thumbscrew

English

Alternative forms

• thumb-screw, thumb screw

Etymology

From thumb +‎ screw.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈθʌmskɹuː/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

thumbscrew (plural thumbscrews)

1. A screw that can be turned with the thumb and fingers.
   • 1950, Norman Lindsay, Dust or Polish?, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 77:

     Very interested, Dr Grimsby watched the saw follow the fine pencil line on the white pearwood as Peter dexterously twirled the veneers on the fretwork table, timing the movement of both hands precisely to put no strain on either the saw or the wood. Nor did he acknowledge their presence till he had finished a section of the pattern, gingerly released the saw from its upper thumbscrew, and drawn it out of the wood.

2. An instrument of torture used to crush the fingers.
3. (figuratively) A weakness that can be taken advantage of.

   Law 33: Discover Each Man's Thumbscrew ― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

Synonyms

• (torture instrument): pilliwinks

Translations

type of screw

• Bulgarian: крилчат винт m (krilčat vint)
• Finnish: sormiruuvi (fi)
• German: Rändelschraube f, Flügelschraube f
• Greek: χειρόβιδα (el) f (cheiróvida), χειροκοχλίας (el) f (cheirokochlías)
• Irish: scriú sciathánach m
• Persian: اشکلک شست
• Russian: бара́шек (ru) m (barášek)

torture instrument

• Catalan: aixafapolzes m
• Finnish: peukaloruuvi (fi)
• French: poucette (fr) f, grésillons (fr) m pl
• German: Daumenschraube f
• Greek:

  Ancient: δακτυλήθρα f (daktulḗthra)

• Irish: bís ordóige f
• Italian: schiaccia pollici m
• Persian: اشکنک (eškanak), اشکلک (fa) (eškalak)
• Spanish: empulgueras f pl

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Georgian: ^{(please verify)} მარწუხი (ka) (marc̣uxi)