Being 'Put Through the Wringer' Is Not Fun
2024-06-16
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2Today we talk about a physical action called "wringing."
3That is "wring" beginning with a silent "w."
4The dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster describes the verb "wring" as squeezing or twisting something like clothing to remove moisture or liquid.
5You can also "wring" someone to get more information.
6In the old days, people used a "wringer" to remove water from their clothing.
7With a wringer, you put clean but very wet fabric between two rollers and turn the handle to squeeze water out.
8Imagine if that was your hand instead of your clothes.
9Ouch! That would really hurt.
10And this gives us a common expression: to put through the wringer.
11When someone is put through the wringer, they face a very difficult or unpleasant experience.
12Now, let's hear the expression used in a conversation between two friends:
13A: Hey, I heard you trained with Julia for your race. How did it go?
14B: It was hard. Julia was really tough on me. She put me through the wringer! And I couldn't walk for days afterward.
15For another example, let's say you are looking for a new job.
16The employer wants you to go through several weeks of difficult training and then pass a test at the end.
17You can say you were put through the wringer.
18However, when writing this expression, make sure that you write "wringer" with a "w" and not "ringer" that begins with an "r."
19The two words sound alike but are spelled differently and have completely different meanings.
20A "wringer" with a "w" is the device we talked about earlier.
21It's used to remove water from clothing and fabric.
22A "ringer" without a "w" is a person who "enters a competition under false representations."
23The term "ringer" can also refer to someone or something that strongly resembles another.
24The verb "wring" with a "w" is also used to describe an action in which someone twists their hands together.
25They usually do this when they are nervous or worried about something.
26And that gives us another expression: hand-wringing.
27Merriam-Webster defines hand-wringing as an extreme expression of concern or guilt.
28The dictionary publisher noted a recent example written by Christopher L. Gasper on BostonGlobe.com on February 18, 2023:
29"For all the hand-wringing the NBA has done about players coming straight out of high school, the track record is good."
30In other words, there is nothing to worry about having basketball players coming to the NBA straight out of high school.
31And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2Today we talk about a physical action called "wringing." That is "wring" beginning with a silent "w." 3The dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster describes the verb "wring" as squeezing or twisting something like clothing to remove moisture or liquid. You can also "wring" someone to get more information. 4In the old days, people used a "wringer" to remove water from their clothing. With a wringer, you put clean but very wet fabric between two rollers and turn the handle to squeeze water out. 5Imagine if that was your hand instead of your clothes. Ouch! That would really hurt. And this gives us a common expression: to put through the wringer. 6When someone is put through the wringer, they face a very difficult or unpleasant experience. 7Now, let's hear the expression used in a conversation between two friends: 8A: Hey, I heard you trained with Julia for your race. How did it go? 9B: It was hard. Julia was really tough on me. She put me through the wringer! And I couldn't walk for days afterward. 10For another example, let's say you are looking for a new job. The employer wants you to go through several weeks of difficult training and then pass a test at the end. You can say you were put through the wringer. 11However, when writing this expression, make sure that you write "wringer" with a "w" and not "ringer" that begins with an "r." The two words sound alike but are spelled differently and have completely different meanings. 12A "wringer" with a "w" is the device we talked about earlier. It's used to remove water from clothing and fabric. 13A "ringer" without a "w" is a person who "enters a competition under false representations." The term "ringer" can also refer to someone or something that strongly resembles another. 14Hand-wringing 15The verb "wring" with a "w" is also used to describe an action in which someone twists their hands together. They usually do this when they are nervous or worried about something. 16And that gives us another expression: hand-wringing. 17Merriam-Webster defines hand-wringing as an extreme expression of concern or guilt. The dictionary publisher noted a recent example written by Christopher L. Gasper on BostonGlobe.com on February 18, 2023: 18"For all the hand-wringing the NBA has done about players coming straight out of high school, the track record is good." 19In other words, there is nothing to worry about having basketball players coming to the NBA straight out of high school. 20And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 21Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 22________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24squeeze - v. to press together from the opposite sides of 25twist - v. to pull off, rotate, or break by a turning force 26fabric - n. cloth (as in clothing or bedding) 27false - adj. not genuine : intentionally untrue : adjusted or made so as to deceive : intended or tending to mislead 28refer - v. to have relationship : relates 29resemble - v. to be like or similar to 30We want to hear from you. Do you have similar expressions in your language? Our comment policy is here.