turn the knife in the wound

A form of twist the knife — To deliberately do or say something to worsen a difficult situation or increase a person's distress, irritation, or anger.

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Meanings

verbturn the knife in the wound (third-person singular simple present turns the knife in the wound, present participle turning the knife in the wound, simple past and past participle turned the knife in the wound)

present singular third person turns the knife in the wound · participle present turning the knife in the wound · participle past turned the knife in the wound · past turned the knife in the wound

  1. alternativeAlternative form of twist the knife.
Cite this entry
APA

turn the knife in the wound. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turn%20the%20knife%20in%20the%20wound

MLA

“turn the knife in the wound.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turn%20the%20knife%20in%20the%20wound. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “turn the knife in the wound,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turn%20the%20knife%20in%20the%20wound.

Source: turn the knife in the wound on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.