A plate is provided with feet located laterally of adjacent compression screw holes and absent from about threaded locking holes so as to suspend the plate segment having the threaded locking holes from over the bone. This forces a minimum gap between the threaded holes and the bone, and allows the plate thereat to deflect under loads that can be practically delivered by the locking screws. By allowing the plate to deflect, the threads on the head of the locking screw can be aligned, or timed, with the threads of the threaded plate hole to reduce the required torque to insert the locking screw into the locking hole and the bone.