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I asked this question on Quora

How do we say "we screw the bolt into a nut in such a way that the thread of the bolt and the nut fit well together"?

Quora is not a smart system. Whenever it sees words such as "dig a hole" or "screw", it thinks that is an adult question and it makes it hard for me to ask it.

So, I used ChatGPT and it answered nicely like this

A more common way to say this would be "we thread the bolt into the nut snugly".

I think the verb "thread" is often used for a string or a rope. I am not sure if it can be used for nuts and bolts.

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  • By "fit together" do you must mean they're connected but the nut can still spin, or that they're tight enough that the nut doesn't spin?
    – gotube ♦
    Commented Jun 6, 2023 at 17:42
  • To get a nut and bolt to fit "snugly" I would say catch the thread but I can't find a reference. It means to manipulate the nut and bolt in such a way that their threads engage cleanly.
    – Weather Vane
    Commented Jun 6, 2023 at 17:52
  • ...the phrase is used in various websites such as Remedy for bolt that won't catch threads and SE Home Improvement turning the bolt in hopes that it will "catch on thread".
    – Weather Vane
    Commented Jun 6, 2023 at 18:21
  • I rather imagine Tom is wondering how to say 'do the nut up tightly' or 'tighten the nut securely'.
    – Michael Harvey
    Commented Jun 7, 2023 at 6:52

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Yes, thread can be used for nuts and bolts. The grooves on a bolt or a nut are called threads. enter image description here

Thread can be used metaphorically to mean "attach by using the threads".

However, it's too bad that Quora is so limited, because the most natural way to say it would be "screw the bolt into the nut."

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