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Rascheltechnik
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Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

Knebelschraube

English translation:

wing screw / thumb screw / hand screw

Added to glossary by Ian M-H (X)
Sep 18, 2005 11:36
18 yrs ago
13 viewers *
German term

Knebelschraube

German to English Tech/Engineering Furniture / Household Appliances furniture assembly
I've found "tommy screw" and "T-screw" for this, in Ernst and in a few glossaries (including one on ProZ), but I'd welcome either (1) confirmation - which Google doesn't really give me - that either of these terms (which I've never heard) would actually be familiar to native speakers of English or (2) alternative translations.

My context is a brochure for modular office furniture systems. Here they're bragging about how easy it is to assemble:

"Ohne Werkzeug ist XYZ durch das Klemmprofi mit der Knebelschraube leicht und schnell montierbar."

(Based on the rest of my text, I suspect that "Klemmprofi" should read "Klemmprofil".)

Thanks in advance!
Proposed translations (English)
3 wing screw
4 wing nut
3 Toggle screw
3 thumb screw

Discussion

Ian M-H (X) (asker) Sep 19, 2005:
@Arthur: my research doesn't confirm that "wing screw" and "toggle screw" are synonymous, although at least some "toggle screws" are, indeed, "wing screws".

@Brigitte + all: I cannot get a photo showing this fastener on its own *but* think I've spotted one of them in a larger picture. In this case it would appear that the screw's (large) head has milled edges enabling easy hand operation. I'm not at all sure that the furniture manufacturer is right to call it a Knebelschraube in German, but it appears to be what (as Kim said first) is often called a "thumb screw" in US English. Looking for alternatives I found a few references to "hand screws" for similar items, most frequently from PC case manufacturers, in both AE and BE. So I think that's what it's going to be.
Thanks again for everyone's help.
BrigitteHilgner Sep 18, 2005:
Ian, I th�nk you need a picture to clarify this. I found several suggestions that "thumb screw" means "Fl�gelschraube" (although, like you, I thought of Daumenschraube"), but no connection to Knebelschraube.
Arthur Allmendinger Sep 18, 2005:
"wing screw" is just another word for "toggle screw". In the PONS Bildw?rterbuch they call the spring toggle of the toggle screw "Federfl?gel".

Do you need a picture?
Ian M-H (X) (asker) Sep 18, 2005:
Thanks for the latest input. Brigitte's 'back reference' in Ernst got me looking there again as well, under "Fl�gelschraube", as briethe has now also done. And I'm incline to agree with the AE/BE difference suggested there - whilst Kim's right that "thumb screw" 'ought' to be the right answer, because it covers a broader range than "wing screw", I suspect that the first association for many UK readers would be instruments of torture.
Ian M-H (X) (asker) Sep 18, 2005:
@briethe: Thanks - "wing screw" may indeed be a standard term - it just seems a lot less common than "wing nut" (fewer than 1,000 UK Google hits).
Ian M-H (X) (asker) Sep 18, 2005:
Thanks to all for the input thus far. "Toggle screw" is indeed another option found in one or two places, but many of the pictures Google offers don't resemble those for "Knebelschraube". (Needless to say, I don't have a picture of my client's item...) At the moment I'm tempted to go for "wing screw" (thanks Carla) - even if it's not a standard technical term it would be understood by people buying office furniture...
BrigitteHilgner Sep 18, 2005:
http://dict.tu-chemnitz.de supports "tommy screw", while Leo opts for "toggle screw". I'm beginning to see your problem ...
BrigitteHilgner Sep 18, 2005:
Not my subject, so no guarantee: De Vries/Herrmann Technical Engineering Dictionary (German-English): tommy screw, capstan-head screw
Ernst: tommy screw = Knebelschraube, Fl�gelschraube

Proposed translations

1 hr
Selected

wing screw

Do you have a picture of your Knebelschraube? Google offers at least a couple of different varieties, but I think this might cover it:

http://images.google.com/images?q="wing screw&hl=en&lr=&sa=N...

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Note added at 2 hrs 4 mins (2005-09-18 13:40:58 GMT)
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Sorry, I didn't see the comments that went before my answer. Why do you say "wing screw" isn't a standard technical term? Google would seem to indicate otherwise

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Note added at 3 hrs 12 mins (2005-09-18 14:49:08 GMT)
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HA! Ernst:

Flügelschraube f / wing (GB) o. thumb (US) screw, tommy o. T-screw

And if you google "tommy screws" and click on the images section, you'll get a more homogeneous set of pictures -- a rather specific type of wing/thumb screw
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3 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks again to everyone. It wasn't easy to decide where the points should go, and my glossary entry shows that the translation of this term isn't straightforward either - but in cases where the German term is used correctly then I think "wing screw" would be right most of the time and Gabrielle entered her answer before Kim's..."
27 mins

wing nut

this is what I found by combining a German - Italian dictionary and an Italian - English dictionary together.. Somehow risky, sometimes, but not this time, I think, given what I subsequently found on thw Internet for "wing nut".

Have a look :)

HTH
Carla
Note from asker:
Thanks Carla - your answer helped get us on track!
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27 mins

Toggle screw

I’ve fount in my Pons Bildwörterbuch

Knebelbolzen -> Toggle bolt

So I think that "Knebelschraube" is called „Toggle screw“


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Note added at 29 mins (2005-09-18 12:05:42 GMT)
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A toggle bolt or screw has a spring toggle and looks like the letter “T “
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2 hrs

thumb screw

I'd be tempted to go with thumb screw even though I found no direct translations for Knebelschraube. There are different types of thumb screw but one thing they have in common is no tools are needed to fasten them. Wing nut screws fall in the same category but they have wings and could also be classified as thumb screws.

http://web.archive.org/web/20040617183530/http://accuratescr...

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Note added at 2 hrs 49 mins (2005-09-18 14:26:07 GMT)
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I should say wing screws COULD fall into the same category as thumb screws. If your screws aren't wing screws the customer is going to be confused, whereas thumb screw could be interpreted in a more general sense.

https://secure.microplastics.com/category.asp?fam=tsknobs&ty...
http://www.sdp-si.com/eStore/CoverPg/ThumbScrews.htm
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