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Word: jackscrew (lookup in dictionary) (lookup stats)
Dates: during 1950-1959
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Usage:

...burglar serving a life term in the Texas State Prison. "When puzzle locks [i.e., combination locks] were first used a century ago," said Mosler, "crooks devised the 'drag,' a powerful screw to crush the walls around the lock. When the walls were strengthened, they took to the jackscrew to force wedges between the door and the jamb. When safe doors were built with bolts that slid into the jamb on all four sides, safecrackers began blowing gunpowder around the door with an air pump. Now they use nitroglycerin, acetylene torches and power drills...

Author: /time Magazine | Title: CORPORATIONS: Protection, Inc. | 12/22/1952 | See Source »

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