twist the knife en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
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.
Meanings
-
(figuratively, informal) To deliberately do or say something to worsen a difficult situation or increase a person's distress, irritation, or anger.
"And I'm not seeing anyone," she added, just to twist the knife — in whom, she wasn't sure.
2009, Lucy Dillon, Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts, Berkley, published 2011, →ISBN, page 198:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| turn the knife in the wound | alternative | lexicographic | |
| twists the knife | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| turn the knife | alternative | lexicographic | |
| twisted the knife | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| twisted the knife | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| twisting the knife | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| twist the knife in the wound | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
knife twister · twist of the knife
Synonyms
kick someone when they are down · rub salt in the wound
Translations (6)
fi vääntää veistä haavassa (Translations) · pl pogarszać (Translations) · fr remuer le couteau dans la plaie (Translations) · it girare il coltello nella piaga (Translations) · pl pogarszyć (Translations) · es hacer sangre (Translations)