Spring-Loaded Clamp

I found a weathered wooden clothespin resting flat against the courtyard pavers. The steel coil between its halves had serious tension. I squared my stance, planted my left foot for leverage, and drove my right heel down onto the grooved tail. The metal spring groaned, and the wooden jaws flared wide open. Before the tension could slip, I kicked a straight, dried twig between the teeth and eased off my heel. The clamps snapped shut with a crisp wooden crack, locking the twig upright like a miniature goalpost. Pure mechanical grip. The whole rig didn't budge an inch.