the.com/screw
a ramp wrapped around a stick, doing the impossible job of staying put
means A fastener with a spiral ridge that bites into material as you turn it, holding things together; also the act of twisting, and a whole slang family meaning to cheat, ruin, or have sex.
from From Middle English, borrowed from Old French 'escroue,' which meant a nut or female threaded fitting — itself probably from Latin 'scrofa,' a sow or female pig. The popular tale links the connection to a pig's twisty tail, and while that image is irresistible, the precise route from sow to fastener is genuinely murky and may instead run through a Latin word for a screw-shaped pin. The vulgar and 'cheat' senses are much later figurative twists on the literal turning motion.
- ancient genius
- Archimedes used screw geometry to lift water uphill
- thread direction
- righty-tighty fails on left-handed threads
- holding power
- friction, not the point, keeps it locked
- naval slang
- a ship's propeller is called a screw
- standard chaos
- dozens of incompatible head types exist worldwide
archimedes screw — ancient greek pump device using a rotating helical surface, still used in water management since 250 bce
phillips head screw — cross-shaped screw invented by henry phillips in 1932, became standard in manufacturing
robertson screw — square-socket screw patented by peter robertson in 1908, widely used in canada and automotive