bicycle wrench

English

Noun

bicycle wrench (plural bicycle wrenches)

1. (dated, chiefly 1880s-1920s) Any wrench meant for or considered to be mainly for the purpose of repairing bicycles.
2. (dated, chiefly 1900s-1920s) Any small and handy wrench as might be well suited for repairing bicycles, but not limited to bicycle use.
   • 1914 January 15, [Editors], “Usefulness of bicycle wrenches”, in Motor World‎^[1], volume 38, number 4, page 34:

     With the boom in the bicycle business [1890s] there came an excellent opportunity for wrench makers, and the large number of "bicycle" wrenches that have survived [1914] make plain how well the opportunity was embraced. Obviously, these bicycle wrenches are quite as useful around an automobile as they are around a bicycle. In fact, their designation now stands for small size rather than to connect them with the bicycle industry. In fact, almost any small wrench now is styled a "bicycle" wrench and some of them are remarkably ingenious.