wringer

[ring-er]

noun

1. an apparatus or machine for squeezing liquid out of anything wet, such as a pair of rollers between which an article of wet clothing may be squeezed.

2. a painful, difficult, or tiring experience; ordeal.

   Their years-long disagreement was an emotional wringer that hurt them both deeply.

3. a person or thing that wrings.

   My father is a real worrier—a wringer of hands and a pacer of floors.

wringer

/ ˈrɪŋə /

noun

1. another name for mangle 2

Word History and Origins

Origin of wringer¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; wring ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. through the wringer,

   1. through acute suffering or hardship.

      He’s really been through the wringer with his child’s illness.

      A series of disasters put her family through the wringer financially.

   2. through rigorous testing, examination, or trial.

      Our numbers have been run through the wringer every which way, and it still looks like some cuts will be needed.

      Keep an eye out for a full review once we put this racing bike through the wringer.

see under put through (the wringer).

Example Sentences

Arne Slot has no hair left to lose but the man celebrating his 47th birthday might have been left feeling a few years older as his Liverpool team put him through the wringer again.

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Though it may be seen as the refreshing agent of change in politics, it has yet to be put through the wringer of close scrutiny.

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Jofra Archer sat proudly by the Lord's boundary edge as a crowd that had been put through the wringer ebbed away.

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These women have been through the wringer of romance, yet it’s rare to see them learn from these experiences.

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England fans are used to their teams putting them through the wringer.

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Related Words

• inquiry 
• investigation 
• query 
• questioning