corkscrew shape

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A form that twists around like a spiral, the way a bottle opener for wine curls around.

   Grammar: Countable: say 'a corkscrew shape' or 'corkscrew shapes'; it usually follows 'in' or 'into'.

   Patterns

   • in a corkscrew shape
   • have a corkscrew shape
   • twist into a corkscrew shape

   The pasta was dried in a corkscrew shape so sauce would cling to it.

   A thin ribbon of smoke rose in a corkscrew shape above the chimney.

   The old staircase wound upward in a corkscrew shape.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Having a twisted spiral form, used before a noun to describe an object.

   Grammar: Used only before a noun: 'a corkscrew shape staircase' or 'corkscrew-shaped curls'.

   Patterns

   • corkscrew-shaped something

   She curled her hair into corkscrew-shaped ringlets.

   The drill has a corkscrew-shaped blade.

Common combinations

in a corkscrew shape

The wire was bent in a corkscrew shape.

twist into a corkscrew shape

The kite's tail twisted into a corkscrew shape in the wind.

corkscrew-shaped curls

Her hair fell in corkscrew-shaped curls.

a corkscrew pattern

The fabric had a corkscrew pattern printed on it.

Synonyms and how they differ

spiral

'Spiral' is the general word for any curling shape and is more common; 'corkscrew shape' suggests a tighter, narrower twist.

helix

'Helix' is the technical term used in math and biology for a spiral curve; use it in formal or scientific writing.

coil

'Coil' refers to the wound object itself, not just its form, so it fits when you mean a rolled-up thing.

Opposites

Word family

corkscrew noun

A tool with a spiral point for pulling corks out of bottles.

corkscrew-shaped adjective

Having the form of a spiral twist.

Commonly confused: corkscrew shape or screwdriver?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “corkscrew shape”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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