▪ I. wring, n.1
(rɪŋ)
Also 1, 5 wringe, 4–6 wrynge, 9 ring.
[OE. wringe, f. wringan wring v. Cf. OE. w{iacu}n-wringe.]
1. A cider-press or wine-press.
| c 890 Wærferth tr. Gregory's Dial. 250 Sanctulus..brohte æmtiᵹe cyllan þyder to þære wringan. a 1350 in Relig. Lyrics 14th C. (1924) 28 Þy schroud red wyth blod..Ase troddares in wrynge. Ibid., Þe wrynge ich habbe y-trodded al mysulf on. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xix. xxxviii. (B.M. Add. MS. 27944), Sourisshe þinges..bereþ doun þe mete as it were a pressoure oþer a wrynge. c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. i. 495 (Colchester MS.), Oilmylles, wheeles, wrynges,..I nyl not speke of nowe. Ibid. xi. 107 Erly sette on werkyng hem [sc. olives] the wrynge. 1532–3 in Weaver Wells Wills (1890) 155 The dragge, and the wrynge, and the vate. 1664 Newburgh in Evelyn Pomona 42 The Cider, bottled immediately from the wring. 1844 W. Barnes Dorset Gloss. 370 Wring, a press, as a cider-wring. a 1906 in Eng. Dial. Dict. s.v., Cider from the wring. |
2. A cheese-press.
| [1670 in C. Worthy Devon. Wills (1896) 27 A cheese wring.] 1891 T. Hardy Tess I. 226 The measured dripping of the whey from the wrings downstairs. |
3. wring-house, the house or shed where a cider- or cheese-wring is kept.
| 1807 Vancouver Agric. Devon (1813) 472 Wring-house for making cider. 1842 G. P. R. Pulman Rustic Sketches 52 In th' ringhouse hard to work, Th' mill da grind. 1886 T. Hardy Woodlanders xiii, His dwelling, cider-cellar, wring-house. |
▪ II. wring, n.2 (
rɪŋ)
[f. wring v.] 1. a. The act of wringing, twisting, or writhing; an instance of this. Also
fig.| c 1460 Towneley Myst. xxi. 237 Bot he that forsake I shall gyf hym a wryng that his nek shall crak. 1611 Cotgr., Garrot,..a wring, or pinch in the wythers. 1634 Bp. Hall Contempl., N.T. iv. xxiv. ¶1 The sighs, and tears, and blubbers, and wrings of a disconsolate mourner. 1697 Vanbrugh Relapse iii. i, My brother has given it a wring by the nose. 1789 T. Rawlins Fam. Archit. 17 Arch-Stones, if any Wring or unequal Pressure happen,..will naturally settle close to each other. 1889 Century Mag. May 85/1 She gave the shirt..a vicious wring. |
| fig. 1602 Marston Antonio's Rev. i. i, Have I not crush't them with a cruell wring? 1628 Feltham Resolves ii. xxii. 72 We sinke vnder the wring of sorrow. |
b. The action of squeezing, pressing, or clasping; a squeeze or clasp of the hand.
| 1599 B. Jonson Cynthia's Rev. v. iii, A Wring by the hand, with a Banquet in a corner. Ibid. v. iv, The Wring by the hand, and the Banquet is ours. 1605 Chapman All Fools ii. i. D 4 b, Yet do I vnderstand..your secret iogges and wringes; Your entercourse of glaunces. 1621 R. Brathwait Time's Curtain drawn M 8, A winke, a nodd,..a wringe, a kisse, Sent by some Childe. 1856 C. M. Yonge Daisy Chain ii. xvii, James, with one wring of the hand, retreated. 1894 J. A. Steuart In Day of Battle xvii, I gave the good soul's hand a hearty Christian wring. |
2. A sharp or griping pain,
esp. in the intestines.
| c 1500 Roulis Cursing 61 Ane of thir infirmiteis.., The stany wring, the stane and sand blind. 1600 Surflet Countrie Farme i. xxviii. 195 Hens dung swallowed by hap, bringeth frets and wrings in the bellie. 1609 Holland Amm. Marcell. 220 An horse..sore vexed with a suddaine gripe or wring in his belly, fell down. 1611 Cotgr., Trenchaison, a gripe, or a wring, as of the Chollicke, &c. |
3. With
down. That which is obtained by wringing.
| 1874 T. Hardy Far from Madding Crowd lii, To look at the last wring-down of cider. |
4. Comb.:
wring-world.
| 1885 G. M. Hopkins Poems (1967) 99 But ah, but O thou terrible, why wouldst thou rude on me Thy wring-world right foot rock? |
▪ III. wring, v. (
rɪŋ)
Pa. tense and
pple. wrung (
rʌŋ). Forms:
inf. 1
wringan, 2–4
wringen, 4
wryngen, 5
-ene,
-yn,
wringin; 3–7
wringe (5
ringe), 4–6
wrynge,
wryng, 4–5
wreng, 4–
wring (6
Sc. wrink-, 7–8, 9
dial. ring).
pa. tense 1–9 (now
dial.)
wrang, 4–6
wrange (
pl. 1
wrungon, 3–4
-en); 3–7
wrong, 3–6
wronge, 6
wroong,
wroung (
pl. 4
wrongen, 5
-on); 4–
wrung (6
wrunge).
pa. pple. 1, 4
wrungen, 6
wrunge, 6–
wrung (8
rung); 5–7
wrong, 5–6
wronge (4–6
ywrong, 4–5
y-,
iwronge),
wrongen, 5
wrounge, 6
wroung,
wroong(e.
weak pa. tense 5–8
wringed;
pa. pple. 6–7
wringed.
[OE. wringan (wrang, wrungon; wrungen), = OFris. *wringa (WFris. wringe), OS. *wringan (in ûtwringan; MLG. wringen, LG. wringen, ringen), MDu. and Du. wringen, OHG. rinkan, ringan, ringen (MHG., G. ringen). Other grades of the stem wring- are represented by wrang wrong a. and Goth. wruggō snare.] I. 1. a. trans. To press, squeeze, or twist (a moist substance, juicy fruit, etc.),
esp. so as to drain or make dry. Also
transf. and in
fig. context. (
Cf. 14 b.)
| c 890 Wærferth tr. Gregory's Dial. 250 Witodlice hit ᵹelamp..þa þa Langbeardisce mæn wrungon eleberᵹan on þære treddan. c 1000 ælfric Gen. xl. 11 Ic nam þa winberian & wrang on þæt fæt. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 2064 Ðe beries ðor-inne [sc. a cup] me ðhuȝte ic wrong. 13.. K. Alis. (W.) 333 Herbes he tok..And stamped heom in a morter; And wrong hit [Laud MS. wronge it out] in a box. c 1386 Chaucer Sir Thopas 65 His faire steede..So swatte, þat men myghte him wrynge, His sydes were al blood. c 1430 Two Cookery-Bks. 28 Take Molberys, and wrynge a gode hepe of hem þorw a cloþe. c 1485 E.E. Misc. (Warton Cl.) 75 Wrynge hit [sc. turnsole with glair] into a schelle. 1508 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 438, I haif a water spunge for wa,..Than wring I it full wylely. 1580 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 325 Protagenes portraied Venus with a sponge;..if once she wrong it, it would drop bloud. 1637 Rutherford Lett. (1671) 147 God is wringing grapes of red wine for Scotland. 1662 R. Venables Exper. Angler vi. 65 Wash it [sc. moss] well,..wring it very dry. 1747 H. Glasse Cookery xvii. 147 Strain them [sc. elderberries] through a coarse Cloth, wringing the Berries. 1799 G. Smith Laboratory I. 263 Pour the rest of the milk to it,..then wring it through a cloth. 1865 Swinburne Chastelard iii. i. 97 That your face Seen through my sleep has wrung mine eyes to tears For pure delight in you. |
| absol. c 1050 in Techmer Zeitschrift (1885) II. 123 Donne þu cyse habban wille, sete þonne þine twa handa togæþere bra[d]linga, swilce þu wringan wille. |
b. To strain (juice, moisture, etc.) from a moist or wet substance by squeezing or torsion; to extract (fluid)
from or
out of something by pressure, etc.
Occas. in
fig. context. Also with
advs., as
forth,
out (sense 14 a).
| c 888 ælfred Boeth. v. §2 Ne meaht þu win wringan on mide winter. c 1000 Sax. Leechd. I. 72 Ᵹenim þære ylcan wyrte leaf,..wyl on wætere, & wring þæt wos. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvii. clxxxviii. (Bodl. MS.), Newe wyne þat is newe take oute of þe presse and wrong. a 1400 Leg. Rood (1871) 138 Cristes Cros ȝit spac þis speche: Furst was I presse wyn to wringe. 1535 Coverdale Judges vi. 38 He wrange y⊇ dew out of the flese. 1576 G. Baker tr. Gesner's Jewell of Health 11 b, We..distill the lycour wrynged forth. 1631 J. Anchoran Comenius' Gate Tongues 69 Oyle is wringed and strained out of oliues. a 1700 Evelyn Diary 21 May 1645, A laundress wringing water out of a piece of linen. 1746 Hervey Medit. 42 The intolerable Pressure wrung Blood, instead of Sweat, from every Pore. 1857 Ruskin Pol. Econ. Art i. 17 You have to..wring the honey and oil out of the rock. 1888 F. Hume Mme. Midas i. Prol., Wringing the water from his coarse clothing. |
| transf. 1652 Bell tr. Luther's Table Talk xxxv. 381 He wringeth from me a bitter sweat. |
c. transf. To force (tears)
out of the eye,
from a person, etc.; to squeeze out.
| a 1395 Hylton Scala Perf. i. lix. (W. de W. 1494), He..somtyme wryngeth a tere oute of his eye. 1592 Kyd Sp. Trag. iii. xiii. 135 Art thou come..To wring more teares from Isabellas eies? 1602 Marston Antonio's Rev. i. v, The gripe of chaunce is weake to wring a teare From him. 1683 Dryden & Lee Dk. Guise iii. i, It wrings the Tears from Grillon's Iron Heart. 1766 Goldsm. Vic. W. xvii, It is not a small distress that can wring tears from these old eyes. 1815 Milman Fazio i. i, 'Twere sin to charity To wring one drop of brine upon thy corpse. 1819 Keats Otho iii. ii. 221 A foolish dream that from my brow hath wrung A wrathful dew. |
2. a. To twist, writhe, or wrest (a person or thing); to force (a limb, etc.)
round or
about so as to cause a sprain or pain.
| c 1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 196 Teoh him þa loccas, & wringe þa earan & þone wangbeard twicciᵹe. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. vii. 162 Hongur..hente wastor bi þe mawe, And wrong him..be þe wombe. c 1435 Torr. Portugal 1014 By the nose I schall the wryng, Thow berdles gadlyng. 1481 Caxton Reynard xl. (Arb.) 111 The foxe..grepe the wulf fast by the colyons. And he wronge hem so sore that [etc.]. c 1520 Skelton Magnyf. 2196 Iche shall wrynge the..on the wryst. 1578 H. Wotton Courtlie Controv. 114 After they had chaffed his temples.., wrong hys little finger [etc.]. 1612 Shelton Quix. i. iv. v. 338 He wrung her throat so straitly betweene both his armes, that [etc.]. 1633 G. Herbert Temple, Agonie ii, There shall he see a man..wrung with pains. 1709 Steele Tatler No. 137 ¶3 Let me wring your Neck round your Shoulders. 1727–41 [see twist v. 9 b]. 1815 Burney Dict. Marine, To Wring a Mast, is to bend or strain it out of its natural position by setting the shrouds up too taught. 1816 Scott Bl. Dwarf viii, It's but wringing the head o' him about at last. 1839 Lane Arab. Nts. I. 64 The memlook..began to wring it [sc. another's ear] by little and little. 1881 ‘Rita’ My Lady Coquette xix, I shall wring that Budd's neck if he comes in my way. |
| refl. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 171 The common people..wrong them selfes by the berdes. |
| fig. 1900 J. L. Allen Incr. Purpose iv. 39 His heart-strings were twisted tight and wrung sore this day. |
b. To contract or contort (the features, etc.); to screw, distort, turn awry.
| a 1300 K. Horn 1062 (Camb.), Horn tok burdon & scrippe, & wrong his lippe. 1576 Whetstone Rocke of Regard I. 83 She wroung her mouth awry. 1602 Marston Antonio's Rev. i. v, Would'st have me..wring my face with mimic action? 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts 141 When he fauneth vpon a man he [sc. a dog] wringeth his skinne in the forehead. 1665 J. Wilson Projectors i. i. 8 Do you not observe Sir, how hard he wrings his brows? 1808 Scott Marm. vi. xxx. 5 When pain and anguish wring the brow. 1885 R. L. & F. Stevenson Dynamiter 184 The white face..wrung with unspoken thoughts. |
c. To twist or force (the features)
into or
to a smile, etc.
| 1806 J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life (ed. 4) vii. xxxv, The necessity..of wringing your features into a smirk, in addressing a poltroon. 1827 Hood Mids. Fairies xciv, To hope my solemn countenance to wring To idiot smiles! |
3. a. To twist (a wet garment, cloth, etc.) in the hands, so as to force out water; also in modern use, to pass through a wringer.
Occas. in
fig. context. Also with
away (
quot. 1728).
| c 1300 Havelok 1233 He sholen hire cloþen washen and wringen. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xiv. 18 Dowel shal wasshen it [sc. a coat] and wryngen it þorw a wys confessour. c 1425 MS. Sloane 73 fol. 201, [When] þat þou moystist it þus..loke þat þou wrynge it clene. 1471 Caxton Recuyell (Sommer) 494 After she toke oute the sherte appertly and wronge hit. 1530 Palsgr. 785/2, I wringe..a clothe that is wete. 1598 R. Grenewey Tacitus, Ann. xi. x. 152 The presses were wrung, the vessels flowed with wine. 1633 Ford Tis Pity iii. vii, My whole body is in a sweat, that you may wring my shirt; feel here. 1684 Boyle Porousn. Bod. iii. 11 To purify Quicksilver by tying it up strictly in a piece of kids..leather, and then wringing it hard to force it out. 1728 Ramsay Last Sp. Miser vii, I never..wrung away my sarks with washing. 1732 Swift Let. to J. Brandreth 30 June, Take care of damps;..if a stocking happens to fall off a chair, you may wring it next morning. 1812 J. Wilson Isle of Palms ii. 283 Weeping, she wrings his dripping hair. 1874 Blackie Self-Cult. 51 A wet sheet, dipped in water, and well wrung. |
| absol. c 1425 in Rel. Ant. I. 275 A woman ys a worthy thyng: They dothe washe and dothe wrynge. 1573 Tusser Husb. (1878) 173 Maids, wash well and wring well. 1635 Life & Death Long Meg Westm. ii. 5 She had been..used..to hard labour, as to wash, to wring. |
b. To clasp and twist (the hands or fingers) together,
esp. in token or by reason of distress or pain.
In very frequent use from
c 1300.
| c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 43/303 He weop and criede and wrong is hondene. a 1300 K. Horn 980 (Camb. MS.), Hire fingres [Harl. hondes] he gan wringe. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. v. 68 Wroþliche he wrong his fust. c 1375 Cursor M. 23960 (Fairf.), Hir louelie fingris ho did wringe. a 1440 Sir Eglam. 815 They weptyn faste and wrang ther hande. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon i. 37 There had you seen..many a hande wrongen. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cclxx. 165/1 They wronge their handes and tare their heeres. 1611 Beaum. & Fl. Knt. Burn. Pestle iv. i. Song, Come you whose loves are dead,..Weep and wring Every hand and every head. 1659 W. Chamberlayne Pharon. iii. ii. 105 Her hands Wringing each other's ivory joints. 1749 Smollett Regicide iv. v, Wherefore dost thou wring thy tender hands? 1798 Edgeworth Pract. Educ. (1811) I. 104 Persons in violent grief wring their hands and convulse their countenances. 1845 J. C. Mangan German Anthol. I. 162 She wrang her hands till blood gushed forth. 1884 F. M. Crawford Rom. Singer I. 89 He wrung his fingers together and breathed hard. |
| transf. 1865 Dickens Mut. Fr. i. xii, The wind sawed... The shrubs wrung their many hands. |
| absol. a 1300 Cursor M. 23960, I se him hang, I se hir wring. c 1386 Chaucer Clerk's T. 1212 Lat hym care and wepe and wryng and waille. c 1430 Pol., Rel. & L. Poems (1903) 236, I wringe & wepe as þing for-lorn. 1587 Turberv. Trag. T. (1837) 251 She wrong and wept a pace. |
4. a. Of a tight shoe or boot: To press painfully upon (the foot, toe, etc.); to hurt (a person) in this way;
= pinch v. 1 b.
| c 1449 Pecock Repr. iii. xi. 347 The schoon schulden be so narowe, that thei schulden needis wringe his sones feet into greet peyne. 1540 Palsgr. Acolastus iv. vii. X iij, Doth thy shoe wrynge the? 1580 North Plutarch, P. æmylius (1595) 262 Is not this a goodly shooe?..yet..neuer a one of you can tell where it wringeth me. 1581 G. Pettie tr. Guazzo's Civ. Conv. i. 11 Hee bought a paire of Bootes, whereof the one was so straite that it wrong his legge and foote verie sore. 1612 Shelton Quix. ii. (1620) 223, I know where my shoo wrings me. 1678 Otway Friendship in F. iv, Quit her! as chearfully, as I would a Shooe that wrings me. 1770 Langhorne Plutarch (1879) I. 297/2 None knows where it [a shoe] wrings him but he that wears it. 1831 R. Lower Tom Cladpole xxiv, I gun to feel..De haboot ring ma toe. |
b. In figurative contexts;
esp. in the proverbial phrase
to know where the shoe wrings one, or variants of this:
cf. pinch v. 1 b.
| c 1386 Chaucer Merch. T. 341, I woot best wher wryngeth me my sho. ― Wife's Prol. 492 He sat ful ofte and song Whan þat his shoo ful bitterly hym wrong. 1546 J. Heywood Prov. ii. v. (1867) 57 My selfe can tell best, where my shooe doth wryng mee. 1584 Lodge Alarm E iij b, We shall finde whereas their shooe wringeth them. 1602 Middleton Blurt, Master-Constable A 4 b, I haue a shooe wrings me to th' heart. 1654 Earl of Monmouth tr. Bentivoglio's Wars Flanders 253 Here it is that the King of Spains shoe wrings him. 1672 Marvell Reh. Transp. i. 314 They see where the shoo wrings him. |
c. absol.,
esp. in
fig. or proverbial use.
| 1580 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 413, I see that others maye gesse where the shooe wringes, besides him that weares it. 1589 Greene Menaphon (Arb.) 54 As he were a Coblers eldest sonne, [he] would by the laste tell where anothers shooe wrings. 1609 Rowlands Crew Kind Gossips 4 Little do you know where my shoo wrings. 1658 A. Fox tr. Würtz' Surg. ii. xxv. 149 He that weareth the shooes knoweth where they wring. 1887 Brighouse News 23 July (E.D.D.), Every man knows best where his shoe wrings. |
5. a. To cause anguish or distress to (a person, his heart, etc.); to vex, distress, rack.
In
freq. use from
c 1780,
esp. with
heart.
| c 1374 Chaucer Troylus iii. 1531 So hard hym wrong of sharp desir þe peyne. 1390 Gower Conf. II. 91 If that thou fiele That love wringe thee to sore, Behold Ovide and take his lore. a 1535 Fisher Serm. Wks. (1876) 419 A penitent soule, that is sore prest and wrong with vtter shame. 1575 Gascoigne Dan Barth., Reporter vi, In deede the rage which wrong him there, was rathe. 1614 Wither Juvenil., Epigr. v. 6 Where only thine own guiltinesse doth wring thee. 1648 Hunting of Fox 32 Every word hath its weight, and secretly wrings those lay-Levites. 1746 Francis tr. Horace, Art of Poetry 158 For Nature..Wrings the sad Soul, and bends it down to Earth. 1766 Goldsm. Vicar xxviii, Though he has wrung my heart,..that shall never inspire me with vengeance. 1831 James Phil. Augustus III. ii, Even the sunbeam..seemed but given to wring him [sc. a prisoner] with the memory of sweets he could not taste. 1845 J. C. Mangan German Anthol. I. 161 Remorse may wring thy soul too late! 1884 W. C. Smith Kildrostan 79, I must tell you all, Howe'er it wring my heart. |
| absol. 1553 R. Ascham Germany 23 His talke is alwayes so accompanied with discression.., as he neither biteth with wordes, nor wringeth with deedes. a 1893 C. Rossetti Poems (1904) 215/1 O faces unforgotten! if to part Wrung sore, what will it be to re-embrace? |
b. To affect (a person, etc.) with bodily pain, hurt, or damage (sometimes
spec. by torsion or pressure); to hurt, harm, or injure. Now
dial. or
arch. (after Shakespeare).
| c 1520 Skelton Magnyf. 2047 Howe the gowte wryngeth me by the too! 1565 Cooper Thesaurus s.v. Constrictus, The mouthe wrounge with the bytte. 1580 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 249 Wring not a horse on the withers, with a false saddle. 1617 Moryson Itin. i. 55 After they had first wrung their foreheads with twisted ropes. 1623 St. Papers, Col. 217 [Stale cider] doth extraordinarily wring the belly. 1698 Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 176 Being wrung by her Pain. 1711 Lond. Gaz. No. 4886/4 Rung with the Fetters on the white Foot, and rung a little on the Shoulders. 1718 Pope Iliad xvi. 195 When scalding Thirst their burning Bowels wrings. 1882 N. & Q. 29 July 94/1 My clothes wring me. 1887 Kentish Gloss. 192, I wrung my shoulder with carrying a twenty-stale ladder. |
| absol. 1575 Gascoigne Weedes, Compl. Gr. Knt., A peece which shot..so streight, It neyther bruzed with recule, nor wroong with overweight. |
| fig. or in fig. context. 1580 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 387 For deny I wil not that I am wroung on the withers. 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV. ii. i. 7 The poore Iade is wrung in the withers. [Cf. unwrung ppl. a.] 1888 E. Gosse Congreve 3 It wrung the withers of the poets of Collier's day. |
c. To distress or afflict (a person) by exaction, severity, etc.; to oppress, keep down.
| 1550 Becon Fortr. Faithful c iiij, Thus y⊇ pore people be so wrounge of these ungentle gentlemen, y{supt} the selye soules are lyke unto dry haddockes. 1599 in Fowler Hist. C.C.C. (O.H.S.) 352 So as you [do not]..wring your Tenants in such sort for your private gain. 1613 Princess Elizabeth in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. ii. III. 232 My Lorde, I have not bin forward to wringe you with requests. 1615 Sylvester Job Triumph. iii. 537 The meanest Groom I saw, I feared so, I durst not wring, nor wrong, nor wrangle with. 1742 Young Nt. Th. ii. 152 Bare existence, man, to live ordain'd, Wrings, and oppresses with enormous weight. |
† d. To press or ply (a person) with argument or confutation.
Obs. rare.
| 1567 Harding in Jewel Def. Apol. 2 What doo Heretikes when they are vrged and wroonge, when by force of arguments they are straighted. 1646 Trapp Comm. John viii. 7 Thus our Saviour wrings those supercilious and censorious hypocrites. |
6. a. To wrench or wrest out of position or relation; to cause to change place by turning or twisting. Const. with
advs., as
apart,
asunder, or preps., as
from,
off,
out of.
| c 1320 Sir Tristrem 3262 His stirops he made him tine, To grounde he him wrong. 1495 Trevisa's Barth. De P.R. xi. xiii. (W. de W.) 9 vi b, Thonder dystroyeth hye trees and wryngyth [MSS. roteþ] theym out of the grounde. 1535 Coverdale Lev. i. 15 The prest shal..wrynge the neck of it a sunder. a 1553 Udall Roister D. i. iv, He wrong a club..out of the hande of Belzebub. 1587 Golding De Mornay xxv. (1592) 386, I will..wring a sunder the yron barres [= Isaiah xlv. 2]. 1635 Long Meg Westm. xx, Meg..did wring the stick out of his hands. 1699 T. Allison Voy. Archangel 18 Our Rudder Head was wrung in peices. a 1784 in Child Ballads III. 480/1 His neck in twa I wat they hae wrung. 1857 Borrow Romany Rye xli. (1903) 257 My mouth being slightly wrung aside, and my complexion rather swarthy. 1883 Stevenson Treas. Isl. xi, I'll wring his calf's head off his body. |
| fig. and in fig. context. 1548 Udall Erasm. Par. Pref. B j, Godly Counsaillours, whom..this wicked rable found meanes to wryng out of fauour. 1580 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 295 Now you haue my opinion, you must not think to wring me from it. a 1592 [see wrest n. 5 b]. 1817 Shelley Rev. Islam x. xli, Who the life from both their hearts can wring. ? c 1830 Bryant The Past v, My spirit..struggles hard to wring Thy bolts apart. 1878 Browning La Saisiaz 51 Each kindly wrench that wrung From life's tree its inmost virtue. |
| refl. a 1716 South Serm. (1744) VIII. 127 To wring themselves out of God's hand by annihilation. |
b. To bring out (words, etc.) with effort.
| a 1350 in Relig. Lyrics 14th C. (1924) 34 Þou wringest mani wrang word Wiþ wanges ful wete. 1633 G. Herbert Temple, Praise (No. 3) i, Lord, I will..speak thy praise,..Then will I wring it with a sigh or grone. 1820 Keats Ode to Psyche 1 Hear these tuneless numbers, wrung By sweet enforcement and remembrance dear. |
7. a. To acquire or gain (money, property, a right, etc.) by exaction or extortion; to wrest or wrench
from or
out of a person, etc.
| a 1300 Sarmun in E.E.P. (1862) 3 Þe wrecchis wringit þe mok so fast; up ham silf hi nul noȝt spend. 14.. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 583 Flecto, to wrynge mony. 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 113 All which priuileges..they..do what they can to wrest and wring from us. 1594 West 2nd Pt. Symbol. §215 Those offences..are committed when any..wringeth money or other things from another man. 1630 R. Johnson's Kingd. & Commw. 367 That Marquisate of Saluzzes..which Henry the fourth of France wrung from him. 1730 Bailey (fol.), Extort, to wrest, wring or get out of one by force, threat or authority. 1819 Scott Ivanhoe vi, Hard hands have wrung from me my goods, my money, my ships. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xxii. IV. 727 To wring taxes out of the distressed population. 1868 Farrar Silence & V. i. (1875) 15 The fields which the usurer has wrung from the orphan. |
| absol. 1582 [see wrest v. 4 b]. |
| fig. and transf. 1596 Spenser State Irel. Wks. (Globe) 620 How hardly that Act of Parliament was wronge out of them. 1608–11 Bp. Hall Epist. i. Ep. Ded., It were well..if I could wring ought from my selfe not vnworthie of a iudicious Reader. 1828 Carlyle Misc., Burns ¶31 They will wring from Fate another hour of wassail and good cheer. 1842 J. Wilson Chr. North (1857) I. 160 To wring from the very soil more than it could produce. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. ix. II. 464 The pressure which had wrung from him the only good acts of his whole reign. |
b. To exact, extort, or draw (an admission, consent, etc.)
from or
out of a person, etc.
In frequent use from
c 1830.
| c 1444 [see wresting vbl. n. 2.] 1581 Lambarde Eiren. ii. vii. (1588) 213 At the common Law, Nemo tenebatur prodere seipsum, and then his fault was not to be wrung out of himselfe, but [etc.]. 1642 D. Rogers Naaman 41 The Lord doth not so..to wring from him some tearmes of homage. 1671 Milton Samson 1199 [They] constrain'd the bride To wring from me..my secret. 1721 Young Revenge ii. i, I wrung a promise from him he would try. 1792 Rogers Pleas. Mem. i. 352 To wring the slow surrender from his tongue. 1833 H. Martineau Brooke Farm vi. 79, I was determined no enemy should wring a complaint out of me. 1864 G. A. Lawrence M. Dering II. 83 The gay dare-devilry of the man wrung from both..admiration. 1892 Speaker 3 Sept. 293 These are not admissions wrung by the energy of his opponents from Mr. Huxley. |
| transf. a 1813 Shelley Falsehood & Vice 73 The stifled moan Wrung from a nation's miseries. |
| fig. 1853 Maurice Proph. & Kings xxv. 441 Wringing out of texts or symbols..the proof of some New Testament revelation. |
8. a. To press, clasp, or shake (a person's hand); to press (a person)
by the hand; to shake hands with.
| 1534 More Comf. agst. Trib. ii. Wks. 1170/1 The one toke the other by the tip of the finger, for hand would there none be wrongen thorow the grate. 1580 Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 333 So wringing hir by the hand, he ended. 1601 ? Marston Pasquil & Kath. iii. (1878) 137 I'le..wring thy fingers with an ardent gripe. a 1700 Evelyn Diary 18 Aug. 1673, He wrung me by the hand. 1713 Addison Cato i. iv, The good old King at parting wrung my hand. 1816 Scott Bl. Dwarf xvii, Langley took his hand, and..wrung it hard. 1848 Dickens Dombey l, Mr. Toots..wringing Walter by the hand. 1883 D. C. Murray Hearts iii, He shook hands with Tom, wringing his hand harder than he knew. |
b. To squeeze or compress
together.
rare—1.
| 1603 G. Owen Pembrokeshire i. (1891) 3 He Joyned in on Mappe..the [four] greate sheeres [= shires]..by reason whereof he was forced to wringe them..neere together. |
9. a. To subject (something) to a writhing, wresting, or turning movement; to press, drive, or impel in this way.
Occas. fig. or in
fig. context. Also with preps., as
in,
into,
upon.
| 13.. K. Alis. 2383 (Laud MS.), His spores he gynneþ in horse wrynge. a 1489 Caxton Blanchardyn xlix. 190 He wrang his fystes and brake the cordes al a sonder. 1565 J. Hall Crt. Vertue 73 b, Of wexe they make scripture a nose, To turne and wryng it evry waye. 1582 Mulcaster Elementarie Peroration (1925) 252 In tormenting the minde, and wringing it to the worst. 1584 R. Scot Discov. Witchcr. xiii. xxv. (1886) 270 If you wring a testor upon ones forehead, it will seeme to sticke, when it is taken awaie. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia ii. ii, Wringing [folios wrieng] her waste, and thrusting out her chinne. 1610 Shakes. Temp. i. ii. 135 It is a hint That wrings mine eyes too 't. 1648 Hexham, Wringh-aersen, to Wringe or Friggle the taile. 1760–2 Goldsm. Cit. W. lxxix, They must..wring their figures into every shape of distress. 1818 Scott Br. Lamm. xxxv, And is it true, then,..that the bridegroom's face was wrung round ahint him? 1862 Mrs. Browning Little Mattie iii, Her lips you cannot wring Into saying a word more. |
| transf. c 1489 Caxton Blanchardyn vii. 28 [He] wringed his strock atte the pullyng out ayen, that he made of his swerde. |
b. To wrest or twist (a writing, words, etc.); to strain the purport or meaning of; to deflect, pevert;
= wrest v. 5.
| [1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. v. 31 Wily-man and wittiman and waryn wrynge-lawe.] 1546 Supplic. of Poore Commons (E.E.T.S.) 77 Wringyng & wrestynge the Scriptures. 1581 [see wrest v. 5]. 1606 S. Gardiner Bk. Angling 109 By this wringing the Scripture and causing it to bleede. 1641 Milton Ch. Govt. v, By wringing the collective allegory of those seven Angels into seven single Rochets. 1645 ― Tetrach. 8 [God's] commands and words.. are not to be so strictly wrung, as [etc.]. |
| absol. 1540 Coverdale Confut. Standish (1547) d vij b, Thus make ye of gods holy scripture a shipmans hose, wresting and wringing to what purpose ye will. 1564 [see wrest v. 5]. |
c. To turn or deflect (a matter)
into or
to something; to convert. ?
Obs.| 1524 State Papers Hen. VIII, I. 152 To wryng and wreste the maters in to bettre trayne, if they walke a wrye. 1848 L. Hunt Jar Honey p. xvii. (tr. Bacon), So are those doctrines best and sweetest which..are not wrung into controversies and common-places. |
† d. To incline or dispose (a person); to bend or divert
to something.
Obs.| 1528 More Dyaloge iii. Wks. 210/1 Our harte euer thinketh the iudgement wrong, that wringeth us to the worse. 1553 R. Ascham Germany 6 b, Octauio was euermore wrong to the worse by many and sundry spites. 1579 [see wrest v. 3]. |
e. To wreathe, twist, or coil (something flexible); to wind or dispose in coils.
| 1585 T. Washington tr. Nicholay's Voy. ii. xvi. 50 b, Another great columne..in forme of three serpents, wrong one within another. 1597 A. M. tr. Guillemeau's Fr. Chirurg. 29 b/1 Cause the patient gentlye to wring about his neck a table naptkinne or a towell. 1623 tr. Favine's Theat. Hon. iv. iii. 3 That is to say, a Serpent writhed or wrung together. 1837 A. Tennent Vis. Glencoe 49 Some in coils their forms did wring, As when the deadly serpent's spring Insures its victim's doom. 1896 ‘M. Field’ Attila iv. 107 She catches hold of her own veil and wrings it round her head. |
† 10. refl. To wriggle or insinuate (oneself)
into a place, favour, etc.
Obs.| a 1525 Vergilius in Thoms E.E. Prose Rom. II. 27 The deuyll wrange hym selfe into the lytell hole ayen. 1592 Nashe P. Penilesse B 4 b, They wring themselues into his good opinion ere he be aware. 1602 Marston Ant. & Mel. iii, Niggard life Hath but one little, little wicket through. We wring our selves into this wretched world..to curse and raile. 1621 J. Taylor (Water P.) Superbiæ Flagellum D 7 b, These vipers..proudly make humility a screw, To wring themselues into opinions view. |
II. With adverbs.
11. wring down: To force, squeeze, or press down;
spec. to force down the throat.
| 1633 Swedish Intelligencer iii. 23 [They] will eate you whole handfulls of raw Onyons..as familiarly as an Italian wrings downe sallets, or we apples. 1874 T. Hardy Far from Madding Crowd lii, There were the fellers round her wringing down the cheese [in the press]. |
12. wring in: To insert, insinuate, or bring in with or as with a twisting movement. Chiefly
fig.| 1579 Fulke Heskins Parl. 227 Maister Hesk. wold fain make Euthymius to speak for him, if he could tell how to wring him in. 1597 [see wrest v. 1 c]. 1599 B. Jonson Cynthia's Rev. ii. iv, Who when they haue got acquainted with a strange word, neuer rest till they haue wroong it in. 1622 Drayton Poly-olb. xxi. 187 Giue me those Lines..In which things naturall be, and not in falsely wrong. |
13. wring off: To wrest or force off by twisting or turning round.
| c 1520 Skelton Magnyf. 1909 Of some I wrynge of the necke lyke a wyre. 1611 Bible Lev. i. 15 The Priest shall bring it vnto the altar, and wring off his head. 1726 Swift Gulliver ii. v, One of our servants..wrung off the bird's neck. 1865 Swinburne Chastelard iv. i. 167 Let one..Wring my crown off and cast it underfoot. |
14. wring out:
a. To force out (moisture) by or as by twisting; to squeeze out. Also
fig. and
transf. Cf. outwring v.
| 1340–70 Alisaunder 712 Hee wringes oute þe wet wus. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 2527 Phillis, To meche truste wel may I pleyne..on ȝoure teris falsely out i-wronge. 1388 Wyclif Isaiah xvi. 10 He that was wont to wringe out, schal not wrynge out wyn in a pressour. c 1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 50 Þen grynde tansy, þo iuse owte wrynge. c 1450 Mirour Saluacioun (Roxb.) 33 Gedeon wronge out the dewe. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 40 b, He that bloweth his nose ouermuche, shall wringe out bloude. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia ii. xxvii, With that the fellow..wrang out teares. 1612 S. Rid Art of Jugling E 3 b, So (with a little sponge in your hand) you may wringe out blood or wine. 1624 Wotton Archit. 111 A sturdie woman, washing and winding of linnen clothes,..wrings out the water. 1743 Blair Grave 328 From stubborn shrubs Thou wrung'st their shy retiring virtues out. 1816 J. Wilson City of Plague ii. i. 196 Such return Wrings out the tears from my old wither'd heart. |
| transf. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. v. xxxvi. (Bodl. MS.), Colde aier..is ywronge oute [L. exprimitur] and idrawe to þe vtter parties. |
b. To strain (a wet fabric, etc.) with a twisting motion, so as to press out most of the moisture. Also
const. of (the liquid in which the thing has been wetted).
| 13.. [see 1]. 1388 Wyclif Judges vi. 38 Whanne the flees was wrongun out, he fillide a pot with deew. c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. ii. 417 [After it has been] so steped xix dayes, Wrynge out the mirte [= myrtle berries] & clense hit. 1561 Hollybush Hom. Apoth. 23 Wet a long cloth,..wringe it well oute. 1576 G. Baker tr. Gesner's Jewell of Health 11 b, We wring out..the thyngs infused. 1676 Wiseman Surg. ii. ix. 191 With a Compress wrung out as is prescribed. 1771 E. Haywood New Present for Maid 268 Then wring them out of those suds. 1848 Mrs. Gaskell Mary Barton viii, Just help me wring these out, and then I'll take 'em to the mangle. 1896 Allbutt's Syst. Med. I. 419 A large towel wrung out of cold water. |
c. To get or fetch out (something) with a wrenching movement; to wrench or wrest out.
| c 1420 Wycliffite Bible 2 Sam. xxiii. 21 (MS. Bodl. 296), He wrong out þe spere fro þe hond. |
d. To express or bring out with effort. (
Cf. 6 b.)
| 1402 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 106 Oft, Dawe, in thi writtyng, thou wryngist out contradiccion. 1831 Lamb Elia ii. Newspapers 35 Years ago, We were wringing out coy sprightliness for the [Morning] Post. |
e. To obtain or draw (something) from another by pressure, application, or art; to extract, elicit, bring out.
| 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 118 b, Of all these thynges can they [sc. merchants] wrynge out [L. elicere] golde and syluer, to the wonderfull losse of people. 1591 Lyly Endym. v. iii, Marking..my sighes,..by questions [he] wrunge out that, which was readie to burst out. 1598 R. Grenewey Tacitus, Ann. xv. v. 228 Let false praise, and wroong out by praiers be restrained. 1602 Marston Antonio's Rev. ii. v, Present thy guilt, As if twere wrung out with thy conscience gripe. 1674 N. Fairfax Bulk & Selv. 90 That which claws away world from about them, would, 'tis like, wring out their Planethood from within them. 1833 I. Taylor Fanat. ii. 38 The gratification..is wrung out from the very torments of the heart. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xix. IV. 287 In order to wring out from them the names of their employers. 1879 Browning Martin Relph 121 He wrung their pardon out. |
† f. To expel or depose (a person) from position or office; to thrust out.
Obs.| 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 174 b, After he had wronge oute [L. eliserat] Mathew Helde..he..placed [another]..in his rome. 1631 Weever Anc. Funeral Mon. 232 In which office he continued, vntill hee was wrung out by Wolsey. |
15. wring up:
a. To pull up with a twist; to wrench up.
| c 1440 Pallad. on Husb. ii. 185 The wedis with an hond most vp be wronge. [Cf. upwring, up- 4 a]. |
b. To squeeze, press, or compact by torsion; to twist or screw up.
| c 1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 14 Take almondes, bray hem, wryng hom up. c 1440 in Househ. Ord. (1790) 442 Take parsel, and grinde hit, and wringe hit up with egges thrugh a streynour. 1885 C. G. W. Lock Workshop Receipts Ser. iv. 244 Wring the book up tightly in the press. 1891 T. Hardy Tess iii, The very white frock..which had been wrung up and ironed by her mother's own hands. |
c. Mining. In passive. Of a lode: To become diminished or dwindled.
| 1839 H. T. De la Beche Rep. Geol. Cornwall, etc. xi. 343 By continuing the workings through the space so wrung-up. 1855 [J. R. Leifchild] Cornwall 143 Sometimes the lode..becomes ‘wrung up’, or impoverished. |
III. intr. † 16. a. To flow or run
out under pressure; to issue.
Obs.| a 1225 Ancr. R. 322 Al þet fule wrusum scheaweð him, & wringeð ut biuoren al þe wide worlde. a 1240 Wohunge in O.E. Hom. I. 281 Þat te blod wrang ut at tine finger neiles. a 1300 Cursor M. 11700, I wil þat vte þe water wring. ? c 1400 Emare 881 The teres out of hys yen gan wryng. a 1450 Northern Passion (D) 1880 Þe bloode a non began out to springe And þan þe watir after to wringe. |
† b. To struggle or force a way
out. Also
fig.| c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame 2110 Thus oute at holes gunne wringe Euery tydynge streght to Fame. a 1525 Vergilius in Thoms E.E. Prose Rom. II. 26 There was a lytell hole, and therat wrange the deuyll out like a yeel. 1584 R. Scot Discov. Witchcr. iii. xvi. 51 Little holes where a flie can scarselie wring out. |
c. Mining. With
out. (See
quot. and 15 c.)
| 1855 [J. R. Leifchild] Cornwall 91 Sometimes the schist so abounds in the lode, that the quartzose part disappears altogether, or is only continued in minute strings. In such a case, the lode is said to have dwindled away, or to have wrung out. |
† 17. a. To suffer or sustain twisting, wrenching, or turning.
Obs.| a 1225 Leg. Kath. 1368 Þe keiser..bed..ba binden ham swa, þe fet & te honden, þet ha wrungen aȝein. |
b. To be engaged in, to perform the action of, writhing or twisting;
esp. of the hands.
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. v. 85 His body was to-bolle for wratthe,..And wryngynge he ȝede with þe fiste. c 1435 Torr. Portugal 1690 Fore his men pursued a dere, To his castell,..That doth my hondys wring, This Giaunt hym toke. a 1450 Myrc Par. Pr. 780 Koghe þow not þenne, þy þonkes, Ny wrynge þou not wyth þy schonkes. ? a 1480 Piers of Fulham 143 in Hazl. E.P.P. II. 7 A gentyll byrd takyn can no defense, Save wrastyll and wrynge with the tale a lyte. 1546 Supplic. Poore Commons (E.E.T.S.) 69 When they sawe the worlde som what lyke to wrynge on the other syde, they denyed it. 1604 E. T. Case is altered C ij b, His wife with her handes wringing entertaines him with a weeping. 1682 Bunyan Holy War 153 Mr. Weteyes went with hands wringing together. 183. J. Edmeston in Sacred Poetry (1868) 243 The hands I love dearly are wringing. |
† 18. To fling
away ; to rush precipitately.
Obs.| c 1400 Sowodne Bab. 2557 Richard the whiles away he wronge, Thile thai were alle dismayede. |
19. a. To twist the body in struggling or striving; to struggle
with or strive
against something; to contend, labour, or endeavour earnestly.
| 1470–85 Malory Arthur v. v. 168 Arthur weltred and wrong that he was other whyle vnder and another tyme aboue. 1489 [see wrestle v. 2 b]. 1548 P. Nicols Godly New Story E iij b, Some wring & wrest to go backe agayn into Egypt. 1556 J. Heywood Spider & Fly i. 59 The more he [sc. a fly] wrange, the faster was he wrapt [in the web]. 1570 Drant Two Serm. K vj, Iannes and Mambres wrong and shouldered at the truth. 1791 [W. Beckford] Pop. Tales of Germans II. 123 Violent convulsion fits shewed that they were wringing with death. 1837 Carlyle Misc. (1857) IV. 114 With the many-headed coil of Lernean serpents..[Hercules] wrestled and wrang..for life or death. |
b. To twist, turn, or struggle in pain or anguish; to writhe.
| c 1485 Digby Myst. (1882) iii. 1409 Swyche a cramp on me sett is,..I ly and wryng. 1596 Harington Metam. Ajax (1814) 45 He..looked as if he had been wringing hard on a close-stool. 1611 Shakes. Cymb. iii. vi. 79 He wrings at some distresse. 1633 Bp. Hall Occas. Medit. lxix. 167 How is it [sc. a worm] vexed with the scorching beames, and wrings up and down! 1789 [see wringle v. 2]. 1843 Carlyle Past & Pr. iii. i, In hydra-wrestle, giant ‘Millocracy’..wrestles and wrings in choking nightmare. |
c. To suffer or undergo grief, pain, punishment, etc. (
for something).
| 1565 J. Hall Crt. Vertue 134 b, None but the poore Doth wrynge therfore, And suffer the distres. 1586 J. Ferne Blaz. Gentrie 22 The shoemaker..hath so scanted his shoe that his foote wringeth therewith. 1608 Chapman Byron's Conspiracy i. i, Such as are impatient of rest; And wring beneath some priuate discontent. 1760–72 H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1809) III. 28 My heart wrings with regret. 1831 R. Lower Tom Cladpole cxlvi, My toe did ring full sore. 1882 N. & Q. 17 June 468/2, I took it [sc. a feather bed] away,..because he would not wring so [i.e. have such bed-sores]. |
20. † a. To set
upon a person with hostile language.
Obs.| 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 334 Whereunto tendeth all the endeuour of those men, whome Osorius here wringeth vpon [L. oppugnat] so sharpely. |
b. To carry
on wringing or torture.
rare—1.
| 1821 Byron Two Foscari i. i, Let them wring on; I am strong yet. Guard. Confess, And the rack will be spared you. |
† 21. To associate, or join hands,
with another.
Obs. rare.
| 1580 Lupton Sivqila 109 Which [bribe] belyke you thought that my handes did so tickle to touche, that I would wring with the wrong and flee from the truth. |
IV. 22. Comb.:
† wring-jaw U.S. slang, rough cider.
| a 1775 [see 'simmon n.3]. 1845 J. F. Cooper Chainbearer I. iii. 46 ‘To get a sup of cider for old Jaap.’.. His weakness in favour of wring-jaw being a well-established failing. |
Hence
† wringed ppl. a., wrung; squeezed (out).
| 1582 Stanyhurst æneis ii. (Arb.) 50 Wee wer al inueigled, with wringd tears nicetye blended. ? a 1600 Roman Charity in A. Philips Coll. Old Ball. II. 142 With wringed Hands, and bitter Tears, These Words pronounced she. a 1680 Charnock Attrib. God (1682) 637 'Tis as if Divine Goodness did kneel down to a Sinner with wringed Hands. |
▪ IV. wring obs. erron. f. ring v.
2