Being 'Put Through the Wringer' Is Not Fun

Being 'Put Through the Wringer' Is Not Fun

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.

Today we talk about a physical action called “wringing.” That is “wring” beginning with a silent “w.”

The 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.

In 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.

Imagine 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.

When someone is put through the wringer, they face a very difficult or unpleasant experience.

Now, let’s hear the expression used in a conversation between two friends:

A: Hey, I heard you trained with Julia for your race. How did it go?

B: It was hard. Julia was really tough on me. She put me through the wringer! And I couldn’t walk for days afterward.

For 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.

However, 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.

A “wringer” with a “w” is the device we talked about earlier. It's used to remove water from clothing and fabric.

A “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.

FILE - In this undated photo, Carrie Severt washing clothes in Alleghany County, North Carolina. Photo by Lyntha Scott. Courtesy of The Library of Congress)

Hand-wringing

The 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.

And that gives us another expression: hand-wringing.

Merriam-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:

“For all the hand-wringing the NBA has done about players coming straight out of high school, the track record is good.”

In other words, there is nothing to worry about having basketball players coming to the NBA straight out of high school.

And that’s all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I’m Anna Matteo.

Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.

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Words in This Story

squeeze – v. to press together from the opposite sides of

twist – v. to pull off, rotate, or break by a turning force

fabric – n. cloth (as in clothing or bedding)

false – adj. not genuine : intentionally untrue : adjusted or made so as to deceive : intended or tending to mislead

refer – v. to have relationship : relates

resemble – v. to be like or similar to

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