The Jews-trump, or, as it is more generally pronounced, the Jew-trump,
seems to take its name from the nation of the Jews, and is vulgarly
believed to be one of their instruments of music. Dr. Littleton renders
Jews-trump by _sistrum Judaicum_. But there is not any such musical
instrument as this described by the authors that treat of the Jewish
music. In short, this instrument is a mere boy’s plaything, and
incapable of itself of being joined either with a voice or any other
instrument. The present orthography seems to be a corruption of the
French, _jeu-trump_, a trump to play with: and in the Belgick, or
Low-Dutch, from whence come many of our toys, a _tromp_ is a rattle for
children. Sometimes they will call it a _Jews-harp_; and another etymon
given of it is _Jaws-harp_, because the place where it is played upon is
between the jaws. It is an instrument used in St. Kilda. (Martin, p.
73.)