# He was really waling/whaling/wailing on that guy! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 21, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-was-really-waling-whaling-wailing-on-that-guy/438591 "2008-02-21T17:11:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-was-really-waling-whaling-wailing-on-that-guy/438591/21 "2008-02-22T03:44:05Z")
[QUOTE=Cosmic Relief] If it’s playing a musical instrument, it tends to be “wailing on” or just “wailing”. This is a little sketchier… fan mags and rock rags always use this spelling, but they’re not generally considered authorities on English usage. I would probably avoid using this one at all unless I were imitating a rock musician or fan circa 1950-1970. Again, not obsolete yet, but more prevalent among the pompadour set. [/QUOTE] “Wailing” has been mostly replaced with “screaming”, which means pretty much the same thing. Also, it’s the instrument that is “wailing” or “screaming”, not the player (unless the instrument is a human voice). ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-was-really-waling-whaling-wailing-on-that-guy/438591/22 "2008-02-22T07:10:13Z")
From the OED: > [@](#): > > Whale, v2 > > [Of obscure origin. Commonly regarded as a spelling of WALE v.1, but there are difficulties of form, chronology, and meaning. Perhaps orig. = to thrash with a whalebone whip (see WHALEBONE 3b).] > > 1. trans. To beat, flog, thrash. > 1790 GROSE Prov. Gloss. (ed. 2), Whale, to beat with a horsewhip or pliant stick. 1801 G. HANGER Life II. 162 Whaleing a gentleman is but a vulgar revenge. 1884 ‘MARK TWAIN’ Huck. Finn iii, He used to always whale me when he was sober and could get his hands on me. WALE, v1, referred to in the etymology, is a Scottish and Northern English dialect word meaning to select, to choose, to pick out. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-was-really-waling-whaling-wailing-on-that-guy/438591/23 "2008-02-22T12:41:36Z")
[QUOTE=Phase42] Also, it’s the instrument that is “wailing” or “screaming”, not the player (unless the instrument is a human voice). [/QUOTE] In your presriptive opinion. In actual usage, it is almost universally “He was wailing on that guitar” or “he was wailing on that solo.” Nobody ever claims that the guitar was wailing on that solo. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-was-really-waling-whaling-wailing-on-that-guy/438591/24 "2008-02-22T13:31:28Z")
Wale, that’s the whole nine yards. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-was-really-waling-whaling-wailing-on-that-guy/438591/25 "2008-02-22T14:36:17Z")
[QUOTE=Sailboat] This one bothers me. I’m not even sure if it’s slang [/QUOTE] Yes, it’s slang. That was the whole point of the Onion article. It’s a word used only in a certain community, in informal situations. But slang words still have etymology. Often, though, they have more than one spelling. ---
**Author:** ![brujaja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-was-really-waling-whaling-wailing-on-that-guy/438591/26 "2008-02-22T16:45:01Z")
[QUOTE=Cosmic Relief] In your presriptive opinion. In actual usage, it is almost universally “He was wailing on that guitar” or “he was wailing on that solo.” Nobody ever claims that the guitar was wailing on that solo. [/QUOTE] Redeemed. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-was-really-waling-whaling-wailing-on-that-guy/438591.md?page=1)