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lever
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
lever
I.noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
gear lever
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ NOUN
cam
▪ The cam lever goes to C. The side levers position themselves - they're not under the knitter's control.
▪ When knitting double jacquard, the cam lever is set to the jacquard or slip position.
▪ For simpler work, the depth is adjusted merely by setting the cam lever.
▪ For that row, the main carriage has to be set as for stocking stitch, that is with cam lever on 0.
gear
▪ Through the middle-of-the-night streets, seem to have forgotten how to drive, is this the gear lever?
▪ No palm print on the gear lever, for instance.
▪ It'd take all of you to shift the gear lever.
▪ But the group selector, like the main gear lever, does ask for more than average effort from its user.
▪ The high-low button on the gear lever is a pleasure to work with; so is the forward-reverse selector.
▪ Vasili glanced over his shoulder, his foot already on the brake and his hand dipping towards the gear lever.
▪ He let Lily steer and work the gear lever and promised to teach her how to drive.
▪ The gear lever also chatters in its plastic cup, if it has not been replaced try that.
■ VERB
move
▪ At least the handle turned, and to his surprise the turntable revolved, if rather slowly, when he moved the lever.
▪ But as the barrel swung it would push a small piston that, in return, moved the hand lever.
▪ Even on the ground you can do expensive damage by moving the undercarriage lever in mistake for the flaps or airbrakes.
▪ Investigative sources said the cockpit crew probably threw the switches and moved the levers in a hasty effort to correct a problem.
press
▪ Instead of pecking at discs, rats can be taught to press levers in order to obtain food and water.
▪ When she found a free machine, she pressed a lever that released the ball.
▪ Rincewind got down on one knee, the better to arrange the picture, and pressed the enchanted lever.
▪ In fact, some animals starved themselves rather than give up pressing the lever.
▪ The rats eventually managed to press the lever very quickly after being placed in the box, in order to receive their reward.
▪ And it suggests Pavlovian, mechanistic efficiency. Press any given design lever and expect the appropriate response.
pull
▪ Then Tony pulled the lever and the wheel began to slow down.
▪ They are let, loose by a man in a Plexiglas bubble controlling every-thing by pulling levers.
▪ She pulled a lever at the base of the cage.
▪ The blacks went in, pulled the lever, came out, and got their chickens.
▪ Amin pulled one of the levers and a noise came from inside.
▪ Complete the lace message - pull the selected lever and move the lace carriage to the right.
▪ Card No. 3 has a new instruction: you will pull the selector lever on occasions and no needles will be selected.
▪ Angalo pulled one of the levers back a bit.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
throw a switch/handle/lever
▪ He threw a lever and the twin 1500-horsepower engines roared to life.
▪ The image of Chantal vanished instantly as though some one had thrown a switch.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Many nations used sanctions as an economic lever to help end apartheid in South Africa.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ All they lack now is the levers of power.
▪ Besides a standard keyboard, the memex would have rows of buttons and levers.
▪ Children simply crank the lever, and out pop perfectly formed hearts and stars.
▪ No palm print on the gear lever, for instance.
▪ On the Chunky and double knit ribbers, this third control is a lever at the top of the tension dial.
▪ The extra weight acted as levers which made Hsu Fu twist and wrack even more.
▪ We liked the positive action and shape of the best changing lever.
II.verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
off
▪ These may be levered off if rusty 4 Try to avoid breaking glass when using a crowbar on the fixed sashes.
▪ I would take a Bourbon in one hand and lever off the lid with my two front teeth.
▪ A real thief would have taken a screwdriver and levered off the clasps.
out
▪ A central angled cut will make levering out easier 7 Use the crowbar to prise the frame from the wall.
▪ These kinds of objectives were to be attained by public-sector pump-priming investment designed to lever out private resources.
up
▪ Dougal levered up the rectangle of hardwood.
▪ The lock snapped and the detective levered up the bottom section.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ A central angled cut will make levering out easier 7 Use the crowbar to prise the frame from the wall.
▪ Daniel levered himself out of the sofa and stood up.
▪ Dougal levered up the rectangle of hardwood.
▪ Gingerly he reached forward, found a wall and levered himself up against it.
▪ He was using Kring to lever the top off the altar.
▪ I would take a Bourbon in one hand and lever off the lid with my two front teeth.
▪ Ross levered himself up, going against the pain, going fast, making his hand stiff from wrist to fingertip.
▪ The government, for example, emphasises physical renewal and the extent to which public expenditure has levered private sector investment.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Lever

Lever \Lev"er\, adv. Rather. [Obs.]
--Chaucer.

For lever had I die than see his deadly face.
--Spenser.

Lever

Lever \Lev"er\ (l[=e]"v[~e]r), a. [Old compar. of leve or lief.] More agreeable; more pleasing. [Obs.]
--Chaucer.

To be lever than. See Had as lief, under Had.

Lever

Lever \Le"ver\ (l[=e]"v[~e]r or l[e^]v"[~e]r; 277), n. [OE. levour, OF. leveor, prop., a lifter, fr. F. lever to raise, L. levare; akin to levis light in weight, E. levity, and perh. to E. light not heavy: cf. F. levier. Cf. Alleviate, Elevate, Leaven, Legerdemain, Levee, Levy, n.]

  1. (Mech.) A rigid piece which is capable of turning about one point, or axis (the fulcrum), and in which are two or more other points where forces are applied; -- used for transmitting and modifying force and motion. Specif., a bar of metal, wood, or other rigid substance, used to exert a pressure, or sustain a weight, at one point of its length, by receiving a force or power at a second, and turning at a third on a fixed point called a fulcrum. It is usually named as the first of the six mechanical powers, and is of three kinds, according as either the fulcrum F, the weight W, or the power P, respectively, is situated between the other two, as in the figures.

  2. (Mach.)

    1. A bar, as a capstan bar, applied to a rotatory piece to turn it.

    2. An arm on a rock shaft, to give motion to the shaft or to obtain motion from it.

      Compound lever, a machine consisting of two or more levers acting upon each other.

      Lever escapement. See Escapement.

      Lever jack. See Jack, n., 5.

      Lever watch, a watch having a vibrating lever to connect the action of the escape wheel with that of the balance.

      Universal lever, a machine formed by a combination of a lever with the wheel and axle, in such a manner as to convert the reciprocating motion of the lever into a continued rectilinear motion of some body to which the power is applied.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
lever

c.1300, from Old French levier (Modern French leveur) "a lifter, a lever," agent noun from lever "to raise," from Latin levare "to raise," from levis "light" in weight, from PIE root *legwh- "light, having little weight; easy, agile, nimble" (cognates: Sanskrit laghuh "quick, small;" Greek elakhys "small," elaphros "light;" Old Church Slavonic liguku, Lithuanian lengvas "light;" Old Irish laigiu "smaller, worse;" Gothic leihts, Old English leoht "light" (adj.)). As a verb, 1856, from the noun.

Wiktionary
lever

Etymology 1 n. 1 (context mechanics English) A rigid piece which is capable of turning about one point, or axis (the ''fulcrum''), and in which are two or more other points where forces are applied; — used for transmitting and modifying force and motion. 2 # Specifically, a bar of metal, wood or other rigid substance, used to exert a pressure, or sustain a weight, at one point of its length, by receiving a force or power at a second, and turning at a third on a fixed point called a fulcrum. It is usually named as the first of the six mechanical powers, and is of three kinds, according as either the fulcrum F, the weight W, or the power P, respectively, is situated between the other two, as in the figures. 3 A small such piece to trigger or control a mechanical device (like a button). 4 (context mechanics English) A bar, as a capstan bar, applied to a rotatory piece to turn it. vb. 1 (context transitive English) To move with a lever#Noun. 2 (context figuratively transitive English) To use, operate like a lever#Noun. 3 (context chiefly UK finance English) To increase the share of debt in the capitalization of a business. Etymology 2

adv. (context obsolete English) rather. Etymology 3

n. (context rare English) A levee.

WordNet
lever

v. to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open; "The burglar jimmied the lock", "Raccoons managed to pry the lid off the garbage pail" [syn: pry, prise, prize, jimmy]

lever
  1. n. a rigid bar pivoted about a fulcrum

  2. a simple machine that gives a mechanical advantage when given a fulcrum

  3. a flat metal tumbler in a lever lock [syn: lever tumbler]

Wikipedia
Lever

A lever ( or ) is a machine consisting of a beam or rigid rod pivoted at a fixed hinge, or fulcrum. A lever is a rigid body capable of rotating on a point on itself. On the basis of the location of fulcrum, load and effort, the lever is divided into three types. It is one of the six simple machines identified by Renaissance scientists. A lever amplifies an input force to provide a greater output force, which is said to provide leverage. The ratio of the output force to the input force is the mechanical advantage of the lever.

Lever (disambiguation)

A lever is a mechanical device to multiply force.

Lever may also refer to:

  • Lever, Portugal
  • Lever (surname), and persons with the name
  • Lever Brothers, British household goods company
  • Lever (company), a US software company
Lever (company)

Lever is an US-based software company headquartered in San Francisco, California that provides an applicant tracking system for hiring. It was founded in 2012 by Sarah Nahm, Nate Smith, and Randal Truong.

Lever raised $2.8 million in a seed round in September 2012, $10 million in its Series A round in October 2014 and a further $20 million in its Series B round in January 2016. It is backed by an advisory board which includes Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo!, and Jeremy Stoppelman, CEO of Yelp.

Lever (surname)

Lever is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

  • Sir Arthur Lever, 1st Baronet (1860–1924), British politician
  • Arthur Lever (footballer) (1920–2004), Welsh professional footballer and Wales international
  • Asbury Francis Lever (1875–1940), member of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina
  • Sir Ashton Lever (1729–1788), English collector of natural objects
  • Caitlin Lever (born 1985), Canadian softball player
  • Charles Lever (1806–1872), Irish novelist of English descent
  • Colin Lever (born 1939), English former cricketer
  • Darcy Lever (c.1759–1839), British author and expert in seamanship
  • Don Lever (born 1952), Canadian retired professional ice hockey left winger
  • Eddie Lever, manager of English football club Portsmouth F.C. 1952–1958
  • Lafayette "Fat" Lever (born 1960), American retired professional basketball player
  • Sir Hardman Lever, 1st Baronet (1869–1947), English accountant and civil servant
  • Harold Lever, Baron Lever of Manchester (1914–1995), English barrister and politician
  • Harry Lever (born 1886), Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda in the VFL
  • Hayley Lever (1876–1958), Australian-American painter, etcher, lecturer and art teacher
  • Henry W. Lever (1883–1980), American sportsperson and educator, head football coach at Carroll College
  • James Darcy Lever (1854–1910), English co-founder of Lever Brothers
  • John Orrell Lever (1824–1897), English shipping owner and politician
  • John Lever (born 1949), English former cricketer
  • Johnny Lever (born 1957), Indian film actor and comedian
  • Laurie Lever (born 1947), English-Australian Olympic-level equestrian rider
  • Leslie Lever, Baron Lever (1905–1977), British politician
  • Mark Lever (born 1970), English former professional footballer
  • Sir Paul Lever (born 1944), British retired ambassador
  • Peter Lever (born 1940), English former cricketer
  • Philip Lever, 3rd Viscount Leverhulme (1915–2000), British landowner and race-horse owner
  • Rob Lever, English rugby league footballer
  • Thomas Lever (or Leaver, Leiver) (1521–1577), English Protestant reformer and Marian exile
  • Tim Lever, member of British pop group Dead or Alive 1983–89
  • William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851–1925), English industrialist, philanthropist and politician; the primary founder of Lever Brothers
  • William Lever, 2nd Viscount Leverhulme (1888–1949), English industrialist and philanthropist

Usage examples of "lever".

Springs, alembics, coils of copper tubing, buckled sheets of metal, gear systems both rack-and-pinion and epicyclic, pendulums, levers, cams, cranks, differentials, bearings, pulleys, assorted tools, and stone jars containing alkahest and corrosive substances crowded every horizontal surface.

Speed is controlled by increasing or diminishing the number of armature bearings in series with the accumulator--all of which is simply accomplished by a lever which the pilot moves from his position on deck where he ordinarily lies upon his stomach, his safety belt snapped to heavy rings in the deck.

That night in our apartment, I kept expecting to see two teams of Bunraku masters standing behind John and me, pulling levers in our heads, sculpting every move we made.

We drove off, the machine chuffing and rattling in response to the things she did to a collection of levers.

When I said I could murder the cobber if we fought under low gravity, I must have put an idea into his head, and when we had the fight he stood there waiting at the lever.

In the center of the coolant system was a reactor core with a pistol-grip lever protruding from it that moved the control rods.

Keeping his eyes on the Way, Darr Veter stretched out his hand and turned a lever to point M, ensuring himself solitude for meditation.

The bronze gong sounded as Darr Veter turned over the lever that switched off the stream of transmitted energy.

Finally, after one last, hesitant glance at the living statue before him, he slid the decarbonization lever into place.

Lieutenant Koudelka sat in the aperture, blinking dizzily, blood dripping down his chin, then was levered to his feet by a guard.

I called back my gaze and, to dispel my irritation, began in earnest to use my drumsticks as levers.

There were dozens of levers and gadgets that had to be hooked up, and Durand put them in place so rapidly that there was no chance to follow his movements.

It took but an instant, however, for me to regain the levers, and with the roof barely fifty feet above I turned her nose once more into the horizontal plane and headed her again for the black mouth of the shaft.

The man looked annoyed, and tried, by the skilful use of gasolene and sparking levers, to leave Tom behind.

Jerry, as he shoved the gasolene lever over a trifle, and advanced the spark, thereby increasing the speed of the car.