I want to hire this guy to play the "Dr. Who Theme" at my wedding. I'm not getting married anytime soon, but if he'd agree I'd marry just about anybody 'cause that'd be the coolest.

*requeue

Re-queueing this video for one more try; last queued Monday, January 28th, 2008 9:01am PST - requeue requested by submitter pho3n1x.

I'd always assumed that the term 'Jew's Harp' was an insult, playing into negative Jewish stereotypes.

negative. lots of people feel the same way though, as if a giant monster is going to descend from the heavens and crush them for saying Jew. hell, one of the guys at my work is Jewish and even he thought that... wiki descriptions ftw, eh? heh

I've heard "Jaw Harp" too. Maybe that's a PC-ification. Okay Pho3nix, I'll bite...

Etymology

There are many theories for the origin of the name Jew's harp, one being that it may derive from its popularity amongst Eurasian steppe-peoples like the Khazars, perhaps being introduced to Europe from that direction. Another explanation proposed is that it is a corruption of "jaw harp", while a less likely explanation espoused by some is that its name comes from "juice harp" from the amount of saliva produced when played by amateurs. Both of these explanations lack historical backing, as both the "jaw" and the "juice" variants appeared only in the late 19th and 20th centuries. It has also been suggested that the name derives from the French "Jeu-trompe" meaning "toy-trumpet".[1]. Another origin theory stems from the fact that the instrument, which resembles the form of older handheld harps, has but one moving 'string' to be plucked; compared to the many strings in a typical harp, the owner of this instrument could be considered 'cheap' (typically synonymous with 'Jew' in times past).

The Oxford English Dictionary calls theories that the name is a corruption of "jaws" or "jeu" "baseless and inept" and goes on to speculate that "the instrument was actually made, sold, or sent to England by Jews, or supposed to be so; or that it was attributed to them, as a good commercial name...".[2]

Many names of the instrument, in English or other languages, refer to other musical instruments, cordophones, membranophones, or aerophones largely included.

Wow, kitty-sifters seem to like the jew's harp.

Not a very definitive explanation. I'm not really offended.

I actually think Jew's harp is funny. I imagine some overly-stereotypical Jewish banker weighing his options between a Jew's harp and a regular harp, eying each instrument for scuffs and imperfections that might bring down the final selling price.

(I've gotten myself in trouble for saying shit like this here in the past, so don't any of you go and get pissed now. Some of my best friends are Jewish-American-Californians) (wow do I hate making lame disclaimers like this)

Discarding this video. It failed to receive enough votes to get sifted up to the front page within 2 days.