(w)ringer

[Jonathan Lighter]

Used to be, you got your "tit in a wringer" but your "ass in a sling."

Both mean that you wound up in trouble, not that you made a mistake (which
might have only trivial consequnces).

Both expressions evidently go back at least to WW2, but "ass in a sling"
was long adumbrated by "eye in a sling," lit. an injured, bandaged eye

JL

On Sun, Jul 15, 2012 at 8:49 AM, Tom Zurinskas <truespel at hotmail.com> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Tom Zurinskas <truespel at HOTMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: (w)ringer
>
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>
> 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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> > 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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