Crowbar: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Hand tool for prying boards and nails}} |
{{Short description|Hand tool for prying boards and nails}} |
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{{about|the tool|other uses}} |
{{about|the tool|other uses}} |
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{{Redirect|Jemmy| |
{{Redirect|Jemmy|people named Jemmy|Jemmy (given name)}} |
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{{Redirect|Wrecking bar|the long handled socket wrench|Breaker bar}} |
{{Redirect|Wrecking bar|the long handled socket wrench|Breaker bar|the 2010 single by the Vaccines|Wreckin' Bar}} |
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{{More citations needed|date=November 2023}} |
{{More citations needed|date=November 2023}} |
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[[File:Standard Crowbar Black.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.3|A crowbar with a curved chisel end to provide a [[lever|fulcrum]] for leverage and a goose neck to pull nails]] |
[[File:Standard Crowbar Black.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.3|A crowbar with a curved chisel end to provide a [[lever|fulcrum]] for leverage and a goose neck to pull nails]] |
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A '''crowbar''', also called a '''wrecking bar''', '''pry bar''' or '''prybar''', '''pinch-bar''', or occasionally a '''prise bar''' or '''prisebar''', colloquially '''gooseneck''', or '''pig bar''', or in |
A '''crowbar''', also called a '''wrecking bar''', '''pry bar''' or '''prybar''', '''pinch-bar''', or occasionally a '''prise bar''' or '''prisebar''', colloquially '''gooseneck''', or '''pig bar''', or in Australia a '''jemmy''',<ref>{{cite book|title=Oxford English Dictionary|url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordenglishdic0015unse|url-access=registration|date=1989|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-861186-8|pages=jimmy 1, n. 6}}</ref> is a [[lever]] consisting of a metal bar with a single curved end and flattened points, used to force two objects apart or gain [[mechanical advantage]] in lifting; often the curved end has a notch for removing nails. |
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The design can be used as any of the three [[lever#Classes_of_levers|lever classes]]. The curved end is usually used as a first-class lever, and the flat end as a second-class lever. |
The design can be used as any of the three [[lever#Classes_of_levers|lever classes]]. The curved end is usually used as a first-class lever, and the flat end as a second-class lever. |
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==Materials and construction== |
==Materials and construction== |
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{{Unreferenced section|date=November 2024}} |
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A common [[hand tool]], the crow bar is typically made of medium-carbon [[steel]], possibly hardened on its ends. |
A common [[hand tool]], the crow bar is typically made of medium-carbon [[steel]], possibly hardened on its ends. |
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The accepted [[etymology]]<ref>[[OED]]: [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50054753?query_type=word&queryword=crowbar&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=1&search_id=ho1j-f4F5IQ-2786&hilite=50054753 crow-bar]; [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50054746?query_type=word&queryword=crowbar&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=1 crow], sense 5a</ref><ref>[[The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language|AHD]]: [http://www.bartleby.com/61/95/C0769500.html crow] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312090547/http://www.bartleby.com/61/95/C0769500.html |date=2008-03-12 }}</ref> identifies the first component of the word ''crowbar'' with the bird-name "crow", perhaps due to the crowbar's resemblance to the feet or beak of a crow. The first use of the term is dated back to {{circa|1400}}.<ref>[[Snopes]]: [http://www.snopes.com/language/offense/crowbar.asp crowbar]</ref> It was also called simply a ''crow'', or ''iron crow''; [[William Shakespeare]] used the latter,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/shakespeare/romeojuliet/page_256/|title=No Fear Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet: Act 5 Scene 2|website=www.sparknotes.com}}</ref> as in ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'', Act 5, Scene 2: "Get me an iron crow and bring it straight unto my cell." |
The accepted [[etymology]]<ref>[[OED]]: [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50054753?query_type=word&queryword=crowbar&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=1&search_id=ho1j-f4F5IQ-2786&hilite=50054753 crow-bar]; [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50054746?query_type=word&queryword=crowbar&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&result_place=1 crow], sense 5a</ref><ref>[[The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language|AHD]]: [http://www.bartleby.com/61/95/C0769500.html crow] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312090547/http://www.bartleby.com/61/95/C0769500.html |date=2008-03-12 }}</ref> identifies the first component of the word ''crowbar'' with the bird-name "crow", perhaps due to the crowbar's resemblance to the feet or beak of a crow. The first use of the term is dated back to {{circa|1400}}.<ref>[[Snopes]]: [http://www.snopes.com/language/offense/crowbar.asp crowbar]</ref> It was also called simply a ''crow'', or ''iron crow''; [[William Shakespeare]] used the latter,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/shakespeare/romeojuliet/page_256/|title=No Fear Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet: Act 5 Scene 2|website=www.sparknotes.com}}</ref> as in ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'', Act 5, Scene 2: "Get me an iron crow and bring it straight unto my cell." |
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In [[Daniel Defoe]]'s 1719 novel ''[[Robinson Crusoe]]'', the protagonist lacks a [[pickaxe]] so uses a crowbar instead: "As for the pickaxe, I made use of the iron crows, which were proper enough, though heavy." |
In [[Daniel Defoe]]'s 1719 novel ''[[Robinson Crusoe]]'', the protagonist lacks a [[pickaxe]] so uses a crowbar instead: "As for the pickaxe, I made use of the iron crows, which were proper enough, though heavy."{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} |
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A crowbar might well be named as such due to the noise that drawing a nail out of dry wood makes when using the crowbar. It sounds very similar to the call of a crow. |
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==Types== |
==Types== |
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*Molding pry bar |
*Molding pry bar |
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*Rolling head pry bar |
*Rolling head pry bar |
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==In popular culture== |
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The [[Half-Life (series)|Half-Life game series]]' main protagonist's, [[Gordon Freeman]]'s, iconic melee weapon is a crowbar. The crowbar has become a symbol in the gaming community not only for Gordon Freeman, but the Half-Life game series itself.<ref>{{cite web|title=Why You Can't Use A Crowbar In Half-Life: Alyx|date=25 March 2020 |url=https://kotaku.com/why-you-cant-use-a-crowbar-in-half-life-alyx-1842491319|publisher=Kotaku|access-date=2024-01-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Half-Life: Gordon Freeman's Crowbar Is Gaming's Greatest Melee Weapon|date=5 April 2020 |url=https://www.cbr.com/half-life-gordon-crowbar-greatest-melee-weapon/|publisher=Comic Book Resources|access-date=2024-01-16}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Latest revision as of 10:59, 23 November 2024
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2023) |
A crowbar, also called a wrecking bar, pry bar or prybar, pinch-bar, or occasionally a prise bar or prisebar, colloquially gooseneck, or pig bar, or in Australia a jemmy,[1] is a lever consisting of a metal bar with a single curved end and flattened points, used to force two objects apart or gain mechanical advantage in lifting; often the curved end has a notch for removing nails.
The design can be used as any of the three lever classes. The curved end is usually used as a first-class lever, and the flat end as a second-class lever.
Designs made from thick flat steel bar are often referred to as utility bars.
Materials and construction
[edit] |
A common hand tool, the crow bar is typically made of medium-carbon steel, possibly hardened on its ends.
Commonly crowbars are forged from long steel stock, either hexagonal or sometimes cylindrical. Alternative designs may be forged with a rounded I-shaped cross-section shaft. Versions using relatively wide flat steel bar are often referred to as "utility" or "flat bars".
Etymology and usage
[edit]The accepted etymology[2][3] identifies the first component of the word crowbar with the bird-name "crow", perhaps due to the crowbar's resemblance to the feet or beak of a crow. The first use of the term is dated back to c. 1400.[4] It was also called simply a crow, or iron crow; William Shakespeare used the latter,[5] as in Romeo and Juliet, Act 5, Scene 2: "Get me an iron crow and bring it straight unto my cell."
In Daniel Defoe's 1719 novel Robinson Crusoe, the protagonist lacks a pickaxe so uses a crowbar instead: "As for the pickaxe, I made use of the iron crows, which were proper enough, though heavy."[citation needed]
Types
[edit]Types of crowbar include:[6]
- Alignment pry bar, also referred to as Sleeve bar
- Cat’s claw pry bar, more simply known as a cat's paw
- Digging pry bar
- Flat pry bar
- Gooseneck pry bar
- Heavy-duty pry bar
- Molding pry bar
- Rolling head pry bar
See also
[edit]References
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Crowbars.
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 1989. pp. jimmy 1, n. 6. ISBN 978-0-19-861186-8.
- ^ OED: crow-bar; crow, sense 5a
- ^ AHD: crow Archived 2008-03-12 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Snopes: crowbar
- ^ "No Fear Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet: Act 5 Scene 2". www.sparknotes.com.
- ^ "What is a Pry Bar and What Are They Used For?".