The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #36068   Message #498393
Posted By: McGrath of Harlow
04-Jul-01 - 01:35 PM
Thread Name: BS: Very sorry..
Subject: RE: BS: Very sorry..
(Etymological drift)Whinge is the portmanteau word made up of whining and cringing. The distinction I suppose is that whining is about a sound, and cringing is about a demeanour.

So you could cringe without whining, but I'm not at all sure you could whine without cringing. In which case, if someone is whining they would automaticaly have to be whinging...