Chinese water torture

British

noun

a form of torture in which water is made to drip for a long period of time onto a victim's forehead to drive him insane

"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.

That was to stop the Chinese water torture of embarrassing photos and texts about his relationship with Sanchez, a Los Angeles television personality, which put in motion a divorce from his wife MacKenzie.

From Fox News • Feb. 17, 2019

Like Chinese water torture, Gallup's daily tracking poll has shown a steady and unrelenting drip of bad news.

From Salon • Sep. 4, 2011

Still, the film's joyless repetition of "poo, bum, willy" soon becomes like Chinese water torture.

From The Guardian • Jul. 29, 2010

And no, this has nothing to do with Commissioner Roger Goodell’s making an announcement in the Chinese water torture that has become the Ben Roethlisberger story.

From New York Times • Apr. 20, 2010

That sounded about as much fun as Chinese water torture or getting his teeth extracted.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan

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