from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Twist \Twist\, n.
1. The act of twisting; a contortion; a flexure; a
convolution; a bending.
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Not the least turn or twist in the fibers 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. --Addison.
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2. The form given in twisting.
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[He] shrunk at first sight of it; he found fault
with the length, the thickness, and the twist.
--Arbuthnot.
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3. That which is formed by twisting, convoluting, or uniting
parts. Specifically:
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(a) A cord, thread, or anything flexible, formed by
winding strands or separate things round each other.
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(b) A kind of closely twisted, strong sewing silk, used by
tailors, saddlers, and the like.
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(c) A kind of cotton yarn, of several varieties.
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(d) A roll of twisted dough, baked.
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(e) A little twisted roll of tobacco.
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(f) (Weaving) One of the threads of a warp, -- usually
more tightly twisted than the filling.
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(g) (Firearms) A material for gun barrels, consisting of
iron and steel twisted and welded together; as,
Damascus twist.
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(h) (Firearms & Ord.) The spiral course of the rifling of
a gun barrel or a cannon.
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(i) A beverage made of brandy and gin. [Slang]
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4. [OE.; -- so called as being a two-forked branch. See
{Twist}, v. t.] A twig. [Obs.] --Chaucer. Fairfax.
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5. Act of imparting a turning or twisting motion, as to a
pitched ball; also, the motion thus imparted; as, the
twist of a billiard ball.
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6. A strong individual tendency, or bent; a marked
inclination; a bias; -- often implying a peculiar or
unusual tendency; as, a twist toward fanaticism.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
{Gain twist}, or {Gaining twist} (Firearms), twist of which
the pitch is less, and the inclination greater, at the
muzzle than at the breech.
{Twist drill}, a drill the body of which is twisted like that
of an auger. See Illust. of {Drill}.
{Uniform twist} (Firearms), a twist of which the spiral
course has an equal pitch throughout.
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