handspike
{{Short description|Metal tool used for prying or leverage}}
A handspike is a metal bar or pipe that is used as a lever for prying or leverage, similar to a crowbar.G. & C. Merriam Co., Webster's new collegiate dictionary, {{ISBN|0-87779-338-7}} Handspike is also an archaic term for a bar or lever, generally of wood, used in a windlass or capstan, for heaving anchor, and, in modified forms, for various other purposes.Merriam-Webster dictionary (1913)Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) © Oxford University Press 2009
On the Calder and Hebble Navigation in England, a handspike in the form of a length of 2-by-4-inch (5 by 10 cm) timber shaped at one end to provide a comfortable two-handed grip is used to operate the winding gear of some of the locks.