wringer

American  

[ring-er] / ˈrɪŋ ər /

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.

---

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.

wringer British  

/ ˈrɪŋə /

noun

1. another name for mangle 2

---

wringer More Idioms  

1. see under put through (the wringer).

---

Etymology

Origin of wringer

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

Example Sentences

There is nothing to boo about that, but the Tartan Army had just been put through the wringer as they watched their side struggle against the world's 100th-best national team.

From BBC

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.

From BBC

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.

From BBC

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

From BBC

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

From Salon

Related Words

• inquiry
• investigation
• query
• questioning