Interlocking the Steel Clips

I examined a small wire basket filled with black binder clips. Their spring tension looked promising. I stepped up to the edge, grasped the chrome wire loop of the first clip, and squeezed until the jaws parted. The metal gave under pressure, then snapped shut around the flat handle of a second clip. A precise, interlocking linkage formed. I repeated the movement twice more, connecting four clips into an articulated chain. When I lifted the lead handle, the entire series flexed together in a rigid, satisfying arc without slipping.