To spin-dry clothes is to get most of the water out of them by whirling them around very fast, so that the water is thrown out through holes in the drum. It is not heat drying — nothing gets warm, and the clothes come out damp, not dry. They still need to hang on the line or go into a tumble dryer afterwards.

To spin-dry clothes is to get most of the water out of them by whirling them around very fastspin-dry衣服就是把它們轉得很快，把大部分的水甩出來 so that the water is thrown out through holes in the drum讓水從滾筒上的洞甩出去 It is not heat drying這不是用熱風烘乾 — nothing gets warm, and the clothes come out damp, not dry——什麼都不會變熱，衣服拿出來是濕的，不是乾的 They still need to hang on the line or go into a tumble dryer afterwards之後還是需要晾起來，或放進烘衣機

This is a verb: you spin-dry a shirt, the machine spin-dries the load, the towels were spun-dried. Note the past form follows 'spin': spun.

This is a verb這是一個動詞 you spin-dry a shirt, the machine spin-dries the load, the towels were spun-dried像you spin-dry a shirt、the machine spin-dries the load、the towels were spun-dried Note the past form follows 'spin': spun注意過去式跟著spin走，是spun

It first appeared in print in the 1920s, when washing machines were new and this was a machine's selling point.

It first appeared in print in the 1920s這個字最早出現在1920年代的印刷品裡 when washing machines were new and this was a machine's selling point那時候洗衣機還很新，這是機器的賣點之一

A point about how the word actually lives today. In Taiwan, and in most homes now, washing and spinning happen in the same machine — the spin is just the last stage of a wash cycle. So people talk about 'the spin cycle' or say the machine 'spins' the clothes, and the full verb 'spin-dry' sounds a little old-fashioned or a little technical, the kind of thing you read on a manual or an appliance label. Older speakers, especially in Britain, used it more freely because they remembered a separate machine that did only this job.

A point about how the word actually lives today有一點是關於這個字現在實際上怎麼被使用 In Taiwan, and in most homes now, washing and spinning happen in the same machine在台灣，還有現在大多數家庭裡，洗跟脫水都在同一台機器裡完成 — the spin is just the last stage of a wash cycle——脫水只是洗衣行程的最後一個階段 So people talk about 'the spin cycle' or say the machine 'spins' the clothes所以大家會講'the spin cycle'，或說機器'spins'衣服 and the full verb 'spin-dry' sounds a little old-fashioned or a little technical而完整的動詞spin-dry聽起來有點老派或有點技術性 the kind of thing you read on a manual or an appliance label是那種你會在說明書或家電標籤上看到的字 Older speakers, especially in Britain, used it more freely年紀較大的人，尤其在英國，用得比較自然 because they remembered a separate machine that did only this job因為他們還記得有一台專門只做這件事的機器

The word also has a joking use for people: someone who comes out of a difficult experience shaken and limp is 'wrung out and spun dry'.

The word also has a joking use for people這個字也有拿來開玩笑講人的用法 someone who comes out of a difficult experience shaken and limp is 'wrung out and spun dry'經歷過一段辛苦的事、出來時虛脫無力的人，會被說是'wrung out and spun dry'

And be careful of one thing — the entry you may see calls this 'a machine'. That is the noun spin-dryer. The verb is the action.

And be careful of one thing還要小心一件事 the entry you may see calls this 'a machine'你可能會看到有的詞條把這個字說成是「一台機器」 That is the noun spin-dryer那其實是名詞spin-dryer The verb is the action動詞指的是這個動作