A sky hook is a mythical piece of equipment used in a classic hazing ritual for greenhorns on a construction site. Senior crew members will urgently instruct a new hire to go ask the foreman or another trade for the sky hook to hold up a heavy beam in mid-air. The joke relies on the apprentice wandering the site, getting passed from crew to crew, until they realize they have been fooled.
Heard on the job
Go down to the tool crib and ask Gary for a left-handed sky hook so we can hang this girder.
Insider tip
If someone asks you to fetch a sky hook, a bucket of steam, or a wire stretcher, just take a slow walk and enjoy the break.
Also heard as
- board stretcher
- striped paint