thumbscrew
/ˈθʌmskruː/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈθʌmskruː/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈthəm-ˌskrü How to pronounce thumbscrew (audio)/ (ame, mw)
thumbscrew — noun
- thumbscrewsingular
- thumbscrewsplural
1. a metal instrument used in past centuries to crush a person's thumbs as a way of
a metal instrument used in past centuries to crush a person's thumbs as a way of forcing confessions or punishing people.
Minho pointed at the rusty thumbscrew in the castle museum.
historical context with rusty / castle museum
Padma read that judges once ordered the thumbscrew to force confessions from prisoners.
At the torture exhibit, a seventeenth-century thumbscrew sat inside a glass box.
The old thumbscrew on the iron table had a dark stain across its metal surface.
Historians believe the thumbscrew was used across Europe for nearly three hundred years.
- torture device
a general category, not a precise synonym — any tool used to inflict pain
- manacle
a restraint for the hands, not a crushing instrument — different purpose
用法筆記
Now only found in historical writing, museum descriptions, or figurative use. The metaphorical phrase 'put the thumbscrews on someone' means to apply strong pressure to make someone do what you want.
2. a screw whose head has a ridged or flat surface, wide enough that you can grip i
a screw whose head has a ridged or flat surface, wide enough that you can grip it between your thumb and forefinger and turn it without using any tool.
Asher turned the brass thumbscrew on the tripod until the camera felt secure.
collocation: brass thumbscrew / turn the thumbscrew
Kemi tightened the plastic thumbscrew on the bicycle lamp with her fingers.
A stainless-steel thumbscrew secures the battery cover on the back of the radio.
Trang adjusted the height of the desk lamp by turning the black thumbscrew.
Ezra removed the thumbscrew from the clamp and slid the wooden board out.
- wing screw
a screw with two flat 'wings' for turning; more specific shape than a thumbscrew
- hand screw
a broader term for any screw turned by hand, including thumbscrews and wing screws
用法筆記
Often written as two words ('thumb screw') in hardware catalogues and DIY instructions.