# "Wail" or "whale" (as in "thrash")?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wail-or-whale-as-in-thrash/308419>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 15, 2005, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wail-or-whale-as-in-thrash/308419 "2005-06-15T18:42:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**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:** [June 16, 2005, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wail-or-whale-as-in-thrash/308419/21 "2005-06-16T23:27:37Z")

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> [@acsenray](#):
>
> But in that case, they _are_ wailing, as in making a loud, high-pitched sound. They’re not beating their instruments.

Sure about that?

I think guitarists took the “wale on” or “whale on” idea because when you’re really playing a guitar loudly, it’s kind of like physically abusing it. Because rock musicians are not the brightest bulbs in the batch, it easily changed it to “wail on” because hey, it’s a sound kind of thing. Or maybe they can’t spell. Whatever. Then other musicians propagated that mutation, so it’s now kind of a legitimate form.

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