twist

verb

1》 form into a bent, curled, or distorted shape.

    ↘turn or bend round or into a different direction.

    ↘force or be forced out of the natural position by twisting: he twisted his ankle playing tennis.

2》 rotate around something that remains stationary; turn.

    ↘move around each other; interlace.

    ↘take or have a winding course.

3》 distort or misrepresent the meaning of.

    ↘[as adjective twisted] (of a personality or behaviour) unpleasantly or unhealthily abnormal.

4》 dance the twist.

5》 Brit. informal cheat; defraud.

6》 (in pontoon) request, deal, or be dealt a card face upwards.

noun

1》 an act or instance of twisting.

    ↘(the twist) a dance with a twisting movement of the body, popular in the 1960s.

2》 a thing with a spiral shape.

    ↘Brit. a paper packet with twisted ends.

    ↘a small quantity of tobacco, sugar, etc., wrapped in such a packet.

3》 force producing twisting; torque.

    ↘forward motion combined with rotation about an axis.

    ↘the rifling in the bore of a gun.

4》 an unexpected, typically unwelcome, development of events.

    ↘a new treatment or outlook: she takes conventional subjects and gives them a twist.

5》 a fine strong thread consisting of twisted fibres.

6》 Brit. a drink consisting of two ingredients mixed together.

7》 Brit. informal a swindle.

8》 a carpet with a tightly curled pile.

Phrases

round the twist Brit. informal crazy.

twist someone's arm informal forcefully persuade someone to do something that they are reluctant to do.

twist in the wind be left in a state of suspense or uncertainty.

Derivatives

twisty adjective (twistier, twistiest).

Origin

OE, of Gmc origin; prob. from the base of twin and twine.