Birmingham screwdriver

English

Etymology

Humorously suggesting that people from Birmingham rely on the use of force to solve problems.

Noun

Birmingham screwdriver (plural Birmingham screwdrivers)

  1. (Britain, slang) A hammer.
    • 2003, "Alex Ferrier", Insurance Payout? (on newsgroup uk.rec.motorcycles)
      I'll be watching the fucker like a hawk with a Birmingham screwdriver to the ready should I spot anything untoward.
    • 2012, Jonathan Meades, Museum Without Walls, Random House →ISBN
      Tinkering – the Midlands, especially, had a tradition, killed off by the introduction of the MoT test, of men who built cars called 'specials', bodged with a Birmingham screwdriver from components of other cars.
    • 2014, RJ Smith, Cataclysm, Storyteller Entertainment, LLC →ISBN
      “I feel like I've been walloped with a Birmingham screwdriver!”
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