this invention relates to a corkscrew , of the first - class lever type , designed so that once the screw is driven into a cork that is fully inserted into the neck of a bottle and that free end of short fulcrum is placed on the bottle lip , a single hand can hold the bottle neck and the free end of the lever simultaneously . a squeeze of one hand will bring the free end of lever against the bottle neck . the cork is now raised an initial distance from its original position . the operation is repeated using long fulcrum whose free end is placed against the bottle lip . in this second position the free end of lever and the bottle neck are again within range of being grasped with one hand . a second squeeze of the hand now moves the cork the rest of the way out of the bottle neck .