LAT Wed. 11/2 David. W. Cromer

[magus]

/saks/

 
Start to sing?   ESS
Date with an MD   APPT
Couple of Couples puns:
Couples with clubs   FRED [a frightening concept]
Couples’s org.   PGA [not sure you need the final -s]

  Sax   WOODWINDINABAND  [it's all brass (with a reed) so I wonder where the wood went]

  The covert theme took me some time to find; I kept looking at the answers and forgot about the clues.

RATING:    Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = No fun

[DrewE]

Sax   WOODWINDINABAND  [it's all brass (with a reed) so I wonder where the wood went]

Saxes are woodwinds because of the reed; or, possibly more accurately, because they're wind instruments that don't have the cup-shaped mouthpiece of a brass instrument, and thus are not played by buzzing the lips.  Harmonicas—but not glass harmonicas, which are entirely different and unrelated—are likewise classified as woodwinds, when classified at all, despite a complete lack of wood. 

Saxophone fingering is also far more like that of other woodwind instruments than that of common brass instruments.

[magus]

Thanks, Drew.

That saxes are reeds I get.  But where's the wood?  Even my ancient harmonica has wood to separate the notes.  Why, if the term wind is a must (though I don't know why it would be) is the class not just called winds? 

Of course, this is of moment to cruciverbalists and "hot air," so to speak, to horn blowers.