Date:    Mon, 29 Jun 1998 22:26:43 -0500
<br>From:    Mike Salovesh <t20mxs1[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CORN.CSO.NIU.EDU>
<br>Subject: Re: monkey-wrench
<br>
<br>Yongwei Gao wrote:
<br>>
<br>> Dear all,
<br>>
<br>> Have you ever seen the following two words:
<br>> 1. monkey-wrench      It s a mushrooming p.r. cloud that threatens to
<br>> damage Microsoft both explicitly (if Justice decides to monkey-wrench
<br>> Gates  Windows 98 plans) and implicitly, by hampering his ability to
<br>> influence future legislation on such crucial Infobahn issues as
<br>> copyright protection and encryption. (97/11/24 Time p78)  The word
<br>> should mean "to destroy, to sabotage", but does it have any bearing to
<br>> "monkey-wrencher' used in environmental contexts?
<br>
<br>A monkey wrench is a tool with and adjustable head.  A single monkey
<br>wrench can be used to turn different sizes of nus and bolts without a
<br>need for changing wrenches.
<br>
<br>The secondary meaning of "monkey wrench" is, indeed, "sabotage".  It is
<br>a shortened form of the phrase "throw a monkey wrench in the machinery".
<br>
<br>British English calls the tool a "spanner", and the parallel British
<br>phrase is "throw a spanner in the works".
<br>
<br>The British phrase thus makes sense out why Beatle John Lennon chose "A
<br>Spaniard in the works" as a book title.
<br>
<br>--  mike salovesh                               <salovesh[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]niu.edu>
<br>    anthropology department
<br>    northern illinois university                     PEACE !!!
<br>