spanner
Americannoun
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a person or thing that spans.
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Also called spanner wrench. a wrench having a curved head with a hook or pin at one end for engaging notches or holes in collars, certain kinds of nuts, etc.
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Chiefly British. a wrench, especially one with fixed jaws.
noun
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a steel hand tool with a handle carrying jaws or a hole of particular shape designed to grip a nut or bolt head
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informal a source of impediment or annoyance (esp in the phrase throw a spanner in the works )
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of spanner
Explanation
A spanner is a type of adjustable wrench. Outside of North America, spanner is just another word for “wrench.” If Americans want to ruin something, they “throw a wrench into it.” British people “throw a spanner in the works.” If you've ever needed to assemble something — like bookshelves — and needed to tighten or loosen a bolt, you probably needed a spanner. A spanner is a type of wrench with an opening and sometimes little teeth: you can clasp it over the nut or bolt and get a good grip. In the US, the main difference between a spanner and other wrenches is the spanner is adjustable and works with many sizes of nuts and bolts.
Vocabulary lists containing spanner
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
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The War I Finally Won
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Stories of Ourselves
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He was replaced for one play by true freshman Deuce Spanner, before limping back onto the field.
From Washington Times • Oct. 31, 2020
Swarers continued to proclaim his innocence and told Spanner that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
From Seattle Times • May 17, 2018
There's also Chimp Spanner, which is instrumental – that's one guy called Paul Ortiz who's been doing some great stuff for us over the past few years.
From The Guardian • May 16, 2013
Metz adds, “Before Spanner was revealed, many didn’t even think it was possible.”
From Slate • Jan. 23, 2013
George is only Georgie Spanner, stage-manager of the Oriental.
From The King of Schnorrers Grotesques and Fantasies by Zangwill, Israel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
