Mark Abbott, age 11, of Ankeny, Iowa, for his question:

WHAT IS A JEW'S HARP?

The jew's harp is a small musical instrument made up of a flexible metallic reed at one end of a curved metal frame. The other end of the reed is tapered and bent forward at a right angle.

A hews harp player holds the metal frame against his teeth and makes the reed vibrate by hitting its forked end with his free hand. He produces different notes by changing the shape of his mouth.

There is no relationship between the musical instrument and Jews. The name is most likely a corrupt form of jaw's harp. Similar instruments have been found in Borneo, China, Japan and Siberia. The jew's harp has been played in Europe since the 1300s.