Unstrangle
verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 To undo a constriction of the air passages, or restore to life after death by strangulation.
"After you are seated and help your wife unstrangle herself out of her cloak and pick up her opera glass bag seven or eight times, and say, "O, my God, can't you hang on to anything?""
- 2 To release from something that squeezes tightly around.
"Sores and blisters were one introduction to the world of work, and slashing at Clematis to unstrangle whippy shoots of beech, which slapped the face and stung the eyes in defiance, has left little affection for the creeper and a stoical appreciation of this irksome task."
- 3 To free from the stranglehold of excessive constraints.
"Those who are afraid to unstrangle the judge, and allow him to comment on the facts, contribute more than all others to the inefficiency of the jury today."
- 4 To free up (something) that has become choked up; unblock.
"He promised to unstrangle Houston's "miserable transportation system," to "get started rebuilding the inner city" and to "change attitudes" in the police department."
- 5 To relax from constricting tension.
"He drew a hand across his neck, as if to unstrangle his voice."
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"After you are seated and help your wife unstrangle herself out of her cloak and pick up her opera glass bag seven or eight times, and say, "O, my God, can't you hang on to anything?""
Etymology
From un- + strangle.