handwringer means A person who clasps and squeezes the hands in an excessive expression of distress. It carries an Arena rating of 1661, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, handwringer ranks #2,082 of 12,604 for Funniest Words, #4,683 of 12,595 for Scariest Words, #8,418 of 12,349 for Most Ponderous Words, #10,371 of 12,368 for Most Sublime Words.
Why “handwringer” is a great word
A person who clasps and squeezes their hands together as an excessive or overwrought expression of distress, anxiety, or guilt. From hand + wringer, one who or that which wrings, as one would twist a wet cloth to extract every last drop. Unlike a worrywart, who is consumed by internal fret, or a pessimist, who holds a gloomy philosophical outlook, a handwringer is defined by a public, physical liturgy of agitation. It is the white-knuckled twist of fingers in a hospital waiting room, the convulsive kneading of palms during a plummeting stock ticker, the silent, desperate pressure of skin on skin while awaiting a verdict—a futile attempt to squeeze the uncertainty from the very air, a somatic ritual that believes pain can be physically wrung out and thus expelled.
Etymology
From hand + wringer.
noun
- A person who clasps and squeezes the hands in an excessive expression of distress.