Sacacorchos - singular or plural noun?
Is sacacorchos a singular or plural noun? If I am referring to one corkscrew only, is it el sacacorchos or los sacacorchos?
6 Answers
Check this out! Sorry for the overkill, but I think this makes the point rather clearly that compound words in Spanish are pretty much the verb (third person singular) plus the object (plural) it affects or acts upon. Just a wee bit exhaustive: 
abrecartas — letter opener
abrelatas — can opener
apagavelas — candle snuffer
buscapiés — firecracker (it looks for feet) [new one for me!]
calientalibros — bookworm (he/she warms books)
calientamanos — handwarmer
calientapiés — footwarmer
calientaplatos — dish warmer
cascanueces — nutcracker
catavinos — a winetaster or barhop
comecocos — something that confuses or brainwashes (it eats coconuts)
cortacuitos — circuit breaker
cortalápices — pencil sharpener (it cuts pencils)
cortapapel — paper knife (it cuts paper)
cortapuros — cigar cutter
cuentagotas — medicine dropper (it counts drops)
cuentakilómetros — speedometer, odometer (it counts kilometers)
cuentapasos — pedometer (it counts steps)
cuentarrevoluciones, cuentavueltas — counting machine (it counts revolutions)
cuidaniños — babysitter (he/she cares for children)
cumpleaños — birthday (it fulfills years)
dragaminas — minesweeper (it dredges mines)
elevalunas — window opener
escarbadientes — toothpick (it scratches teeth)
escurreplatos — dish rack (it drains dishes)
espantapájaros — scarecrow (it scares birds)
guardarropas — clothes closet (it keeps clothing)
lanzamisiles — missile launcher
lanzacohetes — rocket launcher
lanzallamas — flame thrower
lavadedos — fingerbowl (it cleans fingers)
lavamanos — bathroom sink (it washes hands)
lavaplatos, lavavajillas — dishwasher
limpiabarros — scraper (it cleans mud)
limpiabotas — shoeshine (he/she cleans boots)
limpiachimeneas — chimneysweep (he/she cleans chimneys)
limpiacristales — window cleaner
limpiametales — metal polish (it cleans metal)
limpiaparabrisas — windshield wiper (it cleans windshields)
limpiapipas — pipe cleaner
limpiauñas — fingernail cleaner
matafuegos — fire extinguisher (it kills fires)
matamoscas — fly swatter (it kills flies)
matarratas — rat poison (it kills rats)
matasanos — medical quack (he/she kills healthy people)
matasellos — postmark (it kills stamps)
pagaimpuestos — taxpayer
parabrisas — windshield (it stops breezes)
paracaídas — parachute (it stops falls)
parachoques — bumper (it stops crashes)
paraguas — umbrella (it stops water)
parrayos — lightning rod (it stops lightning)
pesacartas — letter scale (it weighs letters)
pesapersonas — scale for people (it weighs people)
pintamonas — bad painter, an incompetent person (he/she paints copycats)
picapleitos — shyster lawyer (he/she encourages lawsuits)
portaaviones — aircraft carrier (it carries aircraft)
portacartas — letter bag (it carries letters)
portamonedas — purse, handbag (it carries coins)
portanuevas — one who brings news
portaplumas — pen holder
quitamanchas — dry cleaner, stain remover (it removes stains)
quitamotas — flatterer (he/she removes defects)
quitasueños — anxiety (it takes away sleep)
quitapesares — consolation (it takes away sorrow)
quitanieves — snowplow (it removes snow)
rascacielos — skyscraper
a regañadientes — unwillingly (in a manner that causes a dog to snarl its teeth) [one of the few adverbs!]
rompecabezas — puzzle (it breaks heads)
rompeimágenes — iconoclast (he/she breaks icons)
rompeolas — jetty (it breaks waves)
sacabocados — punch tool (it takes out bites)
sacaclavos — nail remover
sacacorchos — corkscrew (it pulls out corks) [your query!]
sacadineros — trinket, small scam (it takes money)
sacamanchas — dry cleaner (it takes away stains)
sacamuelas — dentist, quack (he/she pulls teeth)
sacapotras — medical quack (he/she removes hernias)
sacapuntas — pencil sharpener (it sharpens points)
saltamontes — grasshopper (it jumps hills)
salvavidas — various safety devices (it saves lives)
secafirmas — blotting pad (it dries signatures)
tientaparedes — one who gropes his/her way (he/she feels walls)
tirabotas — boot hook (it stretches boots)
tiralíneas — drawing pen (it draws lines)
tocacasetes — cassette player
tocadiscos — record player
trabalenguas — tongue twister (it ties tongues)
tragahombres — bully (he/she swallows men)
tragaleguas — long-distance or fast runner (he/she swallows leagues; a league is a little-used measurement of distance, equal to about 5.6 kilometers)
tragamonedas, tragaperras — slot machine, vending machine (it swallows coins)
So, there you have it, a list of some of the most common along with many that I included merely because they're humorous or otherwise interesting, or at least I hope so! 
It is like the "device that extracts the cork". It doesn't matter how many corks it draws; it is just one device.
Its plural does not change: el sacacorchos / los sacacorchos
It is el sacacorchos.
Are these all masculine regardless of the gender of the attached noun?
Some while ago I asked for any Spanish noun+noun compond nouns such as:
aguafiestas
There must be 1000s in English.
I think 4 were mentioned.
Anyone have any ideas why there are so many in English and so few in Spanish?
I think it is because the practice of making new nouns by combining old ones comes from German rather than Latin, and English is a Germanic language while Spanish is a romance language.
Some while ago I asked for any Spanish noun+noun compond nouns such as:
aguafiestas
There must be 1000s in English.
I think 4 were mentioned.
Anyone have any ideas why there are so many in English and so few in Spanish?
and as asked by 5point .....
"Are these all masculine regardless of the gender of the attached noun?"
