释义 |
twist·er \ˈtwistə(r)\ noun (-s) Etymology: twist (I) + -er, n. suffix 1. : one that twists: as a. : twister-in b. : throwster c. : one that twists (as dough or yarn) or shapes (as pretzels or tobacco) into twists d. : a ball with a combined onward and spinning motion < a curve in baseball, a break ball in cricket, and a ball with English in billiards are all called twisters > e. : a textile machine or device for twisting single yarns into plied yarns or for adding twist to yarns without plying f. : spanish windlass g. : swivel plow h. : a device for twisting small stumps out of the ground i. : a device by which an arm or hand may be painfully twisted (as to subdue a prisoner) 2. : a tornado, waterspout, sand column, or dust whirl in which the rotatory ascending movement of a column of air is especially apparent < a twister may change from a tornado to a waterspout and back again many times as it crosses bays and rivers — S.D.Flora > 3. : a somersault in which an acrobat performs a difficult twist of his body in air 4. : a twisted roll, doughnut, or cruller 5. a. : a shifty, tricky, or unprincipled person : someone evasive, devious, or unreliable < he's a twister, but I'll be able to make him see that it'll pay him to be straight with me — Dorothy Sayers > b. : an insurance agent who unscrupulously induces someone to drop one policy and buy another usually in a different company 6. a. : something difficult, overwhelming, confusing, or dumbfounding : poser < I might believe it tomorrow, but it's a bit of a twister now, this minute — A.E.Coppard > b. : tongue twister 7. dialect : mallard Synonyms: see wind |