​The noisemaker is an idiophonic musical instrument. It is composed of a handle, a circle of teeth and a flexible paddle that hits the teeth of cylinder. Turning the handle causes the cylinder to turn and the repeated striking of the paddle against the teeth of the cylinder.  The rate of the knocks produced is dependent on the speed of the handle. The noisemaker can be found among many cultures and nations. It was adopted by Jewish culture as the "Purim instrument". In Yiddish, the noisemaker is called a grager. In general, the noisemaker is played when Haman's name is mentioned during the reading of the Megillah.