(w)ringer

[Tom Zurinskas]

That "ass in a ringer" is a spin-off of the phrase "tit in a wringer" refering to washing clothes in a "wringer washer".  Those machines had rollers atop an open wash tub.  After clothes were washed the woman (of course) swivled the two-roller wringer over the tub and lifted the clothes into the wringer hand cranking them through the two rollers (prior to electricity doing it) to screed off excess water before hanging clothes to dry.  Dangerous getting hair or own clothes caught in an electrified wringer.  We actual had one when first married.


>From the Urban Dictionary  "tit in a wringer"
Bothered, bent out of shape, upset, angry. Dates back to wringer clothes washers. Undoubtedly, getting one's tit caught in the wringer would have been quite upsetting.
Yes, dear, so I lost a hundred bucks playing poker. Don't get your tit in a wringer.



Tom Zurinskas, Conn 20 yrs, Tenn 3, NJ 33, now Fl 9.
See how English spelling links to sounds at http://justpaste.it/ayk





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> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: Michael Everson <everson at EVERTYPE.COM>
> Subject: (w)ringer
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> A friend made an error, and said "I got my ass in a ringer". I don't know this expression. Google gives 62,700 hits for "ass in a ringer", and 11,600 hits for "ass in a wringer".
>
> What is it?
>
> Michael Everson * http://www.evertype.com/
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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