untie a screw.

[세이지]

screw : 나사

a small, pointed piece of metal that you turnround and round to fasten things together


have one's head screwed on
나사가 잠긴

have a screw loose
나사가 풀린

You seem to have screw loose.
너는 나사가 풀린 거 같다

stripped screw
나사산이 닳은 나사



If you say that someone has a screw loose, you mean that they behave in a strange way and seem slightly mentally ill.



to fasten something with a screw
나사로 조이다

You need to screw the cabinet to the wall.

to fasten something by turning it round until it is tight
나사를 돌려서 조이다



나사를 죄다
tighten[tie] a screw

tighten the screw

loosen the screw


나사를 풀다
untie a screw.


have a screw loose

To be or seem particularly silly, eccentric, crazy, or mentally unstable. (Also worded as "have a loose screw.")

That guy on the corner must have a screw loose or something, because he's been standing out there yelling obscenities at passersby all morning.

My old uncle Pete has a few screws loose, but he's a really nice guy.

What's the matter with you? Do you have a screw loose, or what?



have a screw loose

and have a loose screw; have got a screw loose

Inf. Fig. to be silly or eccentric.

He's sort of strange. I think he's got a loose screw.

Yes, he has a screw loose somewhere. He wears a heavy jacket in the middle of summer.


have a screw loose

Be mentally unstable or eccentric, as in Anyone who approves that purchase must have a screw loose.

This term likens a mental weakness to a machine in which a part is not securely fastened.

An antonym is have one's head screwed on right; for example, She's very capable; she has her head screwed on right. [Slang; early 1800s]



have a screw loose

INFORMAL

If someone has a screw loose, they are crazy.

He must have a screw loose, spending that sort of money on a holiday!

She looked at me as if I had a screw loose.

Note: The image is of a piece of machinery that needs to be adjusted or repaired.


have a screw loose

be slightly eccentric or mentally disturbed.

have a ˈscrew loose

be slightly crazy: He dresses his cats up in little coats for the winter. Sometimes I think he must have a screw loose.

OPPOSITE: have your head screwed on (the right way)


have a screw loose

and have a loose screw

tv. to be silly or eccentric. (Have got can replace have.) He’s sort of strange. I think he’s got a loose screw. You’re talking like you’ve got a screw loose or something.




have a screw loose

Slang

To behave in an eccentric or mentally deranged manner.

Loosen a screw

#1

Self-made sentence:

A screw is very tight. What is the common way to ask somebody to help to loosen it?

1. Could you help loosen the screw?

2. Could you help get the screw loose?

3. Could you help get the screw off?


English - United States

Aug 25, 2013

#2

#1 and #2 are common ways to make the request. #3 is not.

We don't refer to a screw coming "off." You could say, "Could you help get the screw out?"


Aug 25, 2013

#3

Would you differentiate "get the screw out" and "get the screw loose"?


Aug 25, 2013

#4

sunyaer said:

Would you differentiate "get the screw out" and "get the screw loose"?

Absolutely.

A screw can be "loose," e.g. easy to turn, without being removed.


#5

Yes,
"get the screw out"= remove the screw from whatever it is in.
"get the screw loose" = turn the screw slightly so that is no longer gripped by the thread.

S

sunyaer

Senior Member

Chinese

Aug 25, 2013

#6

Florentia52 said:

#1 and #2 are common ways to make the request. #3 is not. We don't refer to a screw coming "off." You could say, "Could you help get the screw out?"

For a nut on a screw, what would you use? "Off" or "out"?
Get the nut off or out (the screw)?



British English

Aug 25, 2013

#7

It wouldn't be a nut on a screw, nuts go on bolts.

So, you would say, "Get the nut off the bolt."

A bit of additional information for you.
"To have a screw loose" is an idiom that means to be eccentric or somewhat mentally unstable.