overwound
Spring tensioned excessively
Overwound is the past tense and past participle of overwind—to wind something too tightly or too far.
Most often applied to mechanical devices with springs: an overwound watch, an overwound music box.
Winding past the mechanism's limit can damage it.
Figuratively, someone overwound is too tense or high-strung: She was so overwound she couldn't sleep.
Clock's power coil
- clockworkSpring-driven gear system
- springRecoiling metal spiral
- coiledArranged in spirals
- torqueRotational force measurement
tension · mechanism · escapement · ratchet · gear · torsion · recoil · key
mainspring
Clock's power coil
torque · tension · mechanism · escapement · ratchet · gear · torsion · recoil · key · crank
stressed
Overwhelmed by pressure
- anxiousTroubled by uncertainty
- tenseStrained or nervous
- high-strungNervously sensitive temperament
keyed-up · on-edge · agitated · jittery · nervous · frazzled · overwrought · uptight · restless · edgy
broken
Damaged beyond function
- snappedBroke with sudden force
- strippedHad coverings removed
- malfunctionedOperated incorrectly or failed
busted · inoperative · defective · faulty · seized · jammed · ruined · wrecked · kaput · unusable