twist

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   A twisting force.

2. 2

   Anything twisted, or the act of twisting.

   • Not the least turn or twist in the fibres of any one animal which does not render them more proper for that particular animal's way of life than any other cast or texture.
3. 3

   The form given in twisting.

4. ›+ 34 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      The degree of stress or strain when twisted.

   2. 5

      A type of thread made from two filaments twisted together.

      • the thrid By griesly Lachesis was spun with paine, That cruell Atropos eftsoones vndid, With cursed knife cutting the twist in twaine […]
      • I was one morning walking arm in arm with him in St James's Park, his dress then being […] waistcoat and breeches of the same blue satin, trimmed with silver twist à la hussarde, and ermine edges.
   3. 6

      A sliver of lemon peel added to a cocktail, etc.

   4. 7

      A sudden bend (or short series of bends) in a road, path, etc.

      • But here a twist in the stream brought us out from the bushes
   5. 8

      A distortion to the meaning of a passage or word.

   6. 9

      An unexpected turn in a story, tale, etc.

      • I'm all agog at the new twist to the royal scandal.
   7. 10

      A modern dance popular in Western culture in the late 1950s and 1960s, based on rotating…

      A modern dance popular in Western culture in the late 1950s and 1960s, based on rotating the hips repeatedly from side to side. See Twist (dance) on Wikipedia for more details.

      • Come on, baby, let's do the twist Take me by my little hand and go like this
      • Out from his coffin, Drac's voice did ring Seems he was troubled by just one thing Opened the lid and shook his fist And said, "Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist?" It's now the Mash It's now the Monster Mash.
      • Well, let's dance, well let's dance. We'll do the twist, the stomp, the mashed potato too Any old dance that you want to do But let's dance.
   8. 11

      A rotation of the body when diving.

   9. 12

      A sprain, especially to the ankle.

   10. 13

       A twig.

       • No twiſt, no twig, no bough nor branch […]
   11. 14

       A girl, a woman.

       • (Dane, speaking about a woman character) "I'll see where the twist flops"
   12. 15

       A roll or baton of baked dough or pastry in a twisted shape.

   13. 16

       A small roll of tobacco.

   14. 17

       A material for gun barrels, consisting of iron and steel twisted and welded together.

       • Damascus twist
   15. 18

       The spiral course of the rifling of a gun barrel or a cannon.

   16. 19

       A beverage made of brandy and gin.

   17. 20

       A strong individual tendency or bent

       A strong individual tendency or bent; inclination.

       • a twist toward fanaticism
   18. 21

       An appetite for food.

       • Hope you’ve brought good appetites with you, gentlemen. You, Doolan, I know ave, for you’ve always ad a deuce of a twist.
       • He [the yearling bull] had a good handsome male head, and he had a capital twist. He had a spring in his rib, and was something over seven feet in girth. He was well covered, and had all the recommendations of quality, symmetry, and size.
   19. 22

       Ellipsis of hair twist.

       • The physician should evaluate for a history of tight ponytails, buns, chignons, braids, twists, weaves, cornrows, dreadlocks, sisterlocks, and hair wefts in addition to the usage of religious hair coverings.
   20. 23

       To turn the ends of something, usually thread, rope etc., in opposite directions, often…

       To turn the ends of something, usually thread, rope etc., in opposite directions, often using force.

   21. 24

       To join together by twining one part around another.

   22. 25

       To contort

       To contort; to writhe; to complicate; to crook spirally; to convolve.

       • June 8, 1714, Alexander Pope, letter to Jonathan Swift twisting it into a serpentine form.
   23. 26

       To wreathe

       To wreathe; to wind; to encircle; to unite by intertexture of parts.

       • longing to twist bays with that ivy
       • There are pillars of smoke twisted about wreaths of flame.
   24. 27

       To wind into

       To wind into; to insinuate.

       • Avarice twists itself into all human concerns.
   25. 28

       To turn a knob etc.

   26. 29

       To distort or change the truth or meaning of words when repeating.

       • Say I could succeed at the Bar, and achieve a fortune by bullying witnesses and twisting evidence; is that a fame which would satisfy my longings, or a calling in which my life would be well spent?
   27. 30

       To form a twist (in any of the above noun meanings).

   28. 31

       To injure (a body part) by bending it in the wrong direction.

   29. 32

       To wind

       To wind; to follow a bendy or wavy course; to have many bends.

   30. 33

       To cause to rotate.

       • The tide seized us and swept us along, and in the races where this happened there were sucking whirlpools, strong enough to twist us round.
   31. 34

       To dance the twist (a type of dance characterised by twisting one's hips).

       • Twist it in the alley With long tall Sally Twistin' with Lucy Doin' the watusi.
   32. 35

       To coax.

   33. 36

       In the game of blackjack (pontoon or twenty-one), to be dealt another card.

   34. 37

       A surname.

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