monkey wrench vs obstacle

monkey wrench

noun
  • An unexpected or troublesome problem, obstacle or dilemma. 

  • A wrench (spanner) with an adjustable jaw. 

obstacle

noun
  • Something that impedes, stands in the way of, or holds up progress, either physically or figuratively 

How often have the words monkey wrench and obstacle occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )