What's the difference between obstacle and spanner?

Obstacle


Definition:

  • (v.) That which stands in the way, or opposes; anything that hinders progress; a hindrance; an obstruction, physical or moral.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Since the first is balked by the obstacle of deficit reduction, emphasis has turned to the second.
  • (2) If women psychiatrists are to fill some of the positions in Departments of Psychiatry, which will fall vacant over the next decade, much more attention must be paid to eliminating or diminishing the multiple obstacles for women who chose a career in academic psychiatry.
  • (3) Counselors who serve pregnant US teens face a number of obstacles in communicating adoption as a positive alternative.
  • (4) A major obstacle to the characterization of the latter two mechanisms has been the lack of suitable model systems expressing only a single nucleoside transport activity.
  • (5) These observations suggest that refractive anomalies such as anisometropia that limit high frequency spatial resolution and binocular integration can present a major obstacle to the postnatal development of binocular vision.
  • (6) The initiation of clinical trials on islet transplantation as a possible therapeutic approach for human diabetes had been blocked by 2 major obstacles.
  • (7) Venous ectasias and varices which can be encountered, associated with DVA constitute an acquired feature in relation to a venous outlet obstacle.
  • (8) Despite these obstacles, new technologies, coupled with educational efforts, should allow the computer to emerge as a crucial aid to clinicians in the decade ahead.
  • (9) Yet experience has disclosed an obstacle to understanding the relationship between cervical cancer and OC use--cervical cancer may be caused by the human papilloma virus transmitted by sexual intercourse.
  • (10) In this paper something is given of their evolution, diversity, aims and activities; and of the important role they now play in many instances, as well as some of the obstacles to collaboration, co-ordination and integration at different levels of operation--internationally, nationally and locally.
  • (11) It is no obstacle to perform pre- and postoperative radio- and chemotherapy.
  • (12) Obstacles to successful treatment include an erratic schedule, mistrust of authority, and uncooperative or aggressive behavior.
  • (13) One of the main obstacles for the introduction of PCR method to identify HIV1 proviral DNA in routine diagnostic laboratories is the use of radiolabelled oligodeoxynucleotide probes.
  • (14) Digital culture has hardly helped, adding revenge porn, trolls and stranger-shaming to the list of uncomfortable modern obstacles.
  • (15) She feared her chances of being offered a place would be diminished by a Brexit vote, and the practical considerations like a visa and funding would be more of an obstacle.
  • (16) It goes without saying that this won't be easy to achieve, and there are many obstacles to be overcome.
  • (17) Armstrong recognised no obstacle to his ambitions – not morality, not the law.
  • (18) Where foreign policy and defence are concerned, Britain’s desire to be taken very seriously is the chief obstacle to it being taken more seriously.
  • (19) The presence of calcifications within the thyroid cartilage is the major obstacle to US imaging of the larynx and is directly related to age; indeed, only 40% of subjects can be examined at the age of 70.
  • (20) Facebook Twitter Pinterest Britain needs to talk about the R-word: racism It is also a wakeup call to those who recognise racism only when it is played out like a scene from Django Unchained , those who think that racism has to be some vulgar incident perpetrated only by the backward, ignorant and poorly educated, those who believe that racism has to be an act, rather than a complicated and intangible framework that sets up obstacles.

Spanner


Definition:

  • (n.) One who, or that which, spans.
  • (n.) The lock of a fusee or carbine; also, the fusee or carbine itself.
  • (n.) An iron instrument having a jaw to fit a nut or the head of a bolt, and used as a lever to turn it with; a wrench; specifically, a wrench for unscrewing or tightening the couplings of hose.
  • (n.) A contrivance in some of the ealier steam engines for moving the valves for the alternate admission and shutting off of the steam.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) An open-ended torque release spanner was set for 0.9 Newton-metres for clinical use such that the compressive load is sufficient to prevent pull-out even in the unlikely event of 60 lb being applied for up to 21 days.
  • (2) Another spanner in the Brotherhood's works was the recent decision by the supreme constitutional court to dissolve parliament, in which it was the majority bloc through its political arm, the Freedom and Justice party.
  • (3) 9.07pm GMT Final score: Panthers 21-20 Falcons For a moment it appeared as though the Falcons were about to throw a spanner in the works, driving up to near midfield with 30 seconds left to play.
  • (4) And despite what he says, it would be very tough for him to beat her.” Clinton spent last summer fighting accusations of inappropriate use of a personal email server during her time as secretary of state, an issue that threw an unexpected spanner in what was initially seen as a clear path to the nomination.
  • (5) Fulham thought they'd secured the striker's scrawl, but it now seems that Big Sam might be on the verge of throwing a spanner in the works.
  • (6) He thinks the party’s current stance on solving 21st-century problems is as outdated as “trying to overhaul an Apple MacBook with a spanner” and says decisions should be made by members networked via the internet rather than in local party meetings in draughty church halls.
  • (7) Fittingly, most traces of this Michael Green’s HowToCorp company have since been erased from cyberspace, perhaps by his own software, jammed in reverse gear with an imaginary spanner.
  • (8) If this is the tone in which the UK proceeds, then throwing spanners in May’s works will be irresistible to many of them.
  • (9) "Kim Dotcom could throw a real spanner in the works of this year's general election," Bryce Edwards, a political commentator and lecturer at the University of Otago, wrote on his blog.
  • (10) Barclays' decision threatens to throw a spanner in the works as Somalia embarks on reconstruction.
  • (11) "Coalition government and Ukip have thrown spanners in the old assumptions," says Sanders.
  • (12) A Scandal in Bohemia opens with Conan Doyle sidelining feeling as "grit in a sensitive instrument", a spanner in the works of the world's "most perfect reasoning and observing machine".
  • (13) 7 Get a spanner Things are going to go wrong much more often, so expect mini-disasters.
  • (14) Two series of bivalent ligands (P-X-P) containing the (R,S)-3-[(4-aminoaryl)oxy]-1-(isopropylamino)propan-2-ol pharmacophore and a connecting alpha,omega-dicarbonylpoly(methylene) [X = -OC(CH2)nCO-] or alpha,omega-N,N'-bis(carbonylmethylene) polymethylenediamine [X = -OCCH2NH(CH2)nNHCH2CO-] spanner were synthesized and evaluated for beta-adrenoceptor antagonist activity in rat heart and lung membrane preparations.
  • (15) But there's another, easier way of establishing whether someone is two spanners short of a tool box.
  • (16) There’s a social stigma, too.” The design of the new devices, from masculine chrome pipes like luxury motorbike spanners to delicate diamanté bling-sticks, helps, too.
  • (17) In short, they are all much better riders than me and calmly slide out of their saddles at the end of the day while I limp off as if I have been sitting on a bag of spanners.
  • (18) More self-harm to report: a single decision with the potential to devastate the finances of millions, blight some of the poorest communities in the developing world and throw a spanner in the workings of our aid agencies.
  • (19) The data suggest that further increases in spanner length and lipophilicity and optical resolution may improve the potential of a labeled bivalent beta 1-adrenoceptor antagonist to function as a myocardial imaging agent.
  • (20) Jack Lang (@snap_kaka_pop) Potential spanner in the works for Everton?