Jew's-harp

[U.] (Fr.: guimbarde; Ger.: Maultrommel; It.: scacciapensieri), expression in use from 1595 on (preceded by Jew's trump[e]) to denote an instr. consisting of a frame of wood or metal, in clothespin or horseshoe form, to which one end of a flexible lamella is attached, its other end remaining free. The narrow end of the frame is held loosely between the teeth so that the lamella can swing freely and is plucked with a finger, causing it to vibrate in...