Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

twist the knife

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.00 in modern English

Syllables
twist the knife
IPA
26
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
1
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To deliberately do or say something to worsen a difficult situation or increase a person's distress, irritation, or anger.

Informal

Example Sentences

Etymology

Derived from the fact that the act of literally twisting a knife that is still inside someone who has just been stabbed will widen the wound and make it even more painful.

Usage

Inflected Forms

twists the knife (present, singular) twisting the knife (participle, present) twisted the knife (participle, past) twisted the knife (past) turn the knife (alternative) twist the knife in the wound (alternative) turn the knife in the wound (alternative)

Phrases

knife twister twist of the knife

Synonyms

kick someone when they are down rub salt in the wound

Questions

What does twist the knife mean?
To deliberately do or say something to worsen a difficult situation or increase a person's distress, irritation, or anger.
Where does twist the knife come from?
Derived from the fact that the act of literally twisting a knife that is still inside someone who has just been stabbed will widen the wound and make it even more painful.

How to pronounce twist the knife

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “twist the knife”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “twist the knife”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “twist the knife” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.