screws

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of screw.

   The carpenter sorted the brass screws by length before starting.

   All the screws on the back panel had rusted shut.

   Note

   One spelling covers several kinds of thing. Screws can be the threaded fasteners a carpenter sorts, ships' propellers, Archimedes screws, or steam vessels driven by a screw instead of wheels, and the surrounding words usually settle which. The plural also appears in the idiom put the screws on, meaning to squeeze someone with unreasonable demands. That image lies behind the verb's extortion sense.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of screw.

   The mechanic screws the panel back into place after the repair.

   A worker on the line screws the cap onto every bottle.

   Note

   It shares its spelling with the plural noun, so screws may name objects or an action: the screws are loose, but she screws the lid on. Context matters, because the verb also carries slang senses. One is vulgar and means to have sex with someone; another means to cheat someone. With a physical object and a direction, such as into place or onto a bottle, the mechanical meaning is unmistakable.

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