Chinese burn

British

noun

a minor torture inflicted by twisting the skin of a person's wrist or arm in two different directions simultaneously

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

These were definitely not roses - the fan-leafed plants reminded Xia of àicǎo, or silvery wormwood, which the Chinese burn to ward off mosquitoes.

From BBC

The poll of the 1,844 adults who attended secondary school in the UK suggests some 27% recalled being given a "Chinese burn".

From BBC

One thing's pretty definite: whoever loses will almost certainly give the winner a Chinese burn.

From The Guardian

I feel like I've had to watch someone giving Nelson Mandela a Chinese burn, or jabbing the Queen in the eye.

From The Guardian

Yes, this is indeed the valuable sandal-wood, which the Chinese burn as incense, and employ largely in the manufacture of fans, and of which in England the cases for lead pencils are formed.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023