Converse of object

• wield: To him an engineer was someone wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase - not someone wearing overalls and wielding a spanner.

• throw: Just to throw a spanner in the works... ... .

• put: A hardware salesman puts a spanner into Joe's plans for a romantic evening with Melanie.

• carry: However the really great feature is that they are on screw threads, so there's no need to carry a spanner with you.

• require: They tend to be larger than the standard tap body, this one would require a 22mm spanner to remove.

• end: The only thing I was not allowed to take was a very nice set of single ended spanners up to 1 inch.

Adjective modifier

• adjustable: Using an adjustable spanner open the square on the drain off valve, water should flow out of the hosepipe!

• big: Some think he's the lube that oils the machine others that he's a great big spanner in the works.

• large: A large adjustable spanner is required for the entrance lid.

• small: I have a couple of small spanners bought for specific jobs where my cheapo spanners were rounding off corners.

Preposition: into

• work: That's why God often throws a spanner into the works of our lives.

Modifies a noun

• icon: A spanner icon will bring up the rigging guide.

• size: All nut and bolt sizes are given for the spanner size required to fit them.

Noun used with modifier

• ratchet: Normally a ratchet spanner is quite a bit thicker than a normal one due to the mechanism.

• socket: The next step was to try to undo the bush using a socket spanner on the tool, however it wouldn't budge.

• plug: Checking for sparks can be a problem if you don't have a handy plug spanner or a spare plug.

• ring: Using a ring spanner undo the large union nut, taking care not to spill too much gasoline.

• combination: Both of these examples can be called combination spanners.

• box: Now you can slide the box spanner over the top hat Nut, this also needs turning anti-clockwise whilst holding the tap.

Preposition: in

• work: Just to throw a spanner in the works... ... .