hurdy-gurdy
noun
- mechanical stringed musical instrument with a crank and a keyboard
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈhɜː.diˌɡɜː.di/ / /ˌhɜː.diˈɡɜː.di/ / /ˈhɝː.diˌɡɝː.di/
adj
Etymology: Probably onomatopoeic in imitation of the sound produced by the stringed instrument. Compare obsolete hirdy-girdy (“an uproar; noise”). Attested from the 1740s.
- Sounding like the Swedish language.
““You mean when she read that God-awful poem in her hurdy-gurdy Swedish chef accent?”
“Swedes are often said to sing while they speak. (Listen to Floyd, the Muppet’s Swedish chef, singing “Hurdy Gurdy” and you’ll understand this.)”
noun
Etymology: Probably onomatopoeic in imitation of the sound produced by the stringed instrument. Compare obsolete hirdy-girdy (“an uproar; noise”). Attested from the 1740s.
- A stringed instrument that produces a droning sound by turning a handle that connects to a wheel that rubs against a rosined string, with a keyboard also used to alter the pitch of the string.
- Synonym of street organ, often considered a misnomer.
“He flung open the door, and found there only a ragged boy with a hurdy-gurdy on his back.”
- A water wheel with radial buckets, driven by the impact of a jet.
- A winch, a windlass.
“A pair of oars, a small mast and sail, pen boards to contain the fish, a bailer, a water jar, a bait knife, a compass, a small wooden winch called a hurdy gurdy, a fish gaff, and the tubs, trawls, floats, and anchors used to set gear was all that was required to equip it.”