agony aunt

plural agony aunts · alternative Agony Aunt · alternative agony aunty · alternative agony auntie

1. IrelandUKinformalSynonym of advice columnist, a writer of an advice column in a newspaper or other periodical, especially an actually or assumed female writer of such a column.First known use 1974

   You should write in to the agony aunt; she'll sort it out for you.

   3 more examples

   Pandora has just left my bedroom. I am just about devastated with frustration. I can't go on like this. I have written to Aunt Clara, the Agony Aunt.

   1984, Sue Townsend, The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole, Methuen, →ISBN, page 20

   Yes, I have an agony aunt for a wife and an uncle for an employer. I'm well looked after.

   1999 February 3, Anthony Horowitz, “Strangler's Wood”, in Midsomer Murders

   The big difference between agony aunts then and today is that now we have the internet to answer those tricky problems about how to eat an avocado pear (a lot of letters in the 70s were avocado-related)[…]

   2021 June 20, Philippa Perry, “Ask Philippa: meet the Observer’s brilliant new agony aunt”, in The Observer

   Synonyms: advice columnist

2. IrelandUKinformalSomeone commonly consulted for advice about personal problems.

   I'm sick of everyone coming to me with their problems—I never wanted to be an agony aunt!