A co-worker of mine just got a new upright piano and I asked him if he was going to “Tinkle the ivories tonight”. Another co-worker of mine said that it wasn’t “Tinkle” but “Tickle the ivories”. Who is correct and would anyone know of the origin of this phrase? Thanks
Don’t know the orgin, but “tickle” is what I have always heard and read, not “tinkle”.
“Tinkle”, at least in my family is a euphamism for urinate. Hell, that’s critics for you.
picmr
on which appendage you intend to use on said instrument…
“tickle” if it’s the fingers…
The great Liberace, a professional tickler of ivories, once admitted he kept a piano in the bathroom in case he wanted to tinkle.
As far as I know, it’s “tickle the ivories.” This makes sense, once one thinks about it for a few seconds. The keys of many pianos used to be made of ivory. The finger motions of a quick pianist looks somewhat like “tickling”. Hence, tickling the ivories. That’s just my guess, I haven’t seen that confirmed anywhere, though.
I’ve always heard it as “tickle,” and have assumed that it came from a playful comparison of fast finger work.
More important, tickle is a transitive verb, and tinkle isn’t. Tinkle just doesn’t make grammatical sense.