In a conversation on reddit today someone asked if other languages have phrases like "rightie tightie, leftie loosie" to remember which way to turn screws/lids/etc. And one person answers that in Spanish, the phrase is:
"La derecha oprime, la izquierda libera."
or:
"The right oppresses, the left liberates."
(Now I kind of want to put this on a t shirt)
Honestly, "Rightie Tightie, Lefty Loosie" is terrible, because there is still ambiguity. Right from the top of the bolt, or the bottom of the bolt? From your face, or the bolt's face?
There is generally a better frame of reference: Clockwise (and Counter Clockwise), since it's defined already by a standard.
Thus is born, CCW = OFF, CW = ON (unless you have an infernal left-handed screw, but those are quite rare).
@leadore CW/CCW has one perspective issue (looking from the cap end, or the tip end/hole), whereas left/right has *two*: that one, plus whether you're looking at the lateral movement at the top or the bottom of the circle of motion.
I often get confused about the latter, but never the former, since I am almost always manipulating the screw from cap end, even if I'm looking at it from another angle.
@Dorythefish When the thumb moves towards the right, the pinky moves towards the left and vice versa - one has to know which part of the circle is being described by "left"/"right" - it's usually the top.
Thinking about rotation relative to a point *outside* the axis is not intuitive for everyone, hence the preference of some for CW/CCW, or the need for a mnemonic that specifies which part is left/right.
Right or left from what frame of reference? Since that nmeumonic doesnt establish an FoR, you cant tell. But CCW and CW have implicit frames of reference since they're literally defined by how analog clocks work.
@atatassault @sarahbecan That's always bugged me as well, but I recently learned a much better CW/CCW version: Time's getting tight!
You can also think in terms of the right hand rule, if you're familiar with vectors. Point your right thumb in the direction you want the fastener to go, rotate it in the direction your fingers curl.
And the engineers have been heard from [Grin]
Isn't clockwise and counter-clockwise also dependent on what direction you're facing? If you looked at a clear clock from the back, the hands would be spinning counter clockwise, right?
@kwsapphire @atatassault Clockwise describes the direction of rotation of the minute and hour hands across the face. That doesn't change based on your viewing position.
Weird that some folks are wanting to argue this, when written mechanical shop guides use CW / CCW, because it defines the direction force will be applied to an object. The assumption that you aren't going to fix the head of a bolt and rotate the workpiece around it is generally a safe one.
Sarah Becan
AT-AT Assault 🏳️⚧️
The Mïghty Kräcken
JJ Celery
Dave
Maho 🦝🍻
Sealvia 
Dr Dave
Joanna McKenzie
Why Not Zoidberg? 🦑
Lea
eishiya
DoryTheFish 🫂∞🌈🧡
Matthew Dockrey
DHeadshot's Alt
Mark K
Gigi 🍄🟫
GH Monroe
Sapphire
jonathanpeterson