noun an old instrument of torture for compressing the thumb by a screw; a thumbkin.
2. thumbscrew ·noun a screw having a flat-sided or knurled head, so that it may be turned by the thumb and forefinger.
noun an old instrument of torture for compressing the thumb by a screw; a thumbkin.
2. thumbscrew ·noun a screw having a flat-sided or knurled head, so that it may be turned by the thumb and forefinger.
Webster English vocab. Английский словарь Webster. 2012