Meaning & use
gimlet tool
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Meanings
nouncountable
a small hand tool with a pointed spiral tip and a handle, used to make narrow holes in wood.
Grammar: Countable: say a gimlet tool or two gimlet tools; the plural adds -s.
Patterns
- use a gimlet tool to do something
- make a hole with a gimlet tool
- a gimlet tool for something
She reached for a gimlet tool to start the holes for the screws.
A gimlet tool is handy when you need a small hole in a piece of softwood.
He twisted the gimlet tool into the wood and pulled it out cleanly.
nouncountabletechnical
a pointed spiral drill bit of this kind, especially one fitted into a brace.
Grammar: Countable; often used in the plural when talking about a set of bits.
Patterns
- fit a gimlet tool into something
- a set of gimlet tools
The old brace came with several gimlet tools of different sizes.
He changed the gimlet tool in the brace before drilling the pilot hole.
Word forms
| plural | gimlet tools |
|---|
Common combinations
- a gimlet tool for wood
- This is a gimlet tool for wood, not for metal.
- twist a gimlet tool
- Twist a gimlet tool gently so the wood does not split.
- a small gimlet tool
- A small gimlet tool is enough for pilot holes.
- use a gimlet tool on something
- You can use a gimlet tool on soft pine without much effort.
- a gimlet tool and a brace
- Carpenters once worked with a gimlet tool and a brace.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gimlet
- The short form is far more common; use gimlet tool only when you need to make clear you mean the tool rather than the drink.
- awl
- An awl makes a hole by pushing a point through material, while a gimlet tool cuts its way in with a spiral tip.
- drill bit
- A drill bit is the cutting part used in a power drill; a gimlet tool is usually a complete small hand tool.
- bradawl
- A bradawl is pushed and twisted by hand to start a screw hole, and it has a straight point rather than a spiral.
Word family
Commonly confused: gimlet tool or gimlet? gimlet tool or auger?
gimlet tool vs gimlet
The short word gimlet also names a lime-and-spirit cocktail and, figuratively, a sharp stare, so context decides which one is meant.
gimlet tool vs auger
An auger is a larger boring tool for deep holes in timber, while a gimlet tool is small and meant for starting holes.
Practice
Which sentence uses "gimlet tool" correctly?
Choose one answer.
A gimlet tool is a small hand tool for boring narrow holes, so starting a pilot hole in wood fits. The other options describe the cocktail or the figurative sharp look, which are senses of gimlet alone, not of the full phrase gimlet tool.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gimlet tool”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.