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finger drill

finger drill

7.7
A small hand tool for making tiny holes in material like jewelry
  • noun
translation icon : taladro de dedo
  • Before assembling the jewelry piece, she carefully made holes with a finger drill.

Examples

  • The model maker used a finger drill to carve intricate details into the tiny wooden ship.

  • She used a finger drill to create tiny holes in the wood.

  • A finger drill is ideal for work where precision and control are essential.

  • The finger drills are perfect for model making.

  • A finger drill is ideal for work where precision and control are essential.

  • Before assembling the jewelry piece, she carefully made holes with a finger drill.

  • The model maker used a finger drill to carve intricate details into the tiny wooden ship.

Synonyms

hand drill
vsfinger drill
1 3.0

A small tool you turn by hand to make holes in wood or other materials

focuses on very small delicate holes rather than general hole making
Archimedean drill
vsfinger drill
  • Specialized
9.9

A small hand tool with a spiral rod for making tiny precise holes

lacks the spiral shaft and achieves delicate precision differently
handheld drill
vsfinger drill
3.3

A small tool you hold to make holes in wood or metal

caters to tiny precise holes rather than general woodworking or metalwork

How Precise

jeweler's vise
  • Specialized
8.0
Archimedean drill
  • Specialized
9.9
finger drill
7.7
hand drill
1 3.0
drill
90 2.3

Surface Forms

finger drill singular
finger drills plural

Morphology

finger + drill

The meaning 'a small hand-operated drill for delicate tasks' is directly compositional from 'finger' (a hand digit, implying small or manual) + 'drill' (a tool for making holes). This follows a common noun+noun compounding pattern where the first element specifies size or manner of use, so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The name finger drill comes from the idea of a very small drill you hold and turn with your finger, almost like using a pen. Because it is tiny and worked by hand, the name now means a small hand tool for 'delicate' or 'precise' work.