Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

twist in the wind

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.13 in modern English

Syllables: twist in the wind
IPA

24

Scrabble Score

14

Letters

1

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To be unassisted and without comfort in a situation likely to result in distress or failure.

verb

To wait for an uncomfortably long period of time.

Example Sentences

"There seemed to be a shared perception of Colonel North as a good and honorable serviceman who had been left to twist in the wind, the scapegoat of an operation gone awry."
"McGuinty just says, "Don't worry, the investigation will be over soon enough, we'll do something in due course," and people are expected to twist in the wind in the meantime."

Etymology

An allusion to being hanged by the neck and then left for dead in a suspended state.

Inflected Forms

twists in the wind (present, singular) twisting in the wind (participle, present) twisted in the wind (participle, past) twisted in the wind (past)

Phrases

hang out to dry leave someone high and dry leave someone holding the bag leave someone in the lurch

Frequently Paired Words

hang out to dry leave someone high and dry leave someone holding the bag leave someone in the lurch

Questions

What does twist in the wind mean?: To be unassisted and without comfort in a situation likely to result in distress or failure.
Where does twist in the wind come from?: An allusion to being hanged by the neck and then left for dead in a suspended state.

How to pronounce twist in the wind

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