# 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:** 2
### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/21 "2023-03-03T18:02:05Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#):
>
> ETA: And come to think of it, “leften” and “righten” aren’t words, either.
I’ve been waiting for someone to point that out. It was clearly pedant bait.
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### Author:  [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/22 "2023-03-03T18:59:22Z")
Guilty as charged –
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### Author:  [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/23 "2023-03-03T20:08:33Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> > [@TriPolar](#):
> >
> > I learned Righten Tighten, Leften Loosen
>
> Where and when? I have _never_ heard the latter.
Ditto.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/24 "2023-03-03T20:12:06Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#):
>
> ETA: And come to think of it, “leften” and “righten” aren’t words, either.
“Righten” actually is; it means “to set right,” or “to restore to a normal or upright position.”
Not so much for “leften,” however.
> **[Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/righten)**
>
> The world's leading online dictionary: English definitions, synonyms, word origins, example sentences, word games, and more. A trusted authority for 25+ years!
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### Author:  [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/25 "2023-03-03T20:13:57Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#):
>
> “Righten” actually is; it means “to set right,” or “to restore to a normal or upright position.”
You’re right! Thanks for setting me right!
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/26 "2023-03-03T20:14:20Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#):
>
> Thanks for setting me right!
You have been rightened. 😉
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/27 "2023-03-03T20:22:10Z")
Alrighty, then!
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/28 "2023-03-03T20:37:40Z")
NM, ninja’d
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/29 "2023-03-03T22:49:29Z")
> [@bobot](#):
>
> 🤘🙂🤘
> Rock
Gunter glieben glauchen globen leften loosen.
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### Author:  [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/30 "2023-03-03T23:29:06Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#):
>
> Lefty Loosey, Righty Tighty. In that order.
You are doing that backwards. Stop it right now. @TriPolar is already confused. A third choice may send him over the edge.
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### Author:  [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2023, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/31 "2023-03-03T23:38:41Z")
Left to loosen, right to tight.
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### Author:  [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2023, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/32 "2023-03-04T03:11:15Z")
Totally agree; one can’t loosen something until one tightens it first.
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### Author:  [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2023, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/33 "2023-03-04T03:49:09Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#):
>
> Turn towards the right to tighten, towards the left to loosen” is an actual proper sentence
Except that is nonsense, right? A screw or bolt has an axis of rotation around which you can turn it clockwise or anti-clockwise. There is no way to turn something to the right or left.
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### Author:  [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2023, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/34 "2023-03-04T03:53:01Z")
I can turn it towards my right or my left. That’s what the saying is about, however phrased; and most people find it quite useful.
(A problem does arise when the nut is upside down from the person. I mostly deal with it by imagining being upside down myself.)
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2023, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/35 "2023-03-04T04:22:06Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#):
>
> > [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#):
> >
> > Lefty Loosey, Righty Tighty. In that order.
>
> You are doing that backwards. Stop it right now. @TriPolar is already confused. A third choice may send him over the edge.
Lefty Righty; Loosey Tighty. 😉
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2023, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/36 "2023-03-04T05:04:08Z")
You can turn the top towards your right or left, but you will automatically be turning the bottom the other direction.
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### Author:  [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2023, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/37 "2023-03-04T05:27:12Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#):
>
> I can turn it towards my right or my left. That’s what the saying is about, however phrased;
Not really. I speculated that it has to do with the “right-hand rule”. That rule does not say that you turn anything to the right or left, however. It means that if you have a right-handed coordinate system (or screw), the positive orientation is as illustrated:
[ ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Right-hand_grip_rule.svg/350px-Right-hand_grip_rule.svg.png)
If you turn the bolt in the direction indicated by the circular arrow (I would not call that “right” or “left”, or even “clockwise”), it helixes/advances in the direction of the straight arrow.
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### Author:  [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2023, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/38 "2023-03-04T05:54:10Z")
> [@BigT](#):
>
> You can turn the top towards your right or left, but you will automatically be turning the bottom the other direction.
So what?
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2023, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/39 "2023-03-04T06:00:36Z")
One can’t tighten something unless it is already loose.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2023, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefty-loosey-or-leften-loosen/980636/40 "2023-03-04T08:57:26Z")
Sure you can. You can make something tighter. It can be more tight. It can be tightened more. However, it can’t be more tighty or tightied more, or tightier because those aren’t words. It’s difficult to type this post because the spell checker keeps changing them.
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