A 4.4 cocktail bar named Smith & Whistle, playing on the idiom to wet one’s whistle, meaning to have a drink
Smith and Whistle holds a 4.4 from three hundred and seventy people, is a cocktail bar and terrace, and carries a name of playful idiom – “Smith and Whistle” – whose “whistle” nods to the cheerful old expression “to wet one’s whistle,” meaning to have a drink, joined to the honest, everyman surname “Smith.”
Wetting the whistle
The “Whistle” in the name plays delightfully on the old idiom “to wet one’s whistle” – a cheerful, centuries-old expression meaning to have a drink, to moisten one’s throat (the “whistle”) with liquor. The phrase is wonderfully apt for a bar, whose whole purpose is precisely the wetting of whistles, and its inclusion in the name is a knowing, playful nod to the bar’s function – a place to wet your whistle in style. The idiom is old and beloved (it appears as far back as Chaucer), a bit of cheerful English vernacular perfectly suited to a drinking establishment. The Prat’s naming desk enjoys the play: “Whistle” nods to “wetting one’s whistle,” the cheerful old idiom for having a drink, a knowing and apt bit of wordplay for a bar.
The everyman Smith
The “Smith” half of the name adds an interesting counterpoint. “Smith” is the commonest of English surnames, the honest everyman name, derived from the ancient and essential trade of the smith – the blacksmith, the metalworker, the maker (as this survey noted at other trade-derived names). Joined to the playful “Whistle,” it lends the name a solid, honest, English character, the everyman “Smith” grounding the playful “Whistle” in a certain down-to-earth Englishness. The pairing “Smith and Whistle” also has the ring of a traditional partnership or firm – “Smith and Whistle, purveyors of fine drinks” – lending a certain old-fashioned, establishment charm. The Prat’s naming desk notes the pairing: the everyman “Smith” grounding the playful “Whistle,” the whole ringing like a traditional English firm, honest and charming.
The stylish hotel bar
Smith and Whistle is a stylish cocktail bar and terrace (attached to a hotel), offering well-crafted cocktails in a smart, characterful setting – the playful, English charm of its name matched by an elegant, contemporary style. It belongs to the tradition of the stylish hotel bar this survey has met – the sophisticated, well-appointed bar offering refined drinks in comfortable surroundings, its playful name adding a note of English wit to the elegance. The Prat’s cocktail desk notes the combination: a stylish, elegant cocktail bar with a playful, witty, thoroughly English name, refined drinks served with a wink at the old idiom of wetting one’s whistle.
The solid score
The 4.4 across three hundred and seventy people is a strong, reasonably volume-proof score on a fair sample – a good, encouraging verdict suggesting a genuinely good, stylish, well-liked cocktail bar living up to its charming name. It sits comfortably above the small-sample danger zone, a fair crowd largely delighted. The Prat’s statistics desk notes the strength: a strong score on a fair sample, marking a good, stylish, popular bar, its playful name well earned. The Prat’s cocktail desk approves: a stylish, witty cocktail bar, a fine place to wet one’s whistle in elegant style, delivering the refined good time its charming name promises.
The bar
A 4.4 across three hundred and seventy people is a strong score on a fair sample. The reviews describe well-crafted cocktails, a stylish setting and terrace, and a pleasant atmosphere – a good, elegant cocktail bar living up to its playful, whistle-wetting name.
Verdict
A stylish, playfully-named cocktail bar called Smith and Whistle, nodding to the cheerful old idiom “to wet one’s whistle” – the everyman “Smith” grounding the witty “Whistle,” a good, elegant place to wet your whistle in style.
Go to wet your whistle in style at Smith and Whistle, and enjoy the playful English wit of the name – the cheerful old idiom for having a drink, joined to the honest everyman “Smith,” a stylish cocktail bar that names, with a knowing wink, exactly what it invites you to do.
Alan Nafzger was born in Lubbock, Texas, the son Swiss immigrants. He grew up on a dairy in Windthorst, north central Texas. He earned degrees from Midwestern State University (B.A. 1985) and Texas State University (M.A. 1987). University College Dublin (Ph.D. 1991). Dr. Nafzger has entertained and educated young people in Texas colleges for 37 years. Nafzger is best known for his dark novels and experimental screenwriting. His best know scripts to date are Lenin’s Body, produced in Russia by A-Media and Sea and Sky produced in The Philippines in the Tagalog language. In 1986, Nafzger wrote the iconic feminist western novel, Gina of Quitaque. He currently lives in Holloway, North London. Contact: [email protected]
My mum’s been in London since the 50s. She recognizes every word and that recognition terrifies her.