whinge
English edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From a northern variant of Old English hwinsian (“to whine”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwinisōn (“to whine”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwīnan (“to whine”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwey- (“to hiss, whistle, whisper”). Cognate with German winseln (“to whine, whimper”).
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
whinge (third-person singular simple present whinges, present participle whingeing or whinging, simple past and past participle whinged)
- (UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) To whine; to complain, especially in an annoying or persistent manner.
- Argh! He has been whinging about it all night, even though he knows there's nothing we can do.
- I know it won't help but sometimes it feels better to whinge about the things that annoy me.
- 1814 July 7, [Walter Scott], chapter I, in Waverley; […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC:
- "'D' ye hear what's come ower ye now,' continued the virago, 'ye whingeing Whig carles? D'ye hear wha's coming to cow yer cracks?"
- 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 1]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:
- You crossed her last wish in death and yet you sulk with me because I don’t whinge like some hired mute from Lalouette’s.
- 1992, Sky Phillips, Secret mission to Melbourne, November, 1941, page 45:
- Mostly, they were wingeing about the lousy cook and the same thing served too often
- 1993, Michael Fisher, The Nightmare Man, page 169:
- His wife will winge her bloody head off, but Nev will come good.
- 2002, Diana Wynne Jones, A Tale of Time City, page 41:
- "I'm miserable," Sam proclaimed, plodding behind with his shoelace flapping. "Nobody ever gives me butter-pies when I need them." / "Shut up," said Jonathan. "Stop wingeing."
- 2012, John Lyons, The Australian, 1st Dec issue, Action stations as sea giants stay vigilant on the frontline
- "You know the problem these days with young people? Get them to carry a 500-pound bomb and within 30 seconds they're making noises," he says, imitating a whingeing sound.
Noun edit
whinge (plural whinges)
- (UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) A cry.
- Her whinges grew even shriller and more annoying the longer we had to listen to them.
- (UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland) A peevish complaint.
- I know you don't like it, but your whinges won't solve the problem!
Synonyms edit
- See also Thesaurus:complain
Related terms edit
Translations edit
to complain or protest
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Further reading edit
- A relevant page from Understanding cultures through their key words, Anna Wierzbicka.
- Wright, Joseph (1905) The English Dialect Dictionary[1], volume 6, Oxford: Oxford University Press, page 461