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vice

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Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A vice is a bench-mounted device with jaws that close to hold a workpiece firmly during cutting, filing, drilling, or assembly.

Detailed Definition
A vice uses a screw or lever to draw two jaws together, securing wood, metal, or another object so that both hands remain free for work. In poetry its practical grip easily merges with the moral meaning of vice and the bodily image of being squeezed. It may therefore represent constraint, pressure, addiction, authority, or circumstances tightening around a person. Yet in a workshop it is also a source of stability and precision, showing how restraint can make careful creation possible.
Example
Example in poetry:
The carpenter tightened the vice until the board could no longer move; A vice may symbolise restraint, pressure, or circumstances closing around a person; Its firm grip can also represent the stability needed for accurate work; Poets may exploit the double meaning of vice as both a workshop tool and a moral failing.
Additional Notes
The workshop vice holds a workpiece firmly so that cutting, drilling, filing, or assembly can be performed safely. Its jaws tighten through a screw mechanism, creating stability through restraint. Poets often exploit the homonym vice, meaning immoral habit or weakness, so context may support deliberate wordplay. The tool can represent pressure, confinement, addiction, or useful discipline. Related terms include clamp, jaws, screw, workbench, grip, pressure, restraint, stability, addiction, moral failing, craftsmanship, control, and circumstances tightening around an individual.
Also Known As
vise bench vice bench vise
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