[SEL] Aussie Translators?

[Listerdiesel]

On 11/19/05, Rob Skinner <rskinner at rustyiron.com> wrote:
> 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.

We have lots of wenchs here...:-))  "A wench is something that turns
the head of a dolt"

> If I understand correctly, the Poms have spanners.  The spanners are supposed to
> work just about the same as our wrenches.

Spanner = wrench, almost regardless of whether ring or open-ended.

> 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?

Shifters are usually 'Stilsons' wrenches over here, adjustable
spanners are smooth jawed, crescent wrenches are what we call pipe
wrenches (but see also Stilsons)  :-))

There was also a 'Footprint' brand pipe wrench (passed by the site of
the old Footprint factory a week or so ago in Sheffield)

> Just trying to understand the finer nuances of the language... don't want to
> cause any international incidents over imprecise communication.

Three nations separated by a common language?

> Rob

--
Peter A Forbes
Email: listerdiesel at gmail.com
Web: www.oldengine.org/members/diesel