the first turn of the screw pays all debts
/θə‿fɚɹst‿tɚn‿ʌv‿θə‿skɹu‿peɪ̯z‿ɑl‿dɛts/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.66 in modern English
59
Scrabble Score
34
Letters
5
Syllables
18
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "On the one hand was Martyn's dictum that the 'first turn of the screw pays all debts';"
- "—The first turn of the screw pays all debts, he had muttered (crossing himself) in the stern of the Purdue Victory, where the deck shuddered underfoot as the blades of the single screw churned Boston's water beneath him;"
- "The first turn of the screw pays all debts, they say, except when there is a warship about."
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /θə‿fɚɹst‿tɚn‿ʌv‿θə‿skɹu‿peɪ̯z‿ɑl‿dɛts/