thumbscrew en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈθʌmskɹuː/
Etymology
Etymology tree English thumb Proto-Indo-European *(s)krebʰ-der.? Latin scrōfa Old French escrouebor. ▲ Old French escruveinflu. Middle English scrue English screw English thumbscrew From thumb + screw.
Meanings
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A screw that is designed to be turned with the thumb and fingers, thus requiring no screwdriver or spanner (wrench).
Very interested, Dr Grimsby watched the saw follow the fine pencil line on the white pearwood as Peter dexterously twirled the veneers on the fretwork table, timing the movement of both hands precisely to put no strain on either the saw or the wood. Nor did he acknowledge their presence till he had finished a section of the pattern, gingerly released the saw from its upper thumbscrew, and drawn it out of the wood.
1950, Norman Lindsay, Dust or Polish?, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 77:
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An instrument of torture used to crush the fingers.
To ensure good behavior, the slaveholder relies on the whip; […] to imbrute and destroy his manhood, he relies on the whip, the chain, the gag, the thumb-screw, the pillory, the bowie-knife, the pistol, and the blood-hound.
1855, Frederick Douglass, My Bondage and My Freedom. […], New York; Auburn, N.Y.: Miller, Orton & Mulligan […], →OCLC, part II (Life as a Freeman), page 430:
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(figuratively) A weakness that can be taken advantage of.
Law 33: Discover Each Man's Thumbscrew ― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| thumb screw | alternative | lexicographic | |
| thumb-screw | alternative | lexicographic | |
| thumbscrews | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
thumbwheel · handwheel · wing nut
Synonyms
Translations (20)
fa اشکلک شست (type of screw) · el χειροκοχλίας (type of screw) · fr poucette (torture instrument) · ga scriú sciathánach (type of screw) · de Rändelschraube (type of screw) · fi sormiruuvi (type of screw) · fi peukaloruuvi (torture instrument) · es empulgueras (torture instrument) · ru бара́шек (type of screw) · it schiaccia pollici (torture instrument) · fa اشکنک (torture instrument) · fa اشکلک (torture instrument) · bg крилчат винт (type of screw) · ga bís ordóige (torture instrument) · grc δακτυλήθρα (torture instrument) · fr grésillons (torture instrument) · de Daumenschraube (torture instrument) · el χειρόβιδα (type of screw) · de Flügelschraube (type of screw) · ca aixafapolzes (torture instrument)