Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Mangle?

\Man"gle\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Mangled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Mangling}.] [A frequentative fr. OE. manken to main, AS. mancian, in bemancian to mutilate, fr. L. mancus maimed; perh. akin to G. mangeln to be wanting.] 1. To cut or bruise with repeated blows or strokes, making a ragged or torn wound, or covering with wounds; to tear in cutting; to cut in a bungling manner; to lacerate; to mutilate. Mangled with ghastly wounds through plate and mail. --Milton. 2. To mutilate or injure, in making, doing, or pertaining; as, to mangle a piece of music or a recitation. To mangle a play or a novel. --Swift.
\Man"gle\, n. [D. mangel, fr. OE. mangonel a machine for throwing stones, LL. manganum, Gr. ? a machine for defending fortifications, axis of a pulley. Cf. {Mangonel}.] A machine for smoothing linen or cotton cloth, as sheets, tablecloths, napkins, and clothing, by roller pressure. {Mangle rack} (Mach.), a contrivance for converting continuous circular motion into reciprocating rectilinear motion, by means of a rack and pinion, as in the mangle. The pinion is held to the rack by a groove in such a manner that it passes alternately from one side of the rack to the other, and thus gives motion to it in opposite directions, according to the side in which its teeth are engaged. {Mangle wheel}, a wheel in which the teeth, or pins, on its face, are interrupted on one side, and the pinion, working in them, passes from inside to outside of the teeth alternately, thus converting the continuous circular motion of the pinion into a reciprocating circular motion of the wheel.
\Man"gle\, v. t. [Cf. D. mangelen. See {Mangle}, n.] To smooth with a mangle, as damp linen or cloth.