Such handwringers failed to realize the bad impression they were creating.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.
hand|wring|ing — «HAND RIHNG ihng», noun, adjective. –n. an emotional display of grief or despair over a situation. –adj. despairing; hopeless: »The field day of the handwringing pessimist is about over (Christian Science Monitor) … Useful english dictionary
hand-wring·ing — … Useful english dictionary
hand-wringing — hand wring|ing [ hænd ,rıŋıŋ ] noun uncount a way of expressing that you are very worried or nervous … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
Wring — Wring, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Wrung}, Obs. {Wringed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Wringing}.] [OE. wringen, AS. wringan; akin to LG. & D. wringen, OHG. ringan to struggle, G. ringen, Sw. vr[ a]nga to distort, Dan. vringle to twist. Cf. {Wrangle}, {Wrench},… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
wring — [rıŋ] v past tense and past participle wrung [rʌŋ] [T] [: Old English; Origin: wringan] 1.) [always + adverb/preposition] to succeed in getting something from someone, but only after a lot of effort = ↑squeeze wring sth from/out of sb ▪ They are… … Dictionary of contemporary English
wring your hands — phrase to twist and squeeze your hands together, especially when you are afraid or nervous Thesaurus: to express or react to fearsynonym Main entry: wring * * * wring your hands : to twist and rub your hands together because you are nervous or… … Useful english dictionary
wring — ► VERB (past and past part. wrung) 1) squeeze and twist to force liquid from. 2) break (an animal s neck) by twisting forcibly. 3) squeeze (someone s hand) tightly. 4) (wring from/out of) obtain with difficulty or effort. 5) cause great pain or… … English terms dictionary
wring somebody's hand — ˌwring sb s ˈhand idiom to squeeze sb s hand very tightly when you shake hands Main entry: ↑wringidiom … Useful english dictionary
wring — [riŋ] vt. wrung or Rare wringed, wringing [ME wringen < OE wringan, to press, compress, strain, akin to Ger ringen, to struggle, wrestle < IE * wreng < base * wer , to turn, bend > WORM] 1. a) to squeeze, press, twist, or compress,… … English World dictionary
hand-wringing — wring (your) hands to show that you are very sad or anxious about a situation but do nothing to improve it. Until recently, the problem has been a subject for much hand wringing and little else … New idioms dictionary
