Definition

1. Noun:

   • A musical instrument: A large, triangular stringed instrument played by plucking the strings with the fingers. It has a vertical pillar, a curved neck, and a resonating soundbox.
   • A free-reed instrument: A small, rectangular wind instrument with a row of free reeds set in air holes, played by blowing into the holes.
   • A support structure: A pair of curved vertical metal supports for a lampshade.

2. Verb:

   • To play the harp: To perform music on the harp instrument.
   • To talk persistently: To dwell on or return repeatedly to a particular subject in a tedious or nagging way.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • The musician tuned her harp before the concert.
  • He collects antique harps from different cultures.
  • The lamp had an elegant brass harp for the shade.

• Verb:

  • She can harp beautifully, performing complex classical pieces.
  • He always harps on the same old problems instead of finding solutions.
  • Please don't harp on my mistake; I've already apologized.

Advanced Usage

• "To harp on (about) something": To talk about something repeatedly and in a way that is annoying to others. This is the most common phrasal verb form.
  • My boss harps on about punctuality every single morning.
  • She's always harping on the need for more funding.

Variants and Related Words

• Harper (n): A person who plays the harp.
• Harpist (n): Another term for a person who plays the harp, often used in a classical music context.
• Harp seal (n): A species of seal, named for the harp-shaped marking on its back. (This is a distinct compound noun).

Synonyms

• Noun (Instrument): Lyre (a smaller, related ancient instrument).
• Verb (To talk persistently): Dwell on, reiterate, repeat, nag, go on about.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Harp on: To talk about something continuously and tediously.
  • He harped on his achievements throughout the entire dinner.

Related Idioms

• To play second harp: This is not a standard idiom. The common idiom is "to play second fiddle." Using "harp" here would be a creative or mistaken substitution. The standard idiom related to persistent talking is simply the phrasal verb "to harp on."

Noun

1. a small rectangular free-reed instrument having a row of free reeds set back in air holes and played by blowing into the desired hole
2. a pair of curved vertical supports for a lampshade
3. a chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers

Verb

1. play the harp
   • She harped the Saint-Saens beautifully
2. come back to
   • Don't dwell on the past
   • She is always harping on the same old things