🔩 A hand screw 🩸 A torture device

thumbscrew

1 7.2

A small metal piece you turn with your thumb and fingers to hold things tight without tools

noun
/ˈθʌmˌskru/

: tornillo de mariposa

So we've got the side on there and I'll just put the thumbscrews back in at the back.

Examples

After loosening the thumbscrew, you can easily remove the top cover of the appliance.
The company has a new line of thumbscrews with an internal female thread.

Academic text (2005)
A thumbscrew with a check nut gives the user a means of locking down an adjustment.

Academic text (2005)
All you do is undo the four thumbscrews there, pop it off, and all right, let's go ahead and get rid of that.
The new connector can be used as a stand-alone thumbscrew or in conjunction with the company's established product line.

Academic text (2005)
To secure the lid, just tighten the thumbscrew with your fingers until it's snug.
He adjusted the position of the camera using the thumbscrew for a better angle.

Synonyms

wing screw

vsthumbscrew

Specialized

5.5

A small metal part with flat side pieces you can turn by hand to hold things together

is turned directly by fingers without added projections

Compounds

thumbscrew technique

Offensive

9.1

A way of using strong pressure to force someone to do something

thumbscrew of expectation

Informal

9.9

Strong pressure you feel because other people want you to do well

How Easy

wing-nut

Specialized

5.3

thumbscrew

1 7.2

to screw

245 1.2

bolt

Specialized

42 3.8

Surface Forms

thumbscrew singular

thumbscrews plural

Morphology

thumbscrew = thumb + screw (transparent) = thumb + screw

A direct compound of 'thumb' + 'screw' meaning a screw intended to be turned with the thumb and fingers, which is immediately inferable from the parts.

Etymology

Thumbscrew is simply thumb + screw, meaning a screw you can turn with the 'thumb' and fingers. So, a modern thumbscrew is a small screw made to be turned by hand without tools.