wing nut

American  

Or wingnut

noun

1. a nut having two flat, widely projecting pieces such that it can be readily tightened with the thumb and forefinger.

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wing nut British  

noun

1. Also called: butterfly nut.  a threaded nut tightened by hand by means of two flat lugs or wings projecting from the central body

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Usage

What does wing nut mean? Wing nut is an insulting slang term for a person who’s considered eccentric or who has extreme political views. In a completely different context, wing nut is also a term for a nut (a piece of usually metal hardware that attaches to a bolt) with two tabs on its sides that kind of look like wings. The “wings” make turning the nut by hand easier when it’s being attached to a bolt. It’s also called a butterfly nut (because of the “wings”) or a thumbnut (because it can be easily turned with the thumb and forefinger).[caption id="attachment_154442" align="alignnone" width="300"] Getty / Jill Ferry[/caption]Both senses of the word can also be spelled wingnut and wing-nut. The only connection between the two senses of the word is probably the word nut, which can be used to refer to a person considered eccentric (someone who is nutty). However, nut can also be used as a negative slang term for a person who is mentally ill, and wing nut can also imply this. Keep in mind that when used in this way, these terms may reinforce harmful stereotypes and associations with mental illness. Example: Every local government meeting has a few wing nuts who show up to spout off conspiracy theories during the public comment session. 

Etymology

Origin of wing nut

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

The movie I always looked at as the gold standard, that split that difference so beautifully, was “Patton,” because if you think Patton was a wing nut, he’s a wing nut in that movie.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2018

Buchanan, the house wing nut, finds all this moderation frustrating; he began as a peripheral figure in the Nixon White House, a political gunslinger perhaps a bit too hot for the high-rent nuances of governance.

From New York Times • May 8, 2017

He protested he was just showing it off for interest and had been tarred as “some wing nut with a Gurkha knife.”

From New York Times • Jul. 16, 2014

JeffreyJohnson @ do people even read past your first sentence when you start by calling names like wing nut?

From Time • Dec. 17, 2012

Screws for vanes and tripod mounting are hand cut, with wing nut ends.

From Early American Scientific Instruments and Their Makers by Bedini, Silvio A.