white-knuckles
Fear-blanched finger joints
White-knuckles describes gripping something so tightly from fear or tension that the knuckles turn pale: She white-knuckled the armrest during takeoff.
The image comes from hands clenched on a steering wheel, safety bar, or other handhold.
In recovery contexts, to white-knuckle sobriety is to stay sober through sheer willpower without addressing underlying issues: He white-knuckled it through the holidays.
Mechanism linking engine to gearbox
- clenchSqueeze tightly shut
- graspSeize or understand
- squeezeFirm bilateral compression
- holdMaintain in grasp
tighten · fist · vise · armrest · handlebar · railing · seatbelt · brace
Extreme, overwhelming fear
- dreadIntense anticipatory fear
- frightSudden intense fear
- panicUncontrollable sudden fear
- horrorExtreme fear or disgust
apprehension · trepidation · alarm · phobia · petrified · anxiety · nervousness · scared
Pressure, mental or vocal
- strainExcessive stretching force
- tightnessState of being constricted
- rigidityState of being unbending
- stiffnessResistance to deformation
tautness · clenched · bracing · coiled · wound-up · on-edge · nerves · pressure
clutch
Mechanism linking engine to gearbox
hold · tighten · fist · vise · armrest · handlebar · railing · seatbelt · brace · grasping
terror
Extreme, overwhelming fear
horror · apprehension · trepidation · alarm · phobia · petrified · anxiety · nervousness · scared · fearful
stress
Pressure, mental or vocal
stiffness · tautness · clenched · bracing · coiled · wound-up · on-edge · nerves · pressure · intensity
rollercoaster
Looping amusement track vehicle
- turbulenceChaotic flow patterns
- takeoffDeparture or parody
- landingDescent's final moment
speedway · racing · plunge · drop · loop · descent · ride · adrenaline · rush · extreme
white-knucklescalm
Free from agitation
relaxed · at ease · composed · serene · unflappable
white-knucklescruises
Pleasure trips by ship
smooth sailing · effortless · easy ride · cakewalk · glides
white, knuckle, knuckles, whiter, whitest, whiten, whitened, whitening, whiteness