Chinese water torture
- noun
- /ˈtʃaɪniːz ˈwɔːtər ˈtɔːrtʃər/
- NSFW
:
tortura china
- Waiting for the results of the test was a Chinese water torture that made him anxious.
Examples
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The constant interruptions during her study session felt like Chinese water torture.
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CNN is Chinese water torture; it's become unwatchable.
Blog text (28) -
Listening to the same song on repeat was a form of Chinese water torture for her.
Synonyms
137
7.2
Very strong mental or physical pain that is hard to bear
A joking way to describe something very annoying or upsetting to experience
How Distressing
Surface Forms
Morphology
A learner who knows 'Chinese', 'water', and 'torture' can readily infer a literal image of a water-based form of torture and therefore grasp that the MWE refers to an especially distressing experience. However, the idiomatic nuance — that it describes a slow, persistent, drip-by-drip kind of torment or prolonged annoyance — relies on a cultural/historical reference and is not fully predictable from the words alone, so comprehension is partial.
Etymology
Chinese water torture may come from a cruel picture of a person tied under a slow drip of water, where one drop hits the same spot on the head again and again. That's why people use it to mean 'a slow, very annoying or painful experience'.