righty tighty, lefty loosey phrase1 •Used to recall the direction a standard screw, bolt, or nut must be turned to either be tightened or loosened, or the direction a key must be turned to either lock or unlock something, right meaning clockwise and left meaning counterclockwise.This will help you remember which way to turn a screw, bolt or nut: "Righty tighty, lefty loosey." — 1984
