[SEL] Aussie Translators?

[Rob Skinner]

Are there any bilingual Aussies who speak both Aussie and American who can help
with translation?
 
We Yanks have wrenchs.  Just about everything for turning fasteners externally
is called a wrench.
 
If I understand correctly, the Poms have spanners.  The spanners are supposed to
work just about the same as our wrenches.  
 
This morning I was looking an an Aussie auction on ebay for some "shifters."
The shifters were of the "monkey wrench" sort, with smooth parallel jaws similar
to a pipe wrench.  In Oz, are all spanners and wrenches called shifters?  Or
just adjustable wrenches?  Would a Crescent wrench be called a shifter?  How
about a box end or open end wrench?  
 
Just trying to understand the finer nuances of the language... don't want to
cause any international incidents over imprecise communication.  
 
Rob
 
 

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Rob Skinner
La Habra, California
mailto:rskinner at rustyiron.com
http://www.rustyiron.com