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)

@sarahbecan

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).

@atatassault @sarahbecan
Saying CW and CCW is really no different than saying right and left. The same perspective issue exists for both.

@leadore @sarahbecan

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.