Screwdrivers

[Johanna N Franklin]

    Just randomly, I would guess that it stems from what the tips look
like.  A Phillips screwdriver has a tip that looks a lot like a +, and a
standard screwdriver has a tip that looks like a -.

    Johanna

Excerpts from mail: 1-Nov-99 Screwdrivers by Love Hartman at HOTMAIL.COM
> I am curious about the different words used when asking for a specific
> screwdriver. I heard that originally a person would either ask for a
> phillips or a standard or a flat. I heard someone refer to the two different
> types of screwdrivers as a "plus or minus".  How did the plus and minus get
> started?