1. (n.) A device, usually of metal, consisting of a frame with one more movable tongues or catches, used for fastening things together, as parts of dress or harness, by means of a strap passing through the frame and pierced by the tongue.

2. (n.) A distortion bulge, bend, or kink, as in a saw blade or a plate of sheet metal.

3. (n.) A curl of hair, esp. a kind of crisp curl formerly worn; also, the state of being curled.

4. (n.) A contorted expression, as of the face.

5. (n.) To fasten or confine with a buckle or buckles; as, to buckle a harness.

6. (n.) To bend; to cause to kink, or to become distorted.

7. (n.) To prepare for action; to apply with vigor and earnestness; -- generally used reflexively.

8. (n.) To join in marriage.

9. (v. i.) To bend permanently; to become distorted; to bow; to curl; to kink.

10. (v. i.) To bend out of a true vertical plane, as a wall.

11. (v. i.) To yield; to give way; to cease opposing.

12. (v. i.) To enter upon some labor or contest; to join in close fight; to struggle; to contend.

anamorphism anamorphosis articulate asymmetry batten batten down bend bolt bulge butt button catch cave in clasp cleat clip collapse contort contortion crook crookedness crumple detorsion deviation disproportion distort distortion dovetail fastener fastening gnarl hasp hinge hitch hook imbalance irregularity jam joint knot latch lock lopsidedness miter mortise nail peg pin quirk rabbet rivet scarf screw sew skewer snap spring staple stick stitch tack toggle torsion tortuosity turn turn awry twist unsymmetry warp wedge wrench wrest wring writhe zipper