Turnbuckles and bottlescrews

[Drascomber]

If turnbuckle is American for bottlescrew, what is American for turnbuckle?

Serious question - I am writing some instructions that refer to what I understand as a turnbuckle (not a bottlescrew) and part of the readership will be American.

 

[Salty John]

In America a turnbuckle is a rigging screw - the thing you use to adjust your rig tension. They can be open body or closed body type.
I've always assumed that in English a turnbuckle and a bottlescrew were interchangeable terms for the same thing - a rigging screw.
So, what is an English turnbuckle?

 

[Drascomber]

To me a turnbuckle is a simple latch comprising a small flat (ish) bar with a screw through the centre. You hold it vertical and screw it to a door surround for instance and when you turn it through 90 degrees it overlaps the door and prevents it from opening.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

I see what you mean. I believe that that is correctly known (or was known) as a 'turnbuckle latch' We used to have them on cupboard doors when I was little.

A cursory glance at American catalogues will show that they use turnbuckle in the sense of an open-bodied 'bottle screw', same as here. To make sure that you are understood I suggest that you include a description or, better still, a little sketch to differentiate between the two types.

 

[Salty John]

Ah, sorry I was still thinking 'rigging'. A locker catch of the turnbuckle type is called a door button in America - at least in the mainline catalogs - er, catalogues.