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n. A wrench having a hook, hole, or pin at the end for meshing with a related device on another object.

n. Chiefly British A wrench.

n. A hand tool for adjusting nuts and bolts.

n. One who, or that which, spans.

n. A hand tool shaped like a small crank handle, for winding the spring of a wheel lock on a musket.

n. A device in early steam engines for moving the valves for the alternate admission and shutting off of the steam.

n. A problem, dilemma or obstacle; something unexpected or troublesome (in the phrase spanner in the works)

n. A stupid or unintelligent person; one prone to making mistakes, especially in language.

n. One who, or that which, spans.

n. The lock of a fusee or carbine; also, the fusee or carbine itself.

n. An iron instrument having a jaw to fit a nut or the head of a bolt, and used as a lever to turn it with; a wrench; specifically, a wrench for unscrewing or tightening the couplings of hose.

n. A contrivance in some of the earlier steam engines for moving the valves for the alternate admission and shutting off of the steam.

n. One who or that which spans.

n. An instrument for clasping and turning a nut on a screw, or for any similar purpose, as turning the wheel in cocking the old wheel-lock firearms, fastening and unfastening the couplings of fire-hose, etc.; a screw-key or screw-wrench. Spanners are made either with a hole to fit the shape of the nut, as square or hexagonal, or with movable jaws that can be tightened over a nut or a coupling of any shape.

n. A cross-brace.

n. In the parallel motion of a marine steam-engine, a rod which connects the jointed rods with the radius-bar; also, in some of the earlier engines, the hand-bar or lever by which the valves were moved for the admission and shutting off of the steam.

n. A span-worm or looper.

n. a hand tool that is used to hold or twist a nut or bolt

"Pakistan is the 'spanner' in the works -- as General Kayani might say."

hand tool   

clyburn spanner   

throw a spanner in the works    adjustable spanner    spanner barb   

tappet wrench    bulldog wrench    open-end wrench    pin wrench    brace wrench    adjustable spanner    torque wrench    box end wrench    alligator wrench    dog wrench   

wrench   

Tanner    banner    branner    canner    manner    manor    planner    scanner    tanner   

self-adjusting    oilcan    marlinspike    hex-    fourteen-inch    open-end    gimlet    screw-driver    pliers    soul-shattering