Canada· hard· informal
mettre un bras dans le tordeur
“to put an arm in the wringer”
Meaning
to take on a risky venture
Explanation
Comes from the real physical danger of old wringer washing machines, so it's used for getting into a situation, a deal, a relationship, that could easily turn into a mess.
Example
Il a mis un bras dans le tordeur en acceptant de rénover la maison sans budget fixe.
He got himself into a risky mess by agreeing to renovate the house without a fixed budget.
Origin
Old Quebec washing machines had a 'tordeur', a wringer with two motorized rollers that squeezed the water out of wet laundry. Getting a hand or arm caught in it was a real and serious hazard, which is where the expression for a risky undertaking comes from.
Where
Quebec
Source
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