Electricians' Slang

Start here: ten words every newcomer needs

Overheard on the job

Real-sounding lines from the floor, translated into plain English.

• Run a stick of half-inch to that 1900 box, put a single-gang mud ring on it and leave me a pigtail.

  TranslationInstall one 10-foot length of 1/2-inch conduit to the 4-inch square box, fit a one-device plaster ring, and leave a short spliced lead ready for the switch or receptacle.

• Home runs are tagged and the whips are coiled above the grid, we trim out Monday.

  TranslationThe circuit cables back to the panel are labeled and the flexible fixture leads are left in the ceiling, so devices and fixtures go in after the weekend.

• Throw a kicker after the ninety and a four-point saddle around that duct, and no dog legs this time.

  TranslationAdd a shallow single bend after the 90-degree bend, carry the conduit over the wide duct with two offsets, and keep all the bends in the same plane.

• Grab the Kleins and a bag of reds, we're making up boxes on two this morning.

  TranslationBring lineman's pliers and large twist-on connectors, because the morning's job is splicing and folding the wires in every box on the second floor.

• Blow a jet line through with the mouse, then pull in the mule tape and set up the tugger.

  TranslationUse a vacuum or blower to send a light pull string through the empty conduit, use it to pull in flat pulling tape, then rig the powered cable puller for the main pull.

• That BX has no red heads and there's a double tap in the panel, he's going to red tag us.

  TranslationThe armored cable is missing its anti-short bushings and two wires share a breaker terminal, so the inspector will fail the job.

• Wild leg's on B phase with orange tape, don't land any single-poles on it.

  TranslationThe high leg of this delta service, about 208 volts to ground, is the middle bus, marked orange, and no 120-volt breakers may be connected to it.

Device, junction and weatherproof boxes, the rings and plates that finish them, and the knockouts in their walls.

• Bell boxalso FS box, FD box
  Weatherproof cast-aluminium box with threaded hubs, used for outdoor switches, receptacles and lights. Shop talk
• Four-eleven boxalso 4-11/16 box, 2100 box
  Square steel box 4-11/16 inches on a side, the step up from a four-square when #10 wire or big receptacles fill it. Shop talk
• Four-square boxalso 1900 box, 4S box
  Square steel box, 4 inches on a side, that takes a mud ring or cover and serves as the workhorse junction and device box.
• Gem boxalso gangable box, gangable switch box
  Single-gang metal device box with removable sides, so several can be ganged together for a row of switches. Shop talk
• Goof platealso jumbo plate, oversize plate
  Oversized cover plate used to hide a drywall hole cut too big or too ragged around a box. Shop talk
• Goof ringalso box extender, box extension
  Box extension ring that brings a box set too deep back out flush with the finished wall surface. Shop talk
• Handy boxalso utility box, handi-box
  Small surface-mount steel utility box with rounded corners, used for exposed switches and outlets on block walls. Shop talk
• KOalso knockout, KO hole
  Knockout: a partly punched disc in a box or panel that is removed to make a hole for a conduit or cable fitting. Shop talk
• Mud ringalso plaster ring, device ring
  Raised cover that screws onto a square box and gives a flush opening for devices in drywall or plaster. Shop talk
• Old work boxalso cut-in box, remodel box
  Box made to fit into an existing finished wall or ceiling through a cut hole, without access to the framing.
• Pancake boxalso pancake, pan box
  Very shallow round box, about half an inch deep, used to mount a fixture where no deeper box will fit. Shop talk
• Slugalso knockout slug
  Metal disc knocked or punched out of a box or panel, which ends up underfoot and in the bottom of every panel. Shop talk

Conduit, tubing and cable types, and the brand names that stand in for each of them.

• BXalso AC cable, Type AC
  Trade name used for armored cable: insulated conductors inside a spiral metal jacket. Shop talk
• EMTalso thinwall
  Electrical metallic tubing: thin-wall, unthreaded steel conduit joined with set-screw or compression fittings.
• Greenfieldalso flex, FMC
  Flexible metal conduit: spiral-wound steel or aluminium tube that wire is pulled into, used for short flexible runs. Shop talk
• Gutteralso wireway, trough
  Sheet-metal trough with a removable cover used to splice, tap and route conductors next to panels and disconnects. Shop talk
• MC cablealso MC, metal-clad cable
  Metal-clad cable: insulated conductors, including a green ground, inside interlocked aluminium or steel armor.
• Ninetyalso 90, ell
  Shop name for a 90-degree conduit bend, whether factory-made or bent on site. Shop talk
• Pipealso conduit
  Shop word for conduit of any kind, and as a verb for installing it, as in pipe it. Shop talk
• Rigidalso RMC, GRC
  Heavy-wall threaded steel conduit, the toughest raceway on site, used for services, exposed runs and hazardous areas. Shop talk
• Romexalso NM, NM-B
  Brand name used for nonmetallic sheathed cable, the plastic-jacketed cable that wires most North American houses. Shop talk
• Sealtitealso liquidtight, LFMC
  Liquidtight flexible metal conduit: flexible steel conduit with a gray plastic jacket, used at motors and outdoors. Shop talk
• Smurf tubealso smurf, ENT
  Corrugated plastic electrical tubing that bends by hand, nicknamed for its bright blue color. Shop talk
• Stickalso length, joint
  One full 10-foot length of conduit, the unit crews count pipe in. Shop talk
• Sweepalso long sweep, large radius elbow
  Long-radius conduit elbow, common in underground PVC runs, that makes pulling big or long cables easier. Shop talk
• THHNalso T90 Nylon
  Thermoplastic high heat-resistant nylon-coated wire: the standard single conductor pulled into conduit.
• Whipalso fixture whip, flex whip
  Short flexible conduit or cable assembly with wires already in it, linking a fixture or machine to a junction box. Shop talk
• Wiremoldalso surface raceway, surface metal raceway
  Surface raceway that mounts on finished walls, named after the brand that made it standard. Shop talk

Splicing connectors, conduit bodies, nipples, bushings and the compounds that join it all together.

• Bugalso split bolt, Kearney
  Split-bolt connector used to splice or tap heavy conductors, then wrapped in tape. Shop talk
• Chase nipplealso chase
  Short threaded fitting with a flat collar that joins two boxes or enclosures through their knockouts.
• Chicoalso sealing compound, seal-off compound
  Sealing compound poured into conduit seal fittings to block gas and flame in hazardous locations. Shop talk
• Ericksonalso Ericson, three-piece coupling
  Three-piece union that joins two lengths of threaded rigid conduit when neither one can be turned. Shop talk
• Ideal
  Shop name for connectors and tools from the maker whose Wire-Nut trademark became a generic word. Shop talk
• LB
  L-shaped conduit body with its outlet on the back, used to turn a conduit run straight through a wall.
• Nipplealso conduit nipple
  Short length of conduit, threaded or with fittings on both ends, connecting two nearby boxes or enclosures.
• Noaloxalso anti-ox, oxide inhibitor
  Antioxidant joint compound brushed onto aluminium wire before it goes under a lug, named after a common brand. Shop talk
• Red headalso redhead, anti-short bushing
  Plastic anti-short bushing pushed into the cut end of armored cable to shield wires from the sharp armor edge. Shop talk
• Set-screw fittingalso set-screw, setscrew fitting
  EMT connector or coupling that grips the tubing with a screw, used in dry indoor locations.
• Ty-rapalso zip tie, cable tie
  Brand name used for plastic cable ties, the self-locking straps that bundle and secure wiring. Shop talk
• Wagoalso lever nut, push-in connector
  Brand name used for push-in and lever-style splice connectors that clamp wires without twisting. Shop talk
• Wire nutalso wirenut, twist-on connector
  Twist-on connector with a tapered spring inside, used to splice two or more wires together in a box. Shop talk

Clips, straps, strut, rod and anchors that hold boxes, conduit and cable in place.

• All-threadalso threaded rod, ready rod
  Steel rod threaded along its whole length, used to hang conduit, strut and fixtures from the structure. Shop talk
• Battleshipalso Madison clip, Madison bar
  Thin metal F-shaped clip that holds a cut-in box in drywall by gripping the back of the wall. Shop talk
• Caddy clipalso Caddy, spring clip
  Spring-steel fastener that snaps onto studs, rod, wire or beam flanges to hold boxes, conduit and cable. Shop talk
• Minerallacalso conduit hanger
  Steel conduit hanger with a bolt across the top, used to hang pipe from rod or fasten it to strut or steel. Shop talk
• One-hole strapalso one-hole, 1-hole strap
  Conduit strap with a single screw hole, used to fasten a conduit run to a wall or structure.
• Tapconalso concrete screw, masonry screw
  Blue hardened screw that cuts its own thread in a drilled hole in concrete or block, named for its brand. Shop talk
• Tie wirealso ceiling wire, hanger wire
  Soft steel wire used to hang fixtures and raceways above suspended ceilings and to tie pipe to rebar. Shop talk
• Unistrutalso strut, strut channel
  Brand name used for metal strut channel, the slotted steel channel bolted together into racks and supports. Shop talk

Hand tools, punches, pullers and voltage testers, mostly known by their brand names.

• Channellocksalso channel locks, pump pliers
  Tongue-and-groove adjustable pliers, named after the brand that made them a trade staple. Shop talk
• Cheateralso cheater bar, cheater plug
  Anything that beats a built-in limit: pipe over a wrench handle, a three-to-two plug adapter or a tandem breaker. Shop talk
• Dikesalso dykes, diagonals
  Diagonal cutting pliers, used for snipping small wire and cable ties close to a surface. Shop talk
• Fish tapealso fish, snake
  Long flat steel or fiberglass tape on a reel, pushed through conduit or walls to pull wire back.
• Hickeyalso conduit hickey, fixture hickey
  Short-headed hand bender for rigid conduit, and also the threaded fitting that hangs a fixture from a box stud. Shop talk
• Kleinsalso lineman's pliers, linemans
  Lineman's side-cutting pliers, named after the brand most electricians carry. Shop talk
• Knockout punchalso KO punch, KO set
  Punch and die set that shears clean round holes in boxes and panels for conduit fittings.
• Meggeralso megohmmeter, IR tester
  Insulation resistance tester, and the verb for testing a cable or motor with one. Shop talk
• Persuaderalso convincer
  Joking name for a hammer or big pry bar, the tool used when something needs convincing to fit. Shop talk
• Tick traceralso volt stick, VoltAlert
  Pen-shaped non-contact voltage detector that beeps or lights up near an energised conductor. Shop talk
• Tuggeralso cable puller, puller
  Portable powered cable puller that winds rope on a capstan to pull wire through long or heavy conduit runs. Shop talk
• Unibitalso step bit, step drill
  Stepped cone drill bit that cuts several hole sizes in sheet metal boxes and panels, named for its brand. Shop talk
• Wiggyalso solenoid tester, wiggie
  Solenoid voltage tester whose plunger jumps and buzzes to show voltage, prized for being rugged and hard to fool. Shop talk

Conduit bending layouts and math, and the strings, tapes and lubricants used to pull wire.

• Back-to-backalso back to back, U bend
  Bend layout that sets the outside distance between the backs of two 90-degree bends in one piece of conduit.
• Chicago gripsalso Chicagos, come-along grip
  Spring-jawed come-along grips that bite on a wire or cable so it can be pulled tight with a hoist. Shop talk
• Dog legalso dogleg, twisted offset
  Crooked bend where two bends in one conduit end up out of plane, so the run will not lie flat. Shop talk
• Four-point saddlealso 4-point saddle, four-bend saddle
  Pair of offsets in one stick that carries conduit up over a wide obstruction, along it and back down.
• Gainalso bend gain
  Length saved because conduit turns around a curve instead of a sharp corner, used when cutting pipe to length.
• Jet linealso jetline, pull string
  Lightweight pull string blown or vacuumed through empty conduit, then used to pull in heavier rope or wire. Shop talk
• Kickeralso kick, kick bend
  Single shallow bend that angles conduit off its line, for example to bring it out from a wall into equipment. Shop talk
• Mule tapealso pull tape, muletape
  Flat woven polyester pulling tape printed with footage marks, used for long pulls and to measure runs. Shop talk
• Offsetalso jog
  Two equal bends in opposite directions that shift a conduit run sideways to clear an obstruction or enter a box.
• Saddle
  Set of bends that carries conduit over a pipe or obstruction and back down to its original line.
• Shrinkalso shrinkage, offset shrink
  Shortening of a conduit run caused by an offset or saddle, which has to be added back when marking bends.
• Stub-upalso stub, stub up
  Ninety-degree bend that brings conduit straight up from a floor or out from a wall to a set height.
• Yellow 77also soap, wire lube
  Wire-pulling lubricant named for a familiar yellow brand, smeared on conductors to cut friction in conduit. Shop talk

Job titles, stages of the work, inspection talk and the humor of the trade.

• Angry pixiesalso pixies
  Joking name for electricity itself, especially when it escapes as sparks, smoke or a shock. Shop talk
• Apprenticealso trainee
  Electrician in training who works under a journeyman while logging set hours of job experience and school.
• Biblealso code book, NEC
  Shop name for the electrical code book, the reference every electrician carries and argues from. Shop talk
• Boomeralso traveler
  Traveling electrician or lineman who follows big projects from city to city wherever the work is. Shop talk
• Cherry pickeralso boom lift, bucket truck
  Boom lift or bucket truck that raises a worker on an arm to reach high fixtures, poles and ceilings. Shop talk
• Gang boxalso job box, Knaack box
  Big lockable steel chest that holds a crew's tools and material on a jobsite overnight. Shop talk
• Get bitalso get zapped, get lit up
  To take an electric shock on the job, as in got bit by a hot neutral. Shop talk
• Hackalso hack job
  Electrician or amateur who does sloppy, unsafe or out-of-code work, or the work itself. Shop talk
• Jmanalso J-man, journeyworker
  Clipped jobsite form of journeyman, as in ask your jman before you touch that panel. Shop talk
• Journeymanalso journeyman electrician, journeyman wireman
  Licensed electrician who has finished an apprenticeship and passed an exam, qualified to work unsupervised.
• Landalso terminate
  To terminate a conductor on a breaker, lug, terminal or device. Shop talk
• Make upalso makeup
  To splice, pigtail and fold the wires in a box so it is ready for a device or cover. Shop talk
• Narrow backalso inside wireman
  Linemen's nickname for inside electricians, implying they never climb poles or haul heavy line gear. Shop talk
• Red tagalso correction notice, turndown
  Failed inspection notice, or the act of an inspector failing work so it must be fixed and reinspected. Shop talk
• Rough-inalso rough, rough wiring
  Stage of electrical work done before walls close: setting boxes, running cable or conduit and pulling wire.
• Sparkyalso sparkie
  Friendly nickname for an electrician, used on jobsites by other trades, customers and electricians themselves. Shop talk
• Trim-outalso trim, finish
  Final stage of electrical work after walls are finished: installing devices, plates, fixtures and breakers.

Branch circuit wiring, panel parts and service equipment from the meter to the switch.

• Bondalso bonding jumper, bonding
  Connection that ties metal parts together so they stay at one potential and give fault current a path home.
• Double tapalso double-tapped breaker
  Two conductors under a breaker or lug terminal listed for only one, a classic inspection writeup. Shop talk
• Gutsalso interior, panel interior
  Interior of a panel: the bus bars, breaker mounting and neutral assembly that bolt into the enclosure. Shop talk
• Home runalso homerun, HR
  Part of a circuit running from the first box back to the panel, or the arrow on a drawing that shows it.
• Hotalso hot leg, line
  Ungrounded, voltage-carrying conductor of a circuit, and as an adjective anything that is live. Shop talk
• Meter canalso meter base, meter socket
  Meter socket enclosure where the utility revenue meter plugs in, mounted between the service drop and panel. Shop talk
• MLOalso main lug only, main lug panel
  Main lugs only: a panel with no main breaker, fed through lugs from a breaker or fuse somewhere upstream.
• MWBCalso multiwire branch circuit, Edison circuit
  Multiwire branch circuit: two or three hot conductors on different phases sharing one neutral.
• Pigtailalso tail
  Short length of wire spliced to several conductors so only one lead goes to a device terminal. Shop talk
• Stingeralso tap lead
  Lead that drops from a pole-top fuse cutout to a transformer's primary bushing, in lineman and service talk. Shop talk
• Suicide cordalso widow maker, double male cord
  Homemade cord with a male plug on both ends, used to backfeed a house from a generator. Shop talk
• Switch legalso switched leg, switched hot
  Conductor that carries switched power from a switch to the light or load it controls.
• Traveleralso traveller
  One of the two conductors run between three-way switches, carrying power on whichever path is selected.
• Tubalso can, panel can
  Empty panel enclosure, the steel back box that goes in at rough-in before the interior and cover arrive. Shop talk
• Weatherheadalso service head, weathercap
  Hooded fitting on top of a service mast where overhead service wires enter the conduit, keeping rain out. Shop talk
• Wild legalso high leg, red leg
  The one phase of a four-wire delta service that reads about 208 volts to neutral instead of 120. Shop talk

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