Narrow back is what linemen call inside wiremen, electricians who work in buildings rather than on overhead and underground utility lines. The joke is that inside work never builds the shoulders that climbing poles and handling heavy line hardware does. Inside hands have their own names for linemen, and the ribbing runs both ways between the two branches of the trade.
Couple of narrow backs from the inside crew want to borrow our bucket truck to set the parking lot poles.
Also heard as
- inside wireman
Related terms
Sparky
Friendly nickname for an electrician, used on jobsites by other trades, customers and electricians themselves.
Journeyman
Licensed electrician who has finished an apprenticeship and passed an exam, qualified to work unsupervised.
Cherry picker
Boom lift or bucket truck that raises a worker on an arm to reach high fixtures, poles and ceilings.