# Lefty Loosey or Leften Loosen?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [March 3, 2023, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636 "2023-03-03T06:26:12Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/1 "2023-03-03T06:26:12Z")
I hear Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey a lot, but I learned Righten Tighten, Leften Loosen. Tighty and loosey sound iffy to me, more like tightish than tight, or loosish than loose. And tighten and loosen are actual words too.
Did anyone else learn the more rational and sensible and correct phrase used by all the coolest kids like I did?
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### Author:  [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/2 "2023-03-03T06:30:03Z")
My grandfather didn’t free Europe from fascism in the 1940s to return to an America where we say Leften Loosen.
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/3 "2023-03-03T06:30:41Z")
> [@TriPolar](#):
>
> I learned Righten Tighten, Leften Loosen
Where and when? I have _never_ heard the latter.
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### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/4 "2023-03-03T07:04:59Z")
Neither. According to my dad, it’s “Clock Lock.”
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### Author:  [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/5 "2023-03-03T07:09:24Z")
It can only be ‘lefty-loosey’
'Cause it’s fun to say.🤭
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/6 "2023-03-03T07:11:52Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> Where and when?
Washington DC suburbs, early 1960s.
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### Author:  [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/7 "2023-03-03T09:17:11Z")
That’s when and where I learned “Righty tighty.”
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### Author:  [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/8 "2023-03-03T11:44:13Z")
Well, “righty tighty” sounds kinda like “tighty whities,” which gives your inner toddler an underwear joke to giggle at. On that basis alone, it should be the preferred choice.
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### Author:  [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/9 "2023-03-03T11:47:28Z")
🤘🙂🤘
Rock
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/10 "2023-03-03T13:36:49Z")
Righty-tighty, like the good lord intended.
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/11 "2023-03-03T15:14:13Z")
“Leften Loosen” sounds like a character in a Damon Runyan story.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/12 "2023-03-03T16:09:05Z")
More like Ring Lardner.
“Shut up,” Leften Loosen explained.
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### Author:  [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/13 "2023-03-03T16:32:59Z")
When I drop my tighty whities and twist my loosey goosey righty tighty it gets firmy wormy and I yell alrighty rooney!
I’ll let myself out now…okie dokie, artichokie?
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### Author:  [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/14 "2023-03-03T16:34:04Z")
See ya later, alligator. Scoobie doo wah.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/15 "2023-03-03T16:39:23Z")
> [@TriPolar](#):
>
> Washington DC suburbs, early 1960s.
Well, that explains it. Youse guys aren’t even part of the Yoonited States.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/16 "2023-03-03T16:39:51Z")
> [@susan](#):
>
> See ya later, alligator.
Mañana, iquana
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/17 "2023-03-03T17:36:46Z")
Lefty Loosie sounds like the incident where Jedgar Hoover was investigating Lucille Ball for being a Communist.I didn’t hear Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosie until the 80s, on TV. Can’t believe thats the version that became popular. Tighten and loosen are actual words. ‘Loosie’ is defined as slang for a cigarette sold individually. Otherwise not a word at all.
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### Author:  [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/18 "2023-03-03T17:41:18Z")
I’ve never heard anything but righty tighty, lefty loosie.
And I think the point is that they’re not actual words. “Turn towards the right to tighten, towards the left to loosen” is an actual proper sentence – and both longer to say and less likely to be remembered. Putting it in slang with a form of the words not otherwise used actually makes it easier to remember.
ETA: And come to think of it, “leften” and “righten” aren’t words, either.
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### Author:  [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/19 "2023-03-03T17:42:53Z")
I’ve always thought of it as _Lefty Lucy_.
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### Author:  [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/20 "2023-03-03T17:45:56Z")
Lefty Loosey, Righty Tighty. In that order.
Add me to the list of those who have never heard Righten Tighten, Leften Loosen before.
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