twisting

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean
noun the act of rotating rapidly
verb to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)

What painful twisting of unelastic stuff! — Imaginary Conversations and Poems: A Selection, Walter Savage Landor
Beau's widow snarls, her mouth twisting. — The Dop Doctor, Richard Dehan
Her hands were sort of twisting. — The sound and the fury, William Faulkner

distortion, overrefinement, straining, torture

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