Sparky is the most common nickname for an electrician, used by carpenters, plumbers and customers as well as by electricians about themselves. It is affectionate rather than insulting, though the joke behind it, that electrical work comes with sparks, lands with anyone who has seen a dead short. It covers anyone wiring, from a first-year apprentice to the master whose name is on the permit.
Hey sparky, can you kill the power to the bathroom, I need to move that box for the vanity.
Also heard as
- sparkie
Related terms
Journeyman
Licensed electrician who has finished an apprenticeship and passed an exam, qualified to work unsupervised.
Apprentice
Electrician in training who works under a journeyman while logging set hours of job experience and school.
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Linemen's nickname for inside electricians, implying they never climb poles or haul heavy line gear.