Crowbarred

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Using a lever-like tool to forcefully pry something open or apart; forcibly inserting or introducing something in a manner that is unwelcome or unexpected; compellingly extracting information or participation from someone in a determined way
2. To exert pressure on an object or a situation using a crowbar-like implement; intruding into a conversation or task with unwarranted insistence; obtaining consent or details in a persistent or aggressive manner
3. Applying physical leverage to break open or separate items using a crowbar; encroaching upon a discussion or activity with brusque interjections; extracting necessary data or agreement through insistence or coercion

Etymology: The verb is simply the past tense of "crowbar", so the story belongs to the noun. A crowbar is a heavy iron lever, and its name joins two ordinary English words: "crow", the bird, and "bar". The likeliest explanation for the crow part is the shape of the tool's forked, claw-like end, which resembles a crow's foot. The "crow" in that name comes from Old English "crāwe", the same ancestor as the modern bird word, so the tool is named for an animal rather than for anything to do with the act of prying. The "bar" half descends from Old French "barre", which came from Vulgar Latin "barra", and it entered English in Middle English, where it already meant a rod of metal or wood.

Synonyms: pried, forced, levered, wrenched, jammed

Antonyms: closed, secured, locked