Definition of the word monkey wrench

The word "monkey wrench" is a slang term used to describe a type of adjustable wrench with a long, thin jaw that can fit into tight spaces. The origin of the term is quite interesting and dates back to the late 1800s. According to popular legend, the phrase "monkey wrench" was coined by a Scottish mechanical engineer named Ernest Thomas Bassett. Bassett, who worked in a factory in Birkenhead, England, created a prototype of this wrench in the 1880s. His boss, John Moore, reportedly asked him what the new tool was called. In response, Bassett jokingly called it a "monkey wrench" because he felt that the tool's adjustable jaws looked like the paw of a spider monkey. However, some historians dispute this version of events, claiming that the term "monkey wrench" was in use before Bassett introduced his tool. They point to a variety of sources, from magazine advertisements to patent records, that suggest the term was used to describe various types of adjustable wrenches in the late 1800s. Regardless of its mysterious origin, the phrase "monkey wrench" has become a part of popular culture. It has been used in countless novels, movies, and television shows as a way to describe a tool that can cause unexpected and comedic complications in the hands of an inexperienced or clumsy user. Nonetheless, for many people, the term remains synonymous with the specific type of adjustable wrench invented by Bassett over a century ago.