crescent wrench

1 3.8

A metal tool with a movable jaw for holding and turning nuts and bolts

noun
/ˈkrɛsənt wrenʧ/

: llave ajustable

He always keeps a crescent wrench in his toolbox for adjusting various fittings.

Example, using pliers instead of a Crescent wrench on a bolt.

Examples

Please hand me the crescent wrench so I can tighten this bolt.
He laid his crescent wrench in the toolbox bolted behind the seat of the dozer.

Fiction book (1996)
MAN 2: Just grab the crescent wrench, come right back.

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)
I sent him to buy a new crescent wrench an hour ago.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (2017)
Hand me the crescent wrench, would you?

Adventureland (2009)
You take my crescent wrench?

White Rabbit (2013)
See that crescent wrench up on top there?

Any Which Way You Can (1980)
One of the uniformed officers found this crescent wrench in the debris pile over there.

Fantasm (1976)
Hey, there's a, uh, crescent wrench in the tool shed there, it's on the back shelf.

Andy's Rainbow (2016)
A crescent wrench?

Fiction book (1998)

Synonyms

wrench

vscrescent wrench

60 2.5

A hand tool with a shaped opening that grips and turns nuts and bolts

refers more narrowly to the movable jaw tool for hexagonal nuts

spanner

vscrescent wrench

6 4.4

A tool used to turn nuts and bolts

is narrower, referring to the movable jaw type for hexagonal nuts

monkey wrench

vscrescent wrench

2 3.0

A tool with one fixed and one movable jaw that grips and turns bolts

is used mainly for six-sided nuts rather than wide object gripping

adjustable wrench

vscrescent wrench

1 3.0

A tool with a movable jaw that fits different sizes of nuts and bolts

is described specifically for gripping six-sided nuts rather than general use

adjustable spanner

vscrescent wrench

3.5

A tool with a movable jaw that fits nuts and bolts of different sizes

is mainly used to grip six-sided nuts rather than any fastener

screw wrench

vscrescent wrench

3.8

A tool with one movable jaw that you move by turning a screw to hold nuts or bolts

is focused on gripping hexagonal nuts rather than the jaw mechanism

How Adjustable

pipe wrench

Specialized

1 3.7

crescent wrench

1 3.8

monkey wrench

2 3.0

spanner

6 4.4

Surface Forms

crescent wrench singular

crescent wrenches plural

Morphology

crescent + wrench

The noun combines 'crescent' (a curved, tapering shape) with 'wrench' (a gripping/turning tool), so a learner can infer it refers to a wrench with a crescent-shaped/curved jaw or profile. Although the name may also reflect a brand history, the constituent meanings give a clear, compositional description of the tool, making it immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

The tool crescent wrench gets its name from its curved, moon-shaped jaw and from a company called 'Crescent' that made the popular version. The picture of a crescent (a small curved moon) on the jaw helps you remember it is an adjustable wrench used to grip and turn nuts and bolts.