twist
part of speech
verb (twist, twists, twisted, twisting); noun (a twist, twists)
meaning for a pupil
1) To turn something round, like twisting a lid off a jar or twisting a key. tree →
2) To bend or wind things around each other, like twisting threads into a rope. tree →
3) To hurt a joint by turning it the wrong way: twist your ankle. tree →
4) A noun for a sudden change, especially a surprising change in a story: a plot twist. tree →
5) A bend or curve, as in the twists and turns of a road. tree →
6) To wriggle your body through a narrow gap. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: In Deuteronomy it describes the twisted cords, tassels, that Israelites make on their garments' corners. Interpretation: Tradition calls these tassels tzitzit, and wearing them reminds a person of all the commandments. In the primary lessons: In everyday life and safety, you twist lids, taps and doorknobs; childproof lids need you to push and twist. A twisted ankle is a common sports injury: rest it, ice it and tell an adult. In stories, a twist is a surprise the reader did not expect. In science, a tornado twists, and DNA is a twisted ladder shape. Phrases: "twist the lid off", "twist your ankle", "a twist in the tale", "twists and turns", "twist someone's arm" (persuade them).
examples
- Thou shalt make thee twisted cords upon the four corners of thy covering, wherewith thou coverest thyself. (Torah DEU.22.12, JPS 1917) tree →
- Twist the lid to open the jar. tree →
- I twisted my ankle playing netball. tree →
- The story had a twist at the end: the ghost was the cat. tree →
- The path twists through the woods. tree →
- Twist the two pipe cleaners together. tree →
- She twisted her hair into a bun. tree →
- The tornado twisted the trees out of the ground. tree →
- Okay, you twisted my arm — I'll have another biscuit. tree →
- How was he to twist himself through! tree →
note
Regular verb: twisted, twisting. "Turn" and "twist" overlap, but "twist" usually means turning with force or winding. A twisted ankle is also called a sprain. "To twist someone's words" means to change their meaning unfairly. "Twist someone's arm" is an idiom, not real arm-twisting.
In the corpora
- Stories grow because people fill gaps with guesses, round numbers up, and add a twist that makes the tale better to tell.
- Chains of "she said" twist the truth; ask the person yourself.
- Twists on reality shows are usually planned by producers to keep people watching, not lucky accidents.
- Elephants greet and comfort each other by touching faces and twisting their trunks together.
- A happy rabbit's jump-and-twist is called a binky, and it shows the rabbit feels safe and lively.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «twist» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.