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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Screw: Definitions, Usage & Common Mistakes (3 meaning)

Meaning 1：mess up (screw)

screw 🔊
/skruː/
v./n.
To make a serious mistake or ruin something.
Screw up meaning illustrated by person with failed burnt cake
mess up 🔊
➕
/mes ʌp/
v./n.
To make a significant error or cause something to fail completely.
📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation
Derived from Old French 'escroue' (nut, cylindrical socket), possibly from Latin 'scrofa' (a sow), referencing a pig's curly tail.
💡 Mnemonic
Think: 'SCREW UP a project' like twisting a SCREW the wrong way and ruining the material.
📖 Example
Oh no, I completely screwed up my travel plans by forgetting my passport at home! 🔊 Oh no, I completely messed up my travel plans by forgetting my passport at home!
🔗 Collocations
screw up – To make a mistake or fail at something.
screw things up – To cause a problematic situation through error.
get screwed – To be treated unfairly or to suffer a bad outcome.
🔄 Synonyms
botch (v.) – To carry out a task badly or carelessly.
ruin (v.) – To destroy or severely damage something.
blunder (v.) – To make a stupid or careless mistake.
🚫 Antonyms
succeed (v.) – To achieve a desired aim or result.
accomplish (v.) – To successfully complete or bring to a finish.
🌱 Derivatives
screw-up (n.) – A serious mistake or blunder.
📖 Cultural Story
The word 'screw' entered English in the early 15th century from Middle French, referring to a mechanical fastener. Its vulgar slang meaning ('to have sex') emerged in the 18th century, later evolving into the common figurative use 'to screw up' (to make a mistake) in the early 20th century, likely from the idea of tightening something wrongly.

Meaning 2：fasten with a screw (screw)

screw 🔊
/skruː/
v./n.
To fasten or tighten something using a screw, by turning it.
Screw verb action showing hand using screwdriver on wood
fasten with a screw 🔊
➕
/ˈfæs.ən wɪð ə skruː/
v./n.
To attach, secure, or tighten an object by turning a threaded metal pin.
📁 Category：Objects & Materials 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example
Can you help me screw these two pieces of wood together to finish the bookshelf? 🔊 Can you help me fasten these two pieces of wood together with screws to finish the bookshelf?
🔗 Collocations
screw on – To attach something by turning screws (e.g., a lid).
screw in – To insert and rotate a screw into a material.
screw together – To join components using screws.
🔄 Synonyms
fasten (v.) – To close or attach securely.
attach (v.) – To join or connect one thing to another.
bolt (v.) – To secure with a threaded pin or rod.
🚫 Antonyms
unscrew (v.) – To loosen or remove by turning.
detach (v.) – To disconnect or separate something.
🌱 Derivatives
screwdriver (n.) – A tool for turning screws.

Meaning 3：metal fastener (screw)

screw 🔊
/skruː/
v./n.
A small metal pin with a spiral ridge, used to hold things together by turning it.
Screw noun types flat lay of different metal fasteners
metal fastener 🔊
➕
/ˈmet.əl ˈfæs.ən.ər/
v./n.
A headed metal pin with a spiral ridge (thread) around its shaft, used for joining materials by being turned.
📁 Category：Objects & Materials 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example
I found a loose screw on the chair leg, so I tightened it with a screwdriver. 🔊 I found a loose metal fastener on the chair leg, so I tightened it with a screwdriver.
🔗 Collocations
wood screw – A screw designed for use in wood.
screw head – The top part of a screw where a tool is applied.
loose screw – A screw that is not tight; also slang for erratic behavior.
🔄 Synonyms
bolt (n.) – A type of fastener typically used with a nut.
fastener (n.) – A general term for a device that holds things together.
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