Search the Dictionary

Any one of numerous species of small singing birds more or less resembling the true wrens in size and habits.

Trick; deceit; fraud; stratagem. [Obs.] His wily wrenches thou ne mayst not flee. Chaucer.

A kind of pipe wrench having a flaring jaw with teeth on one side.

A small wrenlike Australian bird (Stipiturus malachurus), having the tail feathers long and loosely barbed, like emu feathers.

A pipe wrench having an adjustable L-shaped jaw piece sliding in a sleeve that is pivoted to, and loosely embraces, the handle. Pressure on the handle increases the grip.

ica. The name was originally applied to a group of Indian tribes north of the River St. Lawrence.

A short bar used by thieves to wrench doors open. [Written also bettee.] The powerful betty, or the artful picklock. Arbuthnot.

A kite, invented by Lawrence Hargrave, of Sydney, Australia, which consist of two light rectangular boxes, or cells open on two sides, and fastened together horizontally. Called also Hargrave, or cellular, kite.

eset with clustered thorns, and are mostly natives of the warmer parts of America. Cactus wren (Zoöl.), an American wren of the genus Campylorhynchus, of several species.

The sound made when a cork is forcibly drawn from a bottle. "The cloop of a cork wrenched from a bottle." Thackeray.

A small bird of the genus Certhia, allied to the wrens. The brown or common European creeper is C. familiaris, a variety of which (var. Americana) inhabits America; -- called also tree creeper and creeptree. The American black and white creeper is Mniotilta varia.

A wresting from the true meaning. Bp. Wren.

A large wrench. Knight.

orce, menace, duress, torture, or any undue or illegal exercise of power or ingenuity; to wrench away (from); to tear away; to wring (from); to exact; as, to extort contributions from the vanquished; to extort confessions of guilt; to extort a promise; to extort payment of a debt.

an kinglet (Regulus ignicapillus), having a bright red crest; -- called also fire-crested wren.

egards normal or appropriate activity. The organ is said to be functionally disordered. Lawrence.

A funeral sermon; -- usually in the plural. [Obs.] Mr. Giles Lawrence preached his funerals. South.

An English warbler (Melizophilus provincialis); -- called also furze wren, and Dartford warbler.

golden-crested kinglet (Regulus cristatus, or R. regulus); -- called also golden-crested wren, and golden wren. The name is also sometimes applied to the American golden-crested kinglet. See Kinglet.

and are bolted to the keelson; floor timbers. Knight. -- Ground tit. (Zoöl.) See Ground wren (below). -- Ground wheel, that wheel of a harvester, mowing machine, etc., which, rolling on the ground, drives the mechanism. -- Ground wren (Zoöl.), a small California bird (Chamæa fasciata) allied to the wrens and titmic…