Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

twist of the knife

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.00 in modern English

Syllables: twist of the knife
IPA

31

Scrabble Score

15

Letters

1

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An action that worsens a difficult situation or increases a person's distress, irritation, or anger.

Informal

Example Sentences

"But Mr. Christie had instructed the audience to listen for what he dismissively called the “memorized 25-second speech,” adding, with a twist of the knife, that it was “exactly what his advisers gave him.”"

Etymology

See twist the knife.

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

twists of the knife (plural)

Questions

What does twist of the knife mean?: An action that worsens a difficult situation or increases a person's distress, irritation, or anger.
Where does twist of the knife come from?: See twist the knife.

How to pronounce twist of the knife

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