wringer
/ˈrɪŋər/
noun
- A machine or device that presses water out of wet clothes, typically by squeezing them between two rollers.
- He carefully fed each shirt through the wringer to remove as much water as possible.
- The wringer on the washing machine broke, so we had to hang the clothes dripping wet.
- My grandmother used an old wringer to dry the laundry before modern dryers existed.
- A difficult or stressful experience that tests someone's endurance or patience (used in the phrase 'put through the wringer').
- The final exam put me through the wringer, but I passed in the end.
- Being a new parent really puts you through the wringer with sleepless nights and constant worry.
- The company's financial crisis put every employee through the wringer.