from Dr. Bill [wwh]:
I wonder at sense of humor of new member Mrs. Coot. A coot is a sea bird, a type of fish eating duck, that used to be a challenge to shoot just for sport. The
recipe for cooking coot, told of tying it to a shingle,
baking two hours, throwing coot away and eating shingle.
They apparently tasted horridly of fish.
And 'crazy as a coot' used to be a common slur.

P.S. from me: I think Mrs. Coot is a Hoot, Dr. Bill. I've learned more about bells than I ever knew before. Now I'm going to look into whistles. Everyone knows a whistle blower. But what do you call a whistle maker?