Thursday, August 16, 2012

wretch, retch

Wretch or wretch means a person completely awful with misfortune or unhappiness--
"...how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me... "
Wretch may also mean a completely  despicable person, someone morally destitute--
What awful wretch would commit a crime like this?

Retch or retch ( rhymes with wretch ) means to vomit or to try to vomit and fail--
The awful stench made them retch.
He tried not to retch while he listened to the account of the crime.

 Now that you know that, you can say--
"The condition of the poor wretch, and his pitiful story, made the aid worker want to retch."

Note--"wretched" ( pronounced wretch-ed ) describes a truly unfortunate or a truly despicable person--
The flood left the family not only destitute but wretched.
Many addicts don't ask for help until they are wretched in every way.
Not to be confused with "retched" ( pronounced retchd ), the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "retch"--
Even the veteran police officer retched at the scene of the crime.

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