a wrench (a tool used for
holding and turning
nuts, bolts, pipes, etc.). And
Joe would
hand him the spanner. -Two-Way
Communication (1
Nov. 54)
n. a chiefly British
term for an
instrument used for clasping and turning the
nut on a bolt, for unfastening the couplings of a
fire hose, etc. A spanner (known as a wrench in the United
States) usually consists of a small
steel bar with an opening or jaw at one or both
ends which one places around the
object to be turned. The jaw sometimes contains a tooth or
pin that fits into a
slot or hole in the
object being turned.