| Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary 1,794,559,698 visitors served. |
|
Dictionary/ thesaurus | Medical dictionary | Legal dictionary | Financial dictionary | Acronyms | Idioms | Encyclopedia | Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
thumbscrew |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia | 0.02 sec. |
|
thumbscrew 1. an instrument of torture that pinches or crushes the thumbs 2. a screw with projections on its head enabling it to be turned by the thumb and forefinger thumbscrew [′thəm‚skrü] (design engineering) A screw with a head flattened in the same axis as the shaft so that it can be gripped and turned by the thumb and forefinger. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|
| ? Mentioned in | ? References in classic literature | |
|---|---|---|
On the contrary, the speeding-up seemed to be growing more savage all the time; they were continually inventing new devices to crowd the work on--it was for all the world like the thumbscrew of the medieval torture chamber. The age of thumbscrews and the rack was, after all, a very virile age. and with a sudden gesture he plucked forth the offending corsets from under the sofa cushion, and held them out with the expression one would wear on beholding the thumbscrews or the rack of ancient times. |
| Encyclopedia |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Free toolbar & extensions |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup | Partner with us |
|---|