Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[learner12]

Hello, teachers!!

http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-01-24-voa65.cfm

He said, "We better be damned sure we know what we are doing, all of us, before we put 22,000 more Americans into that grinder."

I don't understand what the word "grinder" means in the last sentence. Does the word grinder have another meaning except for one who sharpens cutting edges?

Thank you in advance.

[myprofe]

I believe they are referring to a meat grinder.

Grinder: machine that processes materials by grinding or crushing
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[2006]

The speaker is not referring to a meat grinder.

grind n: a dreary, monotonous, or difficult labor, study, or routine. Here "grinder", also a noun, carries the same meaning but refers to the situation in Iraq.

[Lorikeet]

Funny, when I heard it I thought of meat grinder too. Wonder what the speaker meant.

[learner12]

Dear myprofe,
Dear 2006,
Dear Lorikeet,

Thank you, everyone!!
Have a nice day!!

[CP]

When someone has had a particularly tough time with something or someone, it's not uncommon to hear that he or she has been "through the grinder," which I always associate with a meat grinder. You put the meat in, turn the crank, grind the meat up, and it comes out completely different -- pretty chewed up!

So, Joe has stayed up late studying for three days in a row, and you see him at school, looking like he just lost a fight. You say, "Joe, what's up? You look like you've been through the grinder!"

Or John and Mary finally get divorced, and it was a really ugly one, and really devastating to John. He might say, "Man, she really put me through the grinder!"

In your news story, Chuck Hagel is just saying that sending another 22,000 young men into war is going to put them through the grinder, destroying some and changing them all, so let's be sure it's a good idea before doing it.
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