Wet Your Whistle (Appetite) vs. Whet Your Whistle (Appetite)

"WET YOUR WHISTLE"

An idiom meaning to take a drink of a beverage or to quench your thirst; often used metaphorically to refer to non-edibles.

"WHET YOUR WHISTLE"

If this phrase were correct it would translate to “sharpen” or “stimulate” one’s mouth. What could cause one's lips to sharpen?

"WHET YOUR APPETITE"

An idiom meaning to “sharpen” or “stimulate” one’s hunger, as when thinking of a warm meal waiting at home, inhaling a roasting barbecue or a simmering oven dish, or listening to someone describe their last delectable restaurant visit; often used metaphorically to refer to non-edibles.

"WET YOUR APPETITE"

This phrase simply does not make sense, as an idiom or otherwise, unless it refers to choosing softer foods instead of solids, as when one is forced to consume only liquids when feeling unwell. Seriously, when would one's appetite ever require a good soaking?

*     *     *

These expressions are more often used incorrectly than correctly when appearing in text. “Whet” means to sharpen or stimulate, and I am sure we all know the meaning of the word "wet." As a language aficionado and studied master, I preach there is not any such thing as "correct" or "proper" grammar, especially when figurative language is in question, and I know an idiom is basically a group of words meaning something completely different than the actual meanings of the grouped words and is designed to not make literal sense; however, my qualm rests with the writers or authors utilizing these phrases when their intended meaning is not the one they present.

Well, if I bored you with this post, at least a few of your "appetites" were "stimulated" by my chosen pictorial representation.