2021/9/17 Some weeks ago I was watching some videos people made showing the operation of their antique washing machines. Ones with rolling wringers on top. Those wringing rolls really squeeze the laundry. It's quite a sight and really gives me new appreciation for the idiom. When there's a lot of pressure on you you really do feel squeezed. Perhaps not quite as squeezed as if you were actually 'put through the wringer' but the sentiment is apt.