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Spanner?

To: mgs@autox.team.net
Subject: Spanner?
From: scotty@dove.net.au (Scotty)
Date: Tue, 29 Oct 1996 22:40:35 +1030
Hi All,
       I asked "Why is a spanner called a spanner?" and was told this,
 
In the old days when the method of operation on a "Firelock" musket required
the  operator to compress a heavy duty spring to "cock' the hammer before
firing the weapon, [called spanning the lock, an operation requiring strong
hands] a tool was invented which allowed the 'spanning of the lock' to be
completed easily, the tool became known as a "spanner" and this is how the
spanner got it's name.

       The story sounds plausable enough to me, can any one out there
confirm this little bit of trivia? Oh! LBC content - I use spanners on my
MG`s ;^)

Regards.

John[Scotty]Scott.
Adelaide.Australia.
'79 MGB-LE Auto
'33 J2 #4330 [Restoration project]


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