- wring hands
- wring (your) hands
to show that you are very sad or anxious about a situation but do nothing to improve it.
It's not enough for us to stand by and wring our hands - we've got to take action.
New idioms dictionary. 2014.
wring hands
Look at other dictionaries:
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 — [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 — [ rıŋ ] (past tense and past participle wrung [ rʌŋ ] ) verb transitive wring or wring out to twist and squeeze something in order to remove liquid from it: I ll just wring out this dress and hang it up. wring someone s neck used for emphasizing… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
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 your hands — wring (your) hands to show that you are very sad or anxious about a situation but do nothing to improve it. It s not enough for us to stand by and wring our hands we ve got to take action … New idioms dictionary
wring one's hands — ► wring one s hands clasp and twist one s hands together as a gesture of distress or despair. Main Entry: ↑wring … English terms dictionary
Wring — Wring, v. i. To writhe; to twist, as with anguish. [1913 Webster] T is all men s office to speak patience To those that wring under the load of sorrow. Shak. [1913 Webster] Look where the sister of the king of France Sits wringing of her hands,… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
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
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 — [c]/rɪŋ / (say ring) verb (wrung or, Rare, wringed, wringing) –verb (t) 1. to twist forcibly, as something flexible. 2. Also, wring out. to twist and compress, or compress without twisting, in order to force out moisture: to wring one s clothes… …
