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In Season 7 Episode 6 of Game of Thrones, there was a funny conversation between the Hound and Gendry. But some fans may be a little confused. The Hound didn’t accuse Gendry of whining, but of something that sounded like “whinging.” What does that mean?
Here’s what you need to know.
This post has minor spoilers for Season 7 Episode 6.
No, you didn’t hear that conversation wrong. And they didn’t mispronounce the word. The Hound really did accuse Gendry of “whinging” (pronounced with a “j” sound.) Watch that scene again below:
You may not be familiar with the term, but whinging is actually a real word.
According to Merriam-Webster, “whinge” is British. It means “to complain fretfully.” And it’s actually not just a different spelling for whine. They’re different words with different histories.
Whine traces back to “hwinan,” an Old English word, and means “to make a humming or whirring sound.” When it became “whinen” in Middle English, it meant “to wail distressfully,” Merriam-Webster explains. The idea that it means “complaining” didn’t come along until the 16th century.
Meanwhile, “whinge” comes from an Old English word “hwinsian” that means “to wail or moan discontentedly.” Today it still means the same thing.
Google defines “whinge” as “complain persistently and in a peevish or irritating way.” That certainly sounds a lot like what the Hound said Gendry was doing.
So why don’t we use the term “whinging” if it’s actually more accurate than whining?
“Whinge” is used, but it’s mostly a British term. So if you’re in the United States, you won’t hear it very often.