dog wrench
- noun
- Specialized
:
llave de perro
- The plumber selected a dog wrench to tighten the old pipe fitting.
Examples
-
A dog wrench is ideal for jobs that require extra leverage and control.
-
He kept a dog wrench in his toolbox for tricky repair situations.
-
I need a dog wrench to fix the pipes.
-
The plumber uses a dog wrench for his work.
-
The plumber selected a dog wrench to tighten the old pipe fitting.
-
A dog wrench is ideal for jobs that require extra leverage and control.
-
He kept a dog wrench in his toolbox for tricky repair situations.
Synonyms
60
2.5
A hand tool with a shaped opening that grips and turns nuts and bolts
2
3.0
A tool with one fixed and one movable jaw that grips and turns bolts
1
3.7
A large adjustable tool with jaws that have teeth for gripping and turning pipes
A large metal tool with L-shaped jaws that grip tighter when you push the handle to turn pipes
A hand tool with a chain loop that grips and turns pipes or other round things
A tool with two jaws that have teeth and that grips and turns pipes
A wrench that grips pipes and rounded bolts tightly
A tool with a movable jaw that fits nuts and bolts of different sizes
A tool that turns nuts and bolts to make them tight or loose
How Specialized
- Specialized
1
3.7
- Specialized
- US
2
3.0
- US
1
3.0
- US
60
2.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
Knowing 'dog' as a small hinged catch in a ratchet mechanism and 'wrench' as a hand tool makes it reasonably predictable that 'dog wrench' refers to a type of wrench that includes or works with a 'dog' component, so the compound is partially compositional. However, the precise form and specialized function (a crank-shaped handle for turning pipes) are technical details not fully derivable by a typical B1 learner from the constituents alone, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Dog wrench probably comes from the tool's jaws that bite and hold like a dog, with wrench showing it is a tool. So the name helps you remember it is a tool that 'grips' and 'turns' round pipes.