spanner

Plural: spanners

Noun

• A tool for gripping and turning nuts or bolts; a wrench.
• a hand tool that is used to hold or twist a nut or bolt
• A hand tool for adjusting nuts and bolts.
• A hand tool for adjusting nuts and bolts.
• Any of certain types of such a tool that have a pin or hook to engage the driven object.
• One who, or that which, spans.
• A (usually sparse) graph whose shortest path distances approximate those in a dense graph or other metric space.
• A hand tool shaped like a small crank handle, for winding the spring of a wheel lock on a musket.
• A device in early steam engines for moving the valves for the alternate admission and shutting off of the steam.
• A problem, dilemma or obstacle; something unexpected or troublesome (in the phrase spanner in the works)
• A stupid or unintelligent person; one prone to making mistakes, especially in language.

Verb

• To use a spanner; to fix with a spanner

Examples

• Halfway through the production of Macbeth, the director found that the stage was smaller than he expected. This really threw a spanner in the works.
• He used a SPANNER of logic to tighten his Scrabble strategy, finding new connections.
• Pass me that spanner, Jake; there's just one more bolt to screw in.
• The groove in this toolholder is what the spanner grabs onto when you are changing the tool.
• You spanner, Rodney! I wanted some time, not a bunch of thyme!

Synonyms

wrench