Birmingham screwdriver en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Humorously suggesting that people from Birmingham rely on the use of force to solve problems.
Meanings
-
(UK, slang) A hammer.
Tinkering – the Midlands, especially, had a tradition, killed off by the introduction of the MoT test, of men who built cars called 'specials', bodged with a Birmingham screwdriver from components of other cars.
2012, Jonathan Meades, Museum Without Walls, Random House, →ISBN:I'll be watching the fucker like a hawk with a Birmingham screwdriver to the ready should I spot anything untoward.
2003, Alex Ferrier, “Insurance Payout?”, in uk.rec.motorcycles (Usenet):“I feel like I've been walloped with a Birmingham screwdriver!”
2014, RJ Smith, Cataclysm, Storyteller Entertainment, LLC, →ISBN:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham screwdrivers | Number=Plur | lexicographic |