Mondo Knows Facts
A hook and eye pulls a gap closed
The wire hook catches a fabric loop and pulls the two edges tight The pair is used at waistbands and bra backs where a button would need overlap and a zip would be too bulky. The hook is flattened wire bent into a shallow U, and the eye is a bound loop of thread or metal. Because the closure pulls along the seam rather than across it, it resists gaping when the garment is stretched. It sits in Mondo's everyday life collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.
Where this comes from
Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.
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More facts like this
Four hole buttons let you choose the stitch patternThe extra holes allow a cross or parallel thread that spreads the loadAn invisible zip hides its teeth behind the tapeThe coil sits on the reverse of the tape so only a seam shows when closedPress studs click shut as a split ring springsA domed brass ring in the socket spreads, then closes behind the studHook and loop fastenings weaken as they collect lintFibres and hair clog the tiny hooks until fewer of them can catchA safety pin is one coiled length of wireThe coil supplies tension while the clasp cap covers the sharp endVelcro was invented after observing burdock seeds clinging to dog furMicroscopic plant hooks inspired the invention of synthetic hook-and-loop fasteners
🧭 Everyday Lifefact 181 of 200
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Tags: fasteners, clothing, sewing
A hook and eye pulls a gap closed: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- The wire hook catches a fabric loop and pulls the two edges tight. The figure is taken from Victoria and Albert Museum, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
- Is this really a everyday life fact?
- Yes. It sits on the Everyday Life shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
- What else can I read about it?
- The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.