gee haw whimmy diddle

Definitions

A wooden toy consisting of a notched stick with a smaller stick attached on the end. Rubbing the notched stick with another stick causes the smaller stick to spin; with practice the spin can be made to change from rightward (gee) to leftward (haw) and vice versa.

Examples

“…some of the Blue Ridge Mountain folk toys. Each of the following runs about $2: spinning wooden top, fox and geese game, gee-haw whimmy diddle, bull roarer, corn cob pipe.”

“Here you can pick⟳ up mountain toys such as the ‘gee-haw whimmy diddle,' a stick⟳ with a propeller that turns when you rub the notches on the stick⟳.”

“Special events at the FolkArt Center...include⟳ Fiber Day in May, the World Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle Competition in August...”

“Thousands of wooden versions are sold each year, and a Gee Haw Whimmy Diddle Competition is held every summer at Asheville's Folk Art Center.”

CEFR level