Which is correct nerve wracking or nerve-racking?
“Nerve-racking” is the original and correct spelling of this phrase, which describes something that makes you extremely nervous. “Nerve-wracking” is a widely-used and well-established variant spelling. Many editors and usage dictionaries find it acceptable, but purists and prescriptivists consider it an error.
What is the meaning of nerve wracking day?
extremely irritating, annoying, or trying: a nerve-racking day; a nerve-racking noise.
How do you use the word nerve wracking?
Nerve-wracking sentence example
- It was nerve wracking not to know what was happening.
- You can get up close in a flat-bottomed skiff – but prepare yourself for a pretty nerve-wracking experience.
- It was fun, but a little nerve wracking .
- Asking someone to dance is always nerve-wracking, whether you’re a boy or a girl.
Where does the phrase nerve wracking come from?
If something makes you very anxious is it nerve-racking or nerve-wracking? The first recorded use of nerve-racking is in a letter by the poet Shelley in 1812, telling his friend he is glad to be away from the “nerve-racking and spirit-quelling metropolis”.
Is it wracking or racking?
The spelling ‘rack’ is now used in all senses except for the seaweed called wrack. So it’s “rack and ruin,” … “racking my brains,” and so on. Some other usage guides provide a way of dealing with this question that has a certain brutal charm: just stop using the word wrack.
Is it racking or wracking my brain?
Is it racking or wracking?
What is a nerve-wracking experience?
also nerve-wracking. adjective. A nerve-racking situation or experience makes you feel very tense and worried. The women and children spent a nerve-racking day outside waiting while fighting continued around them.
What is the meaning of racking brain?
to think very hard
: to think very hard in order to try to remember something, solve a problem, etc. I’ve been racking my brain, but I can’t remember his name.
When to use nerve racking or nerve wracking?
When something is making you feel very nervous, you can say it’s nerve-wracking, even though nerve-racking might be the more appropriate choice. The verbs wrack and rack have different meanings, but they both carry ideas of destruction that seem to fit the meaning of the phrase.
When did the term nerve wracking first appear?
In the early 20th Century “nerve-wracking” also began to appear – in the Times it was in an advert in 1905, and a 1910 news report on Peary’s planned polar expedition. The New York Times wrote “the air of America is invigorating and nerve-wracking” in 1908.
What’s the nerve racking part of the hiring process?
The hiring process was a nerve-racking gauntlet of background checks, follow-up appointments, and group interviews. The drive back home through the snowy mountains was nerve-racking. There was one, nerve-racking moment when nuclear war seemed inevitable.
Is it nerve wracking to fly on a plane?
‘Exams can be nerve-wracking, and controlling your stress levels around this time can be difficult.’ ‘Flying is nerve-wracking at the best of times, and it only takes one stupid and irresponsible person to turn a holiday flight into an airborne nightmare.’