noun
General Slang
spanner
· noun · mancunian
An idiot. A daft sod. Someone being a tool.
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Definitions
1
A daft person. Affectionate when it's your mate, cutting when it's not. Covers the full range from 'forgot his keys again' to 'genuine liability'.
“He's locked himself out twice this week, the spanner.”
by community
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2
The actual hand tool — the metal thing for turning nuts and bolts. Standard British English for what Americans call a wrench. The insult sense rides on top of this one.
“Pass us the 10mm spanner, it's in the toolbox.”
by community
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spanner In A Sentence
He's locked himself out twice this week, the spanner.
Pass us the 10mm spanner, it's in the toolbox.
Origin & Usage
British workshop logic — calling someone a tool, but make it specific. A spanner is the dimmest, bluntest tool in the box, so the metaphor writes itself. Common across the North but lived-in in Manchester.
Variants
spanners
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