lips and tongue, and it's no good, all I get is a vague breathy nothingness. :-(

[andy-hughes]

Cliverjo - // You mustn't whistle in a theatre, either. Very bad luck! //

Indeed, theatre folk are notoriously superstitious.

If you accidentally whistle in your dressing room, you have to go out and close the door, turn around three times, knock on the door, and enter.

The most famous superstition is not mentioning the play Macbeth by name - only as 'The Scottish Play'.

It was believed that its mention would shorten a production run, because if a run ended early, a regional theatre would often put a Macbeth production on as a safe bet to get the punters in until the next show started.