the.com/pry bar
the lever's blunt cousin, turning a grunt into the strength of giants
means A pry bar is a sturdy metal rod, usually with a flattened or curved end, used as a lever to force things apart, lift heavy objects, or rip nails and boards loose.
from A plain compound of "pry" and "bar." "Bar" is the old word for a length of rigid material, going back through French to Latin. "Pry" in the sense of "force open with a lever" is the interesting one: it appears to come from "prize" (also spelled "prise"), meaning to lever something open — itself from French "prise," a grasp or hold. English speakers heard the final "-ze" as a plural and back-formed a new singular "pry," so a tool that prizes things apart became one that pries.
- physics cheat
- longer handle multiplies your force dramatically
- nail killer
- curved claw end yanks stubborn nails free
- forged steel
- hardened so it bends your problem, not itself
- old name
- called a crowbar, no crows involved
- firefighter staple
- halligan tools combine pry bar and axe
crowbar — most common tool for leverage, used in construction and demolition since the 1800s
wrecking bar — flat prying tool with claw end, standard in demolition and frame removal
halligan bar — firefighting tool designed by hugh halligan in 1915, used for forced entry