I broke my thermometer.

I broke my thermometer. I was shaking it down and cracked it against my foot (don't think too hard about how the thermometer and my foot managed to collide, ok?). Glass everywhere, and little balls of mercury, too.

Its replacement has a feature that ensures I can't repeat that disaster. The thermometer case is a long plastic tube with a screw-on cap. A cord slips through about a third of the way down its length. By twisting the cord tight and then pulling hard, the case spins and cetrifgual force will push the mercury down.

Very clever and much safer...as long as the cap's in place and the cord doesn't break.