twist

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twist / twist/ • v. [tr.] 1. form into a bent, curling, or distorted shape: a strip of metal is twisted to form a hollow tube her pretty features twisted into a fearsome expression. ∎  [tr.] form (something) into a particular shape by taking hold of one or both ends and turning them: she twisted her handkerchief into a knot. ∎  [tr.] turn or bend into a specified position or in a specified direction: he grabbed the man and twisted his arm behind his back. ∎  (twist something off) remove something by pulling and rotating it: beets can be stored once the leaves have been twisted off. ∎  [intr.] move one's body so that the shoulders and hips are facing in different directions: she twisted in her seat to look at the buildings. ∎  [intr.] move in a wriggling or writhing fashion: he twisted himself free. ∎  injure (a joint) by wrenching it: he twisted his ankle trying to avoid his opponent's lunge. ∎  distort or misrepresent the meaning of (words): he twisted my words to make it seem that I'd claimed she was a drug addict. ∎  [as adj.] (twisted) (of a personality or a way of thinking) unpleasantly or unhealthily abnormal: a man with a twisted mind. 2. cause to rotate around something that remains stationary; turn: she twisted her ring around and around on her finger. ∎  [tr.] wind around or through something: she twisted a lock of hair around her finger. ∎  move or cause to move around each other; interlace: [tr.] she twisted her hands together nervously the machine twists together strands to make a double yarn. ∎  make (something) by interlacing or winding strands together. ∎  [intr.] take or have a winding course: the road twisted through a dozen tiny villages. 3. [intr.] dance the twist. • n. 1. an act of turning something so that it moves in relation to something that remains stationary: the taps needed a single twist to turn them on. ∎  an act of turning one's body or part of one's body: with a sudden twist, she got away from him. ∎  (the twist) a dance with a twisting movement of the body, popular in the 1960s. ∎  the extent of twisting of a rod or other object. ∎  force producing twisting; torque. ∎  forward motion combined with rotation about an axis. ∎  the rifling in the bore of a gun: barrels with a 1:24 inch twist. 2. a thing with a spiral shape: a licorice twist. ∎  a curled piece of lemon peel used to flavor a drink. 3. a distorted shape: he had a cruel twist to his mouth. ∎  an unusual feature of a person's personality, typically an unhealthy one. 4. a point at which something turns or bends: the car negotiated the twists and turns of the mountain road. ∎  an unexpected development of events: it was soon time for the next twist of fate in his extraordinary career. ∎  a new treatment or outlook; a variation: she takes conventional subjects and gives them a twist. 5. a fine strong thread consisting of twisted strands of cotton or silk. 6. Brit. a drink consisting of two ingredients mixed together. PHRASES: twist someone's arm inf. persuade someone to do something that they are or might be reluctant to do. twist in the wind be left in a state of suspense or uncertainty. twist someone around one's little fingersee little finger. twists and turns intricate or convoluted dealings or circumstances: the twists and turns of her political career.DERIVATIVES: twist·y adj.

twist †
A. divided object or part (band of a hinge, twig, junction of two parts in the body) XIV;

B. cord or threads intertwined XVI (of tobacco XVIII);

C. act of twisting, turning on an axis, or spinning XVI. of complicated history; partly dependent on OE. twist, in comps. denoting a hinged or branched object, viz. candeltwist snuffers, mæst twist mast rope, stay, yltwist bird-trap, and in place-names prob. denoting ‘fork’; presumably f. the base *twis-, identical with that of TWIN.
So twist vb. †divide into branches; wring, wrench XIV; combine, unite (threads) XV. of mixed orig. (partly f. the sb.).

twist twist in the wind be left in a state of suspense or uncertainty.
twist the lion's tail provoke the resentment of the British (taking a lion as the symbol of the British Empire); the expression is first recorded in the late 19th-century US.

See also twist the knife in the wound.

twist n. the rifling in the bore of a gun: barrels with a 1:24 inch twist.

twist •assist, cist, coexist, consist, cyst, desist, enlist, exist, fist, gist, grist, hist, insist, list, Liszt, mist, persist, resist, schist, subsist, tryst, twist, whist, wist, wrist •Dadaist • deist • fideist • Hebraist •Mithraist • essayist • prosaist •hobbyist, lobbyist •Trotskyist • boniest • copyist • veriest •pantheist • atheist • polytheist •monotheist •Maoist, Taoist •oboist • egoist • jingoist • banjoist •soloist • Titoist • Shintoist •canoeist, tattooist, Uist •voodooist • altruist • casuist •euphuist • Lamaist • vibist • cubist •Arabist • faddist • propagandist •contrabandist • avant-gardist • eldest •sadist • encyclopedist •immodest, modest •Girondist • keyboardist •harpsichordist • nudist • Buddhist •unprejudiced • Talmudist •psalmodist • threnodist • hymnodist •monodist • chiropodist • parodist •heraldist • rhapsodist • prosodist •Methodist • absurdist