toggle bolt
1
6.9
- noun
- /ˈtɑɡəl boʊlt/
- Specialized
:
tornillo de palanca
- I bought several toggle bolts to hang my pictures without damaging the wall.
- toggle-bolt hole
Examples
-
Shouldn't you have used a toggle bolt?
Fiction book (1993) -
The first toggle bolt.
-
To install the shelf, you need to use a toggle bolt to secure it to the drywall.
-
The toggle bolts worked perfectly, holding the heavy mirror firmly in place on the wall.
Synonyms
1
5.0
A metal bolt with a looped head used to attach a rope or cable
1
6.7
A heavy screw with a large head that joins wood pieces when you turn it with a wrench
A metal part that spreads inside a hole to hold heavy things to concrete or brick
A metal rod with a square or six-sided head and threads that you turn with a wrench
A small piece put into holes in two pieces to hold them together
A metal bar on a door that you lock from inside to stop people entering
A metal bar you slide to lock and unlock a door or gate
A metal bar you move to lock a door or gate
How Secure
51
3.4
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
6.9
85
1.2
184
1.0
- US
7
1.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
Both constituents relate to fastening, so a learner who knows 'toggle' and 'bolt' can infer this is a type of bolt with a toggling/levering part — i.e., a specialised fastener. However, the precise hinged, spring-loaded mechanism and its use inside hollow walls are technical details that are not fully predictable from the parts (and 'toggle' may be unfamiliar to many B1 learners), so full meaning requires prior exposure.
Etymology
Toggle bolt comes from a metal fastener made of a bolt and a moving toggle that folds to fit through a hole and then opens behind a hollow wall to hold things from the back. So, because the toggle opens and catches the inside of the wall, a toggle bolt 'secures' heavy items to drywall or hollow walls.