The hurdy-gurdy is a string instrument that produces sound by a hand-crank-turned, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. The wheel functions much like a violin bow, and single notes played on the instrument sound similar to those of a violin.

Why is it called a hurdy-gurdy?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the mid 18th century origin of the term hurdy-gurdy is onomatopoeic in origin, after the repetitive warble in pitch that characterizes instruments with solid wooden wheels that have warped due to changes in humidity or after the sound of the buzzing-bridge.

What does the phrase hurdy-gurdy Man mean?

The instrument's name may be derived from the Scottish word “hurly-burly”, defined as “commotion, tumult, strife or uproar”— all a rather accurate description of the cacophonous music produced when a hurdy-gurdy falls into unskilled hands.