What does pawl mean in crosswords?

pawl means: a hinged catch that fits into a notch of a ratchet to move a wheel forward or prevent it from moving backward

Which crossword clues can have pawl as the answer?

Possible clues for pawl include "Ratchet catch".

Word entry · 4 letters

Best crossword clue

"Ratchet catch"

4 letters · collected on this word page

4 lettersPronunciation /pɔːl/Part of speech nounSorted alpwStarts with PEnds with L1 clues

1P2A3W4L

a hinged catch that fits into a notch of a ratchet to move a wheel forward or prevent it from moving backward

17th c., perhaps from Low German or Dutch pal (“catch (mechanism)”), or from either French pal (“stake”) or épaule (“shoulder”).

“A pawl is a sort of catch that fits into a ratchet wheel and pushes it around, or it may be used as a catch to prevent the backward motion of a windlass or the wheel on a derrick.”
“The nails in the rim of the wheel went ratcheting over the leather pawl and the wheel slowed and came to a stop and the woman turned to the crowd and smiled.”

Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0

01“Ratchet catch”4 letters

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