contortionist:

(plural: ‘contortionists‘; pronunciation: the letter ‘c’ is said with a ‘k’ sound as in “kong”)

‘to contort’ = to twist, bend, draw or go totally out of the normal shape; and also to change some good idea, dialogue or statement into a very bad one

a person who earns money by twisting his/her body into unnatural shapes and positions, sometimes fitting into very small boxes, to entertain (amuse) the people at a show or party;

a person who can twist the meanings of words or sayings to suit his/her intentions or plans,

a contortionist

e.g.

Marco who has been a gymnast for the past five years is now practising to be a contortionist because he has discovered that by giving performances as a contortionist on TV and in luxury hotels he can earn more money and popularity!

The Saturday evening parties in this club are superb; they have music, dance, comedy entertainers and contortionists besides delicious food and expensive drinks.

The ad says: “Get a life time membership for just $ 10″, but the ‘life time’ is not the life time of the member, but the life time of the club or association which may be just a couple of months or even a couple of weeks! So the phrase ‘life time’, in this context, is distorted from its original meaning, and the person or the club that does it is the contortionist.

For an interesting and informative article (with videos) on how to become a contortionist, please click here, for an item of news about a superb female contortionist, please click here, and for an item of news about a lucky contortionist who got a scholarship to travel around the world to study the art of ‘contortion’, please click here.
Compare:  acrobat     &     gymnast

About the Author:BC Kumar

BC Kumar, an English Language Teacher, taught in numerous countries including Ethiopia, Oman and India, shares his knowledge and passion for the English Language. Disclaimer: This is a free educational website and all content has been compiled by the author. All copyrights to images and videos belong to their respective owners.

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