agony aunt
1
7.7
- noun
- /ˈæɡəni ɔnt/
- Literature
:
consejera sentimental
- In her column, the agony aunt provided helpful tips for dealing with heartbreak.
So then we started, I recruited my mum as the agony aunt.
- So then we started, I recruited my mum as the agony aunt.
Examples
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Now, Daniella Forest, you are ''Playboy's'' agony aunt, and you've just published your autobiography ''Luck Be A Lady''.
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Position: Agony aunt for The Sun newspaper.
Academic text (2009) -
Please welcome the new agony aunt from ''Playboy'' magazine - stay tuned - the very lovely Daniella Forest.
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Many readers turn to their favorite agony aunt for advice on personal issues in their lives.
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She has gained a large following as an agony aunt, offering wise counsel to those in need.
Synonyms
356
3.8
A journalist who writes a regular opinion article in a newspaper or magazine
5
3.4
A journalist who regularly writes opinion articles for a newspaper
A man who writes advice in a newspaper or magazine about personal problems
Surface Forms
Morphology
agony + aunt
Although 'agony' (severe distress) + 'aunt' (female relative) together suggest a woman who deals with others' troubles, a B1 learner would most likely infer a helper or confidante rather than the conventionalized, culture-specific role of a newspaper/magazine advice columnist. The lexical combination gives a partial clue to the meaning but does not transparently yield the specific institutionalized sense, so it is best classified as semi-transparent.
Etymology
Agony aunt comes from old newspaper pages where readers sent letters about personal agony, meaning big emotional problems, and a kind aunt would answer them. That's why agony aunt means 'a woman who gives advice about personal problems'.