We also wrench! To 'wrench' something in Britspeak means the application of brute force.
Box spanners are not the same as sockets, which have a square drive one end and a nut size hex/12 drive the other end for use with a 'tommy-bar' or ratchet.
Allen or hex spanners in Britain are 'keys''- ie, Allen key, or 'hex key'. Imperial and metric all jumbled up in the same box, of course, and the one you want is always missing!!!
A spanner is 'open ended' or 'ring' and most Brit toolboxes of note contain Metric, Whitworth, B.S, B.A., and A/F sizes together with heaps of rusting specials from defunct bicycle, motorcar and motorcylcle makers. We even had bicycle thread spanners to adjust the saddle, wheelnuts and handlebars!
There are also adjustable spanners, Mole wrenches, 'Steggers', and pipe wrenches aka 'Stilsons'.
A 'spanner' is also a Brit slang insult for a person, [ how shall I put this politely and politically correctly? ], who is challenged in the mental faculty department, that is to say, er...stupid!
