Crossword Dictionary

TWIST

twist - v 
turn in the opposite direction; "twist one's head" 
form into twists; "Twist the strips of dough" 
do the twist 

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Synonyms

coil, contort, screw, spiral, sprain, swivel, twirl, weave, wiggle, wrap, wrench, wriggle, corkscrew, encircle, entwine, intertwine, rick, squirm, turn, twine, warp, wind, wreathe, wring, writhe, zigzag

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Examples

I had to twist Quinn's arm to get Howie back to Julie's break in.

To speed up the engine twist the throttle toward you.

For very heavy jute yarns the spinning frame is not used - the desired amount of twist being given at the roving frame.

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Etymology

c. 1200 (implied in past tense form twaste), "to wring," from twist (n.). Sense of "to spin two or more strands of yarn into thread" is attested from late 15c. Meaning "to move in a winding fashion" is recorded from 1630s. To twist the lion's tail was U.S. slang (1895) for "to provoke British feeling" (the lion being the symbol of Britain). To twist (someone's) arm in the figurative sense of "pressure (to do something)" is from 1945. Related: Twisted; twisting.

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